Members of Fire and Rescue Galway have issued an appeal to the public to ensure they are the first emergency service alerted when somebody enters or falls into the River Corrib or other waterways.
They warned that if they are the last emergency service notified, it can often be too late and cost a life.
In a plea on social media, firefighters said: “If you see anyone fall or enter the water and are in trouble, please ring 999 or 112 as quickly as you can and request the Fire Service.
“We are the only emergency service to have the equipment and who are trained in Swift Water Rescue, and our early notification will enable us to be deployed much quicker and hopefully get to the person in danger in time.
“By all means, call the other services too, but our early notification is vital. Once we are alerted we will call all other services anyway including the Galway Lifeboat.
“Often in the past for some unknown reason we are the last service to be called and often it is too late by then, so please share this information with your friends and families,” the appeal reads.
They added that people may not realise how dangerous the Corrib is, as one of the fastest-flowing rivers in Europe.
“People may not realise that the River Corrib is the fastest flowing River in Europe that passes through a city, and especially at this time of the year its very dangerous to enter it.
“If you see someone go in and are in trouble, we do not recommend going in after them; you may quickly find yourself in serious trouble yourself,” they said.
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