ON the back of a recent tragic accident in Kesh, a move has been made to make the wearing of life-jackets or personal flotation devices mandatory on Lough Erne.
On September, 31-year-old Kenny Andrews from Bangor went missing after he was involved in a Jetski incident at Muckross Bay near Kesh, and his body was recovered from Lough Erne.
A 28-year-old male was also involved but he was rescued by a boat that was in the area.
At this month’s Fermanagh and Omagh District Council meeting, councillors called for legislation to be put in place in an attempt to make the Lough a safer place.
The motion which was proposed by Councillor Keith Elliott and seconded by Councillor David Mahon. Mr Elliott said there was a need for change in the legislation which would make it mandatory for people to wear life-jackets or personal flotation devices whilst on board a vessel on the waterways.
He said, “The importance cannot be underestimated given the number of recent deaths on Lough Erne and the high number of emergency, multi-agency responses the local Coastguard, RNLI, Fire Service, PSNI and Ambulance service make in our area.
“The Republic of Ireland currently holds a mandatory policy and in the interest of safety for our citizens it is incumbent that we review the current legislation.”
He went on, “It is clear to see during any given day during the summer weather, the number of boats which docked at jetties across the county.
“While these can create many happy memories, for some it can also end in tragedy,” he said.
He told members that at all costs everyone needed to ensure that there was proper equipment in place to aid those in difficulty in the waters.
Ulster Unionist Party’s Alex Baird felt the motion was putting the horse before the cart.
He proposed that the two authorities that would have to enforce any legislation, Waterways Ireland and the PSNI should be consulted to see what legislation was needed.
He proposed an amendment to consult with the two organisations before calling on council to petition on an introduction to mandatory wearing of life-jackets.
Sinn Fein councillor Thomas O’Reilly who said he was a keen canoeist felt that personal flotation devices should also be worn on jetties and not only when in the water.
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Posted: 10:35 am October 14, 2018