Fire Department joins the 'Go Blue' campaign and strengthens drowning prevention in Pará
This Friday (25), World Drowning Prevention Day is celebrated. As part of the campaign, public agencies are encouraged to illuminate their facades in blue.
Promoting drowning prevention, strengthening the adoption of safety measures in aquatic activities, and contributing to the reduction of fatal victims are among the main objectives of the Military Fire Department of Pará (CBMPA) in joining the global "Go Blue" campaign. As part of the campaign, public agencies are encouraged to illuminate their facades in blue.
"The initiative is associated with World Drowning Prevention Day, celebrated this Friday, July 25. The Fire Department routinely works on beach and swimming prevention through lifeguards, provides guidance in schools through lectures, and disseminates information on social media and in the media in general for drowning prevention," explains Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Sarges, a specialist in aquatic rescue and rescue diver from CBMPA.
The date was chosen by the United Nations (UN), promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), and led in the country by the Brazilian Society of Aquatic Rescue (Sobrasa). The initiative typically lights up hundreds of buildings and historical monuments in blue. In 2021, the 76th World Health Assembly adopted its first resolution on drowning prevention.
DATA - In Brazil, drownings cause about 6,000 deaths per year. According to the Military Fire Department of Pará, from 2020 to 2024, an annual average of 71 drowning deaths was recorded. "We work intensively and constantly every day to reduce these rates, just like in the Summer Operation, which is currently underway," points out Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Sarges.
TIPS – Among the main guidelines from CBMPA are: seek a suitable place for bathing; seek guidance from lifeguards; obey the signs and flags on the beach; do not rely on inadequate equipment, such as inflatable mattresses, and use life jackets; do not swim alone; if drinking, do not enter the water, and if not properly trained, do not attempt to perform a rescue, as it may turn you into another victim.
