Artical from The Courier, Tuesday, November 11, 2008
A PERTH pub will host a marathon fund-raising event this weekend to raise money for charity Safe-Tay.
Mucky Mulligans in Canal Street is the venue for the third music event to be held in memory of drummer Graham Motion who drowned in the River Tay over two years ago.
The all day event, called Book Yer Ane Fest will feature a number of punk rock bands and will run from 1pm until midnight on Saturday.
If the casing is broken open the CCTV cameras are activated
Two lifebelts in Perth have been linked to the town's CCTV network so emergency services are alerted faster if someone falls into the River Tay.
It is thought to be the first time in the UK that such a connection has been set up.
When the lifebelt holders are opened an alarm goes off and the cameras move towards the rescue gear.
The money for the equipment was raised by a charity set up by a woman whose brother drowned in the river in 2006.
Lisa Stewart, founder of Safe-Tay, said: "It has been two years since I lost my brother Graham, and had throwlines not been removed from all the lifebelt holders my brother would be with us now.
We win both ways with this excellent innovation
Supt Craig Suttie Tayside Police
"It is so important that people understand that by removing this equipment they are putting someone's life in danger.
"The water can be so cold and that's what people aren't aware of.
"It needs to be a quick response to get them out, so something like this will hopefully alert the police straight away to either someone in danger in the river or misuse of the equipment."
Supt Craig Suttie, from Tayside Police, said: "We win both ways with this excellent innovation, which will allow us to be quickly alerted to people in difficulty or those breaking the law.
"Unfortunately vital life-saving equipment has been damaged previously. Any vandalism by its very nature is mindless, but where it could impact on safety it is despicable.
"Anyone who misuses the life-saving equipment can be assured that the police will make every effort to ensure they face the full impact of the law."
Training Photos
Read more to see The some of shots from the recent training course.
NEW water rescue equipment supplied to Tayside Fire and Rescue crews in Perth by Safe-Tay helped save the life of a young woman from the fast-flowing River Tay on Tuesday evening.
Members of Perth Fire Station’s Green Watch raced to the river at 9.15pm when a call was received that a female was hanging from the Perth Bridge.
Watch manager Brian Teven described how a river drowning tragedy was averted: “When we arrived she was already in the water and between the two bridges.
The sister of a Perthshire musician who drowned in the River Tay is to take part in a demanding training course on water safety. Lisa Stuart will go to Nottingham on December 9 to take part in the Swiftwater and Flood Technician Course, aimed at teaching the emergency services how to deal with water-related incidents.
We win both ways with this excellent innovation 
