Officials stress safety as boating season starts
3 people drowned this year on local lakes; life jackets urged.
Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of boating season in Ohio, and after the deaths of three local people this year on local waterways, officials are pushing water safety.
West Carrollton Fire Capt. Adam Blake, who heads up the fast water rescue team, said people should think about safety first before they ever get near the water.
Blake has seen some people with little or no experience who go to a sporting goods store, buy a canoe or kayak and cannot wait to get started.
“You got the individuals that purchase these things and go right from the store to the river. We have had that happen. People go out there (with a brand new boat) and find themselves getting into trouble,” Blake said.
Already this year the Miami Valley has seen three cases where people drowned on local lakes.
The first was at Acton Lake at Hueston Woods State Park, where a 65-year-old boater fell into the water.
Authorities believe he may have had a medical emergency.
The second was ateenager who was wading at Eastwood MetroPark in Dayton when he stepped off a ledge and slipped into deep water. He could not swim and efforts by family members to reach him were unsuccessful.
And in April, an 18-year-old died in a pond at Lakeside Park after failing to reach the shoreline after jumping into frigid water.
At the start of the boating season, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has again reminded people to wear a life jacket. State records show that drowning was the reported cause of death in 50% of the boating fatalities in 2018. Also last year, 75% of the people who died were not wearing a life jacket.
ODNR Director Mary Mertz, in a written statement, said “Don’t just have your life jacket close by, wear it.”
Blake said the need for caution is increased on moving water. “With a lot of spring rains there is a lot of debris in the river and obstructions. It is what we call strainers. That is usually where we see problems,” Blake said. “Where there’s a bend in the river that can turn over kayaks and canoes and swamp them pretty easily.”