For immediate release: 6/27/08

"I got caught wearing my life jacket!" ...
GRDA Lake Patrol "catching" safe boaters, promoting life jacket use

Langley -- Life jackets float, you don’t, and it won’t work if you don’t wear it.

Those are two popular slogans used over the years by the Grand River Dam Authority Lake Patrol and others to promote life jacket use. Recently though, the phrase “I got caught wearing my life jacket” has also helped the patrol in its efforts to remind boaters that life jackets save lives.

Last summer, the Lake Patrol began handing out t-shirts with the “I got caught” phrase to boaters who were caught doing the right thing – wearing their life jackets while boating. That program has continued this summer.

According to GRDA Law Enforcement Director Kenny Baker, the t-shirts are a simple way to promote a very important cause.

“Those who are wearing their life jackets and making sure their children are wearing their life jackets are really setting an example of safe boating for everyone else on the water,” said Baker. “Don’t underestimate the importance of a life jacket.”

Approximately 700 people drown each year from recreational boating accidents. However, that number could be much lower if boaters would simply take the time to buckle on a life jacket, said Baker.

To help educate boaters about life jackets, the GRDA Lake Patrol also offers the following tips. Keep them in mind when you visit Grand or Hudson lakes over the Fourth of July holiday, and all summer long.

Oklahoma boating laws, along with GRDA lake rules, require children age 12 and under to wear a life jacket at all times on the water.
All boats must have personal flotation devices (pfd) for all persons on board.
Buy your own personal life jacket and wear it.
Look at the life jacket label. It provides weight, size and use information.
Try it on to check the fit. When the straps and buckles are secured, the jacket should not slip over your head (remember: one size does NOT fit all).
Never use water toys in place of an approved life jacket.
Check your life jacket yearly for fit and flotation.
Finally, wear a life jacket to set an example for children, and to increase your chances of survival in an accident.

If you have any questions regarding life jackets, lake rules or other lake safety issues, please contact the GRDA Lake Patrol at (918) 782 9594, or visit online at www.grda.com. The GRDA Lake Patrol office is located in Langley, at the west end of Pensacola Dam.