7968-R2_LSLA_2022_SummerNewsletter_Web

Safety Patrol Program 2022 From Sharon Lamontagne, Director

The summer of 2022 is upon us and oh boy are we all looking forward to it! Your board of directors has put into place all of the things that we can to make it one of your best. The Safety Patrol team’s number one job is to educate and assist you so that you will do everything you can to keep yourself, friends and family safe on the water. It is a collaborative effort and so we ask that every single time you step into your boat, you think of safety first. Captain Roger will also be giving safety classes again this year for children. He will come to your beach or dock and go over proper fitting of life jackets, rescue and throw ring techniques, paddle board and kayak laws, age limits for boat driving and boating laws. To schedule a class call him at 978-339-3856. The Patrol Boat will be out every day this summer to remind you of that. We plan to be out weekday evenings and all day on Saturday and Sundays. We will be at the boat launch weekend mornings to educate first timers and renters how important safety is and to provide them with the tools they may need. We will provide life preservers if they need extras, maps, the new intro to our lake booklet, etc. We encourage all of you to take a National Association of State Boating Law class, regardless of your age or experience level. The Maine Legislature just passed a bill that will become effective in 2024 which will require all boat operators born before 1999 to take a class and become certified. Please look for more information on line at www.maine.gov/ifw/ programs-resources/safety-courses/boating- safety. If you cannot find a course, call the regional safety coordinator at 207-287-5220. We

will cover the cost of any supporting member of our association who chooses to take any of these classes. We will also be working with the Maine State Warden Service again and have hired them to be on our lake every weekend all summer long. The statistics show that this program is working and it is a great reminder to pay attention to the law! Last year, the Wardens were on the lake for 23 days and stopped to chat with a total of 702 boats. That is 30 interactions per day. They wrote 38 citations and gave 48 verbal warnings, the great majority of which were for life preserver violations! It makes for a very expensive day on the lake if you have to pay a fine for not thinking safety first. We continue to work with the towns of Windham and Gray along with the Emergency Dispatch Center. Predetermined access points for emergency personnel have been established and if there is a 911 emergency call made from our lake, the dispatch center can locate the caller with precision accuracy. We will be notified and if we are able to assist, we will. SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT is our slogan and it sure takes a lot of work, time, money and management to actually be put in place for you. We appreciate your financial support to the Lake Association and as you can see from the budget, this program is costly! So, thank you for hearing this message and doing your part. There is more to think about than how much ice is in the cooler and do we have enough snacks. Our goal is to provide you with everything we can think of to help you stay safe, but it is your responsibility to think about safety first every single time you get into your boat. Ask yourself how many passengers

will I have, how many life preservers do I have on board, and who should be wearing theirs the entire time. LIFE PRESERVERS SAVE LIVES but only if you use them. Most water related injuries and or drownings occur to individuals without life-preservers on. Please do your part by following all boating laws. Use common sense and good judgment while out there. Stay as far away as possible from the shore, other boats, swimmers, floats, kayaks, paddle boards and milfoil removal operations. The law demands that we stay 200 feet from

any shore or island. But remember if you can stay further out than that, it is best to do so. Our shores are being hammered by huge wakes made by large boats with big motors. Erosion is happening at an alarming rate. Again, I stress please take ownership of your lake, your safety and those in your boat. Act responsibly, think twice and always think ahead to the bigger picture. And remember SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT.

18

19