Be cautious rather than bold when spending your free time near water
Be cautious rather than bold when spending your free time near water
Yesterday the air temperature in Latvia reached more than +30 degrees Celsius. Although we have been enjoying this kind of weather since May, we haven’t experienced such strong heat since last summer. Meteorologists are warning that the big heat wave will even continue until the beginning of August. Insurance company "BTA Baltic Insurance Company" (hereinafter - BTA) invites everyone to be cautious in their everyday routine and activities to protect their body from overheating in this kind of weather, as well as sunstroke, and to be extra cautious near water!
If a person does not act reasonably he/she will not be able to protect their body from overheating and sunstroke – choose appropriate clothing, ventilate premises, drink plenty of water and stay in direct sunlight as little as possible. Elderly people are especially susceptible to heat but the strong and healthy can also suffer if their body is not able to cool down and compensate the impact of the heat. There are several possible solutions for surviving the heat wave but people should be very careful while looking for shelter from the heat. Do not leave small children and pets in the car without supervision! During the hot weather 15 minutes is enough to become overheated and it could even cause lethal consequences to babies. The fire hazard also increases in hot and dry weather, therefore we invite you to refrain from building a camp-fire as one small spark could cause a lot of damage - creating an extensive forest fire you will not be able to extinguish on your own.
Please be attentive to yourself and others during this hot weather. This hot summer is tempting more and more people to spend time near rivers, lakes and the sea. Rescuers of the State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia (VUGD) have discovered 64 drowned people in various water bodies. But during the period from 1 May until 17 July – 45 people. VUGD informs that the actual number of drowned persons is even larger as there are cases when the drowned person is already transported to the shore and there is no need for search works; in these cases VUGD does not visit the location and it is not indicated in the statistics of VUGD. VUGD invites everyone to be cautious rather than bold while spending their free time near water, and in the case that you observe a person drowning, immediately contact the rescuers by phone on 112, providing coordinates of the site as precisely as possible and indicating access options for transport!
About BTA
BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the broadest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1 000 employees in the Baltics. The largest shareholder of BTA is Vienna Insurance Group AG with 200 years of experience in the insurance industry. More than 50 companies in 25 countries constitute the group, which employs 25,000 employees. Vienna Insurance Group AG is a clear leader in its core markets in Europe maintaining high rating of financial stability – Standard & Poor’s A+ (stable outlook), with a listing on the Vienna and the Prague Stock Exchange.
Additional information:
Elīna Rasmane
Marketing and Public Relations Department Director
BTA Baltic Insurance Company AAS
e-mail: elina.rasmane@bta.lv