CPD marine unit shares boating safety tips for the summer
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A new safety campaign aiming to keep boaters safe on the water this summer kicks off at Navy Pier as National Safe Boating Week begins.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Chicago Fire Department and the Chicago Police Department are teaming up to make sure local boaters are prepared for the season. In 2013, the Chicago Fire Department was called to 235 water incidents.
"Let's be safer, safer than last year," said Ron Dorneker, deputy chief of the Chicago Fire Department. "Let's prevent some of these accidents we've seen in the past."
The Coast Guard is offering free boat checks. Inspectors will - among other things - help ensure you have the right type of communication device on board. Cell phone service on the water can be spotty, so you'll need a VHF-FM marine radio.
Boating safety classes are also free. Attendees will learn how to act in an emergency on Lake Michigan. Even those who have been boating all their lives will benefit from the instruction.
"Boating is unique. There is no license for a boater," Sgt. Karl Hajdu of the CPD Marine Unit said. "It's important for people to really know how to operate a boat in certain conditions, when an emergency could arise or different weather could come. It's really important for people to really know the boat. It's important for them to take classes."
Hajdu said conditions on the Great Lakes are different than in the ocean, and it's important for people to know how to respond to weather on the lakes.
"When the weather turns on the great lakes, it turns in a heartbeat," Hajdu said. "It becomes very choppy. That then leads to people panicking, not knowing how to operate a boat. The waves come at your boat constantly, and that can be a very dangerous situation."
The Coast Guard reports 560 boaters died on the water nationwide in 2013, and 78 of those deaths occurred in the Great Lakes region. People in small vessels - less than 21 feet long - are most vulnerable.
Alcohol is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, according to coast guard statistics. It was a factor in about 16 percent of those deaths.
About 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets, the coast guard said. It is critically important for boaters to have a life jacket for each person on board.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Josh Post shared some life-saving tips on Friday. The first thing boaters should do before going out on the water is to check weather conditions.
Post advises boaters to layer up and make sure to wear protective safety equipment that is in compliance with Coast Guard laws.
For more information on boating safety courses, visit www.uscgboating.org/safety/courses.
Free vessel examinations will be held on May 17 and May 24 at the following locations:
May 17:
Whalon Lake Park, Royce Road, west of route 53/Bolingbrook Drive, Naperville, Ill.
Marine Services, 14001 Cottage Grove Ave, Dolton, Ill.
LaGrange Park District, 536 East Ave., La Grange, Ill.
May 24:
Heritage Harbor, 1851 Old Chicago Rd., Ottawa, Ill.
