Thanh Hoa police teach swimming for free to children in difficult circumstances.

30 disadvantaged children in Nam Sam Son ward were educated on drowning prevention and fighting skills and taught free swimming by the Fire Prevention, Fire Fighting and Rescue Police Team (Thanh Hoa Provincial Police). Since the beginning of 2025, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police have coordinated to organize more than 50 sessions to educate and guide students on safe swimming skills.

On the afternoon of July 9, 2025, the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Team of the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Department, in coordination with the Youth Union Executive Committee of Nam Sam Son Ward ( Thanh Hoa ), organized a free swimming lesson and training session on drowning prevention skills for 30 underprivileged children in Nam Sam Son Ward.

From July 9th to August 7th, 2025, children will learn basic swimming knowledge and skills, such as: proper breathing techniques when in direct contact with water; common swimming techniques; how to handle drowning due to cramps; and how to quickly handle dangerous and unexpected situations while swimming.

Organizing free swimming lessons for children not only contributes to raising awareness, providing guidance, and improving water safety skills for children, but also helps encourage the entire population to actively practice swimming, raise awareness of preventing drowning accidents, and reduce drowning incidents for children and the community.

Police officers are educating students and the general public on skills to prevent and respond to drowning incidents. (Photo: CATH)

According to statistics, in the first five months of 2025 alone, 14 drowning incidents occurred in Thanh Hoa province, claiming the lives of 18 people, including 14 children. The Thanh Hoa Provincial Police leadership believes that there are many reasons leading to drowning accidents among children, but the majority are due to their hyperactivity and lack of training in drowning prevention and response skills.

Furthermore, many families are negligent, careless, and lack proper supervision of their children. Many parents, due to busy work schedules or the need to earn a living, leave their children in the care of grandparents at home. This makes it very difficult to manage the children's schedules and activities, and by the time unfortunate incidents occur, it's often too late.

To ensure the safety of children and minimize the potential risk of drowning accidents, in recent times, police forces in Thanh Hoa province have proactively implemented a comprehensive set of solutions and measures to prevent and combat drowning accidents, especially among children. At the same time, they have advised Party committees and authorities at all levels to strengthen propaganda, training, and dissemination of knowledge on drowning prevention, improving drowning prevention skills among children and students.

Accordingly, from the beginning of 2025 to the present, the Fire Prevention, Fighting, and Rescue Police force of the Provincial Police has coordinated to organize more than 50 sessions to disseminate information and provide guidance on safe swimming skills, first aid for drowning victims, and how to wear life jackets correctly... for students. Through these efforts, awareness among students has been raised regarding ensuring their own safety and the safety of those around them when participating in water activities.

Police in Dai Loc commune, Hau Loc district, have erected warning signs in areas prone to drowning accidents. (Photo: CATH)

Specifically for the police in communes, wards, and towns, in addition to propaganda work, they have regularly coordinated with forces involved in protecting security and order at the grassroots level, youth union officials, women's association officials at the grassroots level, and families and schools to strengthen management, supervision, and reminders to children to prevent drowning accidents.

In addition, authorities have broadcast warnings about drowning accidents through local public address systems, on social media platforms like Zalo and Facebook, and in coastal tourist areas and amusement parks; issued recommendations and organized households to sign commitments, requiring households and all citizens to strictly comply with drowning prevention measures. They have also guided, trained, and promoted swimming lessons for children in villages and communes.

The forces also intensified patrols and issued warnings about the risk of drowning in areas with rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes; places where many children frequently pass by and are near water sources; and places where children often gather to play. They mobilized and deployed forces and resources to organize constant vigilance, surveillance, and rapid response at high-risk drowning accident sites.

Sam Son implements a model of providing guidance and support for safe swimming at 14 Hubway stations along the beach. (Photo: CATH)

Organize the review and mapping of danger warnings in areas and locations at risk of drowning accidents (beaches, swimming areas, rivers, lakes, ponds, wells, deep water holes, deep and dangerous water areas, water storage structures, etc.) to advise local Party committees, authorities, and relevant agencies and units on directing the rectification of shortcomings and limitations that cause drowning.

The Thanh Hoa Provincial Police leadership believes that the comprehensive and decisive implementation of measures to prevent drowning accidents is necessary. However, to minimize drowning accidents, it requires the joint efforts of all levels and sectors, especially organizations, associations, and families, in managing, supervising, and creating healthy and beneficial playgrounds for children to protect them from the risk of drowning.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/cong-an-thanh-hoa-day-boi-mien-phi-cho-thieu-nhi-co-hoan-canh-kho-khan-20250710111034468.htm