WGVFC Supports National Weather Service "TURN AROUND, DON'T DROWN" Campaign

With the recent rain we had last weekend and the possibility of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene hitting our area this weekend, the Willow Grove Fire Company would like to remind you to TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN®!! 

On Friday night (8/19/11) we ran 30 calls, and of those, calls 19 were water rescues. 

Some of those rescues were due to the quick rising waters and the occupants of the vehicles having no chance to get out of the way, but some of them were due to people either not paying attention to the road blockages or thinking that the water is not that deep, “I can make it through there.”

The latter is just asking for trouble!

Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other severe weather-related hazard. The Centers for Disease Control report that over half of all flood-related drownings occur when a vehicle is driven into hazardous flood water. The next highest percentage of flood-related deaths is due to walking into or near flood waters.

Why? The main reason is people underestimate the force and power of water. Many of the deaths occur in automobiles as they are swept downstream. Of these drownings, many are preventable, but too many people continue to drive around the barriers that warn you the road is flooded.

The Weather Channel has an excellent section of their website dedicated to just this issue.

PLEASE take a few moments and check out this site:  http://tadd.weather.gov/.