Cllr Wayne Harding with one of life buoys aalong the Boyne river.

Sensors will detect if life buoys are stolen or vandalised

A NEW pilot scheme that will see smart devices installed by rivers, canals and beaches alerting local authorities when ring buoys have been stolen or vandalised is to be rolled out in Meath.

There are more than 6,000 ring buoys around the country, but hundreds go missing or are vandalised every year according to Water Safety Ireland.

The deployment of this new low-cost sensor technology will provide real time alerts when life buoys are stolen or tampered with allowing them to be replaced within a short space of time.

Cllr Wayne Harding has welcomed the attachment of low-cost sensory detection devices to local life bouys. He said:

"The levels of vandalism and theft of these life saving pieces of equipment is alarming, but I also think it really disgusts people to see them vandalised along our rivers, lakes and seas. We see them everywhere and thankfully most good citizens have never had any reason to even touch them. But many people have saved lives with them.

Cllr Harding added that , "it's a shame that this initiative even has to be rolled out but it is the case as 80 people lost their lives to drowning last year. With this roll out as soon as the bouys are interfered with a message will be sent to the relevant personnel so as the unit can be assessed and replaced if deemed necessary. Water safety is something extremely close to my heart having learned to swim in the river Boyne and observing the huge numbers who flocked to our public waters during this summer's intense heat".

At the launch of the Smart Ring Bouy's launch last week Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said: “In 2021 alone, we tragically lost 80 lives through drowning. Such incidents have devastating and long-lasting effects on families and communities. Safety tools like ring-buoys are in place to save lives and protect people when they are close to water.

"Sadly, the theft or vandalism of this life saving equipment is still commonplace in both our rural and urban communities. With the support of funding from my Department’s Digital Innovation Programme, we will roll out this sensor technology in 8 different local authorities. This project is a leading example of how the public sector is tacking community challenges with innovative approaches. I want to commend Dublin City Council and all the project partners and stakeholders involved.”

Roger Sweeney, acting chief executive of Water Safety Ireland, said that every year ring buoys are used by members of the public to rescue people from drowning.

He added: “However, there have been instances where the ring buoys have been missing.

“So these instances where they’re being used to save a life, it’s not just the life of the person who’s in difficulty in the water, they’re designed so they’ll keep the rescuer safe from drowning as well.

“They’re particularly effective and they have saved a lot of lives.

They’re proven to work and there are many people alive today, and I’ve spoken to many of them, who would attest to the fact that they would not be alive today but for the ring buoy, but yet the ring buoys are regularly stolen."