Lifejackets are no longer those uncomfortable, bright orange things of yesteryear.
Designed with comfort in mind, modern personal flotation devices are engineered for safety and can often mean the difference between life and death.
Lifeguards from the Weyerhaeuser-King County Aquatic Center modeled lifejackets provided by REI, Northwest Outdoor Center, and Public Health – Seattle & King County to give us a look at the newest styles.
Marta, the River Otter, King County’s most passionate water safety advocate also modeled at Project Waterway.
Lifejackets can save lives. Public Health – Seattle & King County reports that that of the 12 preventable drowning incidents on open water in 2015, nine could have been prevented with lifejacket use.
Click here for more info on River Safety.
Drowning is a preventable tragedy and an important public health and public safety issue. Warm weather draws people to lakes, rivers and salt water areas, creating high risk situations for themselves, others and rescuers. Swimmers and other water recreationists should follow these recommendations to prevent drownings:
• Know the risks associated with the waterbody you want to visit.
• Learn to swim, including water safety and survival skills.
• Wear a lifejacket. By law, children 12 years old and younger must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved lifejacket at all times in a moving vessel under 19 feet in length, unless in a fully enclosed area. Borrow a lifejacket from a lifejacket loaner station.
• Swim where there’s a lifeguard.
• Supervise children in or near water.
• Do not use alcohol or drugs during water activities.
• Learn first aid and CPR.
Deputy Chris Bedker from King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit helps Marta make sure that that her lifejacket is secure before she can get in the water.
