'Instinct just kicks in'

A Tullamore garda was honoured at Irish Water Safety's (IWS) recent awards for his role in the rescue of a woman from a Kildare lake.

Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week, Gda Williamson, who is stationed in Robertstown, said that when he and his colleagues reached the lake they quickly realised that they had to act fast to avert a tragedy.

“When we got there all we could see was the top of her head bobbing in the water. We knew what we had to do. We couldn’t wait. We stripped and brought a life buoy into the water to make it easier for her to rest on.”

By the time she was taken from the water, the woman had lost consciousness and was unresponsive. Gda Williamson and his workmates had to perform CPR on her until the medics arrived on the scene.

While gardai receive life saving training, Gda Williamson said that it was the last thing on his mind when he entered the lake.

“You know you are going to come across an emergency like this during your career, but it is more instinct than training that kicks in. You don’t have time to think about.”

The number of drowning deaths in Ireland has fallen from an average of 207 a year in the 1980s to 133 a year during this decade.

The figure would be a lot higher if it wasn’t for the bravery of people like Gda Williamson, IWS spokesperson Roger Sweeney says. He says that the reduction is down to a number of factors including an increase in the number of people who can swim and the IWS primary school programme.

“We are delighted to recognise people who have prevented further tragedies.It’s also worth noting that the majority of drownings are on inland waterways and not at sea. We don’t want people to have an unhealthy fear of water, we want them to have a healthy respect.”

In total, 47 people, who collectively saved 32 lives, received awards from the IWS at ceremony.