The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) called for national action to tackle drownings on 2 May 2025, the Friday of its Be Water Aware campaign week. The council said tackling drownings requires action at a national level, and repeated its call for the UK Government to consult on introducing a statutory responsibility for inland water rescue response and prevention for English fire and rescue services1.
The NFCC said drowning remains one of the leading causes of accidental deaths in the UK. According to Water Incident Database (WAID) statistics for 2019 to 2023, 1,409 people lost their lives in accidental drowning incidents, and 57% of these occurred in inland waterways such as rivers, lakes and canals1. The council said there is no statutory duty on fire and rescue services in England to respond to water rescue incidents or deliver water safety prevention work, despite a public perception that they are responsible. It said the absence of a duty limits the resources services can allocate to water safety and rescue, resulting in differences in equipment, training and standards between services, and can lead to inconsistent levels of safety and preparedness across the four UK nations1.
The NFCC said Wales has a statutory duty for inland water rescue, and that Northern Ireland and Scotland have some statutory duties in place in relation to serious flooding events. It said there is currently no dedicated, continuous funding for fire and rescue service inland water safety response and prevention work1. The council also called for a clear lead department with responsibility for water safety prevention, and said both the NFCC and the National Water Safety Forum have urged the Government to appoint a minister to take lead responsibility. It said the devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland both have a minister with responsibility for water safety1.
"1,400 people have died in accidental drowning incidents across just five years. We need urgent action to prevent anybody else coming to harm and that requires steps being taken at a national level."
The NFCC said water safety risks will increase as climate change leads to more frequent summer heatwaves and people spend more time in and around water. It said wetter winters could increase the risk of accidental falls into water, while warmer, drier summers are likely to result in more people taking part in water-based sports or entering the water to cool down1. The call was made as some parts of the UK were experiencing the hottest start to May on record, with more warm weather forecast1.
| Nation | Statutory position as described by the NFCC1 |
|---|---|
| England | No statutory duty on fire and rescue services for inland water rescue or water safety prevention |
| Wales | Statutory duty for inland water rescue; wider responsibility for flooding emergencies; a minister with responsibility for water safety |
| Scotland | Some statutory duties in relation to serious flooding events; a minister with responsibility for water safety |
| Northern Ireland | Some statutory duties in relation to serious flooding events |
Why it matters for households
The NFCC's case is that the level of water rescue cover and water safety education a household can expect in England depends on where they live, because there is no statutory duty and no dedicated, continuous funding for this work1. It said the absence of a duty produces differences in equipment, training and standards between fire and rescue services and can lead to inconsistent levels of safety and preparedness across the four UK nations1. The council linked rising risks to more frequent summer heatwaves and to wetter winters, both of which it said could increase the number of people getting into difficulty in inland water1. The NFCC's campaign week is intended to raise awareness of the risk of accidental drowning1.
What happens next
The NFCC has asked the UK Government to consult on a statutory responsibility for inland water rescue response and prevention for English fire and rescue services, and to appoint a minister with lead responsibility for water safety1. It said the current UK Drowning Prevention Strategy runs to 2026 and that work is under way on a new strategy, and that a minister holding the policy brief could improve the focus on water safety at a national level1. No response from the UK Government is reported in the NFCC's announcement, and no date has been given for a consultation1.
The NFCC's position sits alongside wider work on how the UK plans and prepares for emergencies, set out in the UK Government Resilience Framework and Action Plan, with general household guidance in the UK preparedness hub.
