East Sussex fire boss with ‘harrowing’ drowning experience leads water safety forum

Dawn Whittaker is now the new chair for the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF), a network of more than 50 organisations that work to reduce water-related deaths and associated harm in the UK.

Ms Whittaker had a personal ‘harrowing’ experience of nearly drowning when she was 16, a statement from the service revealed.

The statement said, “She was rescued by friends from drowning in a river in mid-Wales. Despite being a strong swimmer, and being familiar with the location, Dawn got into difficulty after her foot got caught in underwater branches.”

Ms Whittaker said, “On that day, I have never forgotten how lucky I was to be with people who knew what to do when someone is in danger in the water. As I grew up I discovered that sadly, not everyone is so fortunate and I decided I wanted to get more involved in helping save lives.

“We have a lot to do – in 2020, there were 254 fatal accidental drownings in the UK.

“I know from my service as a fire officer that prevention is always better than a cure. This ethos also underpins my advocacy for water safety and will continue to guide the work of the National Water Safety Forum as we seek greater collaboration to achieve our shared goal: safer inland and coastal waters.”