THE number of rescue incidents on the River Clyde rose by 13 last year.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended 79 incidents between April 2018 and March this year, figures reveal.
They show 73% of incidents ended with a successful rescue, which demonstrates “the value of providing a full-time
dedicated Scottish Fire and Rescue Service boat with a fully qualified crew”, the service said.
The figures mean more than 20 people taken from the river died.
Read more: Search of River Clyde to resume after reports of 'man in water'
“While there are unfortunately still fatalities on the River Clyde we will continue to work with our partners at Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council in an attempt to drive these figures down,” a fire service report, to the Safe Glasgow Partnership, which reviews police and fire service plans, states.
“In collaboration with Police Scotland, we will continue to carry out body retrieval from the water where necessary.
“This service is critical to treating the victim with dignity and respect while minimising the distress this can cause to the victims’ families and the public within the onlooking affected location.”
The fire and rescue service has two dedicated rescue boats on the Clyde, one at the City of Glasgow College’s Riverside Campus and the other at the Riverside Museum.
These are crewed 24 hours
a day by staff based at Knightswood and Polmadie Community Fire Stations.
“By ensuring we are highly trained in the typically unconventional roles of a fire fighter, such as water rescue, as well as the traditional roles we are able to offer far more value and greater public protection than ever before,” the report states.
Albert Bridge, George V Bridge, Glasgow Bridge and Victoria Bridge have been identified as hot spots for incidents, with repeated events also at the Tradeston (Squiggly) Bridge and South Portland Street Suspension Bridge.
Read more: Emergency services rush to Glasgow Bridge as part of 'ongoing incident'
Although an exact entry point can’t always be identified because casualties are often in the water before being reported, it is believed these locations account for 60 of the incidents during 2018/19.
The service reports an increase in activity in spring and early summer.
“Typically, we see a spike in incidents on Friday and
Saturdays. It is not uncommon to encounter individuals in varying degrees of confusion and often inebriated,” the report adds.
“However, we have also seen an increase in incidents on a Tuesday when compared to other weekdays. There doesn’t appear to be any obvious reasons for this.”
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