TULSA – If you are planning to visit a lake during the upcoming Independence Day weekend, you must ask yourself, "Do I want to wear a life jacket or a toe tag?" Ultimately, only you can decide
If you are planning to visit a lake during the upcoming Independence Day weekend, you must ask yourself, "Do I want to wear a life jacket or a toe tag?" Ultimately, only you can decide
Last year 15 people drowned in Tulsa District lakes. This year, only halfway through the recreation season, that number has been exceeded and all but one of them could have been prevented with the use of a life jacket.
As you head to a lake, there are several important choices that must be made:
You must choose to wear a life jacket. State law requires that a lifejacket is available for every person on board a boat, and children 12 and under must have it on while underway. Loaner jackets are available at most Corps Lakes.
1. Be sure it’s right for you- The National Safe Boating Council recommends that it should be a PFD suited for your size and weight, is properly zipped and buckled, and fits snugly.
- The National Safe Boating Council recommends that it should be a PFD suited for your size and weight, is properly zipped and buckled, and fits snugly.
2. Be sure its right for your activity- There are jackets designed especially for fishing, water sports, personal watercraft, hunting and paddling. There are even PFDs for pets.
There are jackets designed especially for fishing, water sports, personal watercraft, hunting and paddling. There are even PFDs for pets.
3. Be sure there is a PFD for each person on board—State law requires that the PFD’s are out and accessible on a boat and not stored out of reach.
State law requires that the PFD’s are out and accessible on a boat and not stored out of reach.
4. Be sure it’s right for children—Use the weight of the child to find the proper fitting PFD. If the jacket is too big the child can slip out of it when they jump in the water; if it is too small it may not have enough buoyancy to float them.
Use the weight of the child to find the proper fitting PFD. If the jacket is too big the child can slip out of it when they jump in the water; if it is too small it may not have enough buoyancy to float them.
You must choose not to mix alcohol and water. More than half of all drowning deaths are related to alcohol consumption.
You must choose to watch your children. It only takes a child an average of 20 seconds to drown. Be a water watcher and designate someone to always watch children or any person with special needs while on or around the water.
You must choose to make good decisions. Don’t give in to peer pressure about jumping off a bluff or swimming farther than you should. Recognize your limitations and stay within them.
You must choose to practice safe boating. Take a boating safety course. Know the law and rules of the road before you boat. The U.S. Coast Guard reports that the majority of boating-related fatalities involve operators who have not received any boating safety instruction.
2011 is on track to have the highest number of drowning fatalities within the last ten years at Corps’ lakes in Oklahoma, southern Kansas, and northern Texas. This is a record that we do not want to see broken.
Don’t become a statistic. Which will you wear, a toe tag or a life jacket? It’s your choice.