Officials: Have fun, but stay safe on the water this holiday

DELAWARE CO (WCMH) — Swimming, fishing, fireworks and boating all go hand-in-hand this holiday week.

Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) want you to stay safe.

“The basic law is we need a life jacket for one person on board of the vessel that’s boating that day,” said ODNR Lt. Dawn Roberts.

Every boating season, ODNR offers boating safety tips and classes.

In the last several years, Roberts says the percentage of boaters wearing life jackets has increased – but it is still important to educate those who attempt to walk-the-line.

“Specifically if your boat is under 18 feet and the child is under 10, then you have to have it on. The child needs to be wearing it,” she says.

It’s important to check the size and type of your life jackets.

Safety vests range from level one, recommended for those who are going to be off-shore, to level five, mainly used for water skiing, tubing, and kayaking.

By law, children are required to wear a life jacket. It’s important to resize them as the child grows.

CJ Hansen comes out to Alum Creek often to go boating with his family. He said he makes a checklist at the beginning of the summer to make sure his family has all the safety equipment they need.

“All those kind of checks we do just before we go out and have what we need; that every kid has their own life jacket, every adult, we have a throw-able, we have flares on the boat in case there is an emergency,” said Hansen.

Officers said boaters who do not follow the rules will be fined.

“We encourage to treat this like a safety belt. It needs to be a must from the very beginning, from the moment they get on that boat, if they have ever seen one it needs to be life jacket wearing,” said Lt. Roberts.