The Government of the Canary Islands is launching this week the citizen awareness campaign In the sea, don't risk it, aimed at recovering "respect for the sea" and reducing the "unacceptable and tragic" number of deaths by drowning on the islands, which last year amounted to 71 victims (69 drowned and 2 missing), doubling the accident rate on the roads, as recalled by the Minister of Territorial Policy and Head of Emergencies, Manuel Miranda, during the presentation of the initiative.
The creative pieces that make up the campaign on television, radio, digital press, social networks, billboards and supports at airports, were presented on Monday morning in an event held at the 112 headquarters in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which was attended by the Deputy Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Marcos Lorenzo, technical managers of CECOES (Emergency and Security Coordinating Center), the SUC (Canary Emergency Service) and the public company GSC.
Coinciding with the start of the August holiday period and the massive influx of bathers to the beaches, the General Directorate of Emergencies will remind users with this awareness campaign the importance of taking extreme precautions at sea, following the instructions of lifeguards, and respecting signs, warnings and flags.
"The campaign has a very simple and direct message, in the sea, don't risk it, and the truth is that nothing more is needed, just follow these simple recommendations and take extreme caution to enjoy a happy summer, and so that a day at the beach does not end in tragedy," said Minister Manuel Miranda, for whom "the best lifeguard is not a rescue helicopter or a lifeguard zodiac, but prevention."
The central piece of the campaign is a television spot that recreates a fatal accident of a bather who jumps from a dangerous area of cliffs. The protagonist is the young influencer Gabriel García (@gabrigarcia), who also attended the presentation this morning, to emphasize the message that "your life is worth more than a like."
The young man stressed the importance of reaching the entire Canary population through social networks, which is why he thanked for his participation in this campaign, as it allows "to take this message of prevention to the youngest to avoid more deaths by drowning," he stressed. Minister Manuel Miranda thanked Gabriel García for his participation in the campaign, "which will allow to take the message of prevention to a young audience and to channels that institutional communication does not normally reach easily," he said.
Miranda also thanked the collaboration of the expert disseminator Chano Quintana, who will participate in the dissemination of the campaign through his platform "Canary Islands 1,500 km of coastline", a reference in the prevention of accidents in the aquatic environment. In this sense, Quintana congratulated the Government of the Canary Islands for this initiative and stressed that with it it becomes the first institution to assume a leading role in the fight against drowning. "It is an effective, realistic campaign with a very successful spot. I think it will be very instructive," he added.
The Minister of Territorial Policy also valued the work of the thousands of lifeguards who daily risk their lives on the beaches and bathing areas of the Canary Islands, "not always in the best conditions", and had a special mention for the crews and specialists of the Emergency and Rescue Group (GES) of the Government of the Canary Islands. The six GES helicopters deployed in the archipelago carried out 48 rescues at sea last year. The island with the highest number of interventions was Tenerife with 21 rescues, followed by Fuerteventura with 9, Gran Canaria with 8, Lanzarote 5, La Palma 4 and El Hierro, only one. Fortunately, no intervention was necessary in La Gomera.
This awareness campaign is an initiative of the Ministry of Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water, and with it also fulfills the parliamentary mandate contained in a Non-Law Proposal approved unanimously last April in the regional chamber at the proposal of the Popular Group.
