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Life jackets at Shuswap Lake kiosks meant for borrowing, not keeping

Kiosk program a great success but return of borrowed flotation devices would be appreciated
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“I always say if we lost every life jacket and saved one life, that would be a good thing.”

Richard Waugh, a member of the Chase Rotary Club, is referring to the kiosks with loaner personal flotation devices for children that Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue 106 (Shuswap) has installed around Shuswap lakes in concert with organizations like Chase Rotary.

However, Waugh is disappointed.

He goes past the Kids Don’t Float station in Chase regularly and sees that although it once held 15 life jackets, it now has only three.

“It just disappoints me that people borrow them and don’t bring them back… I wish people would stop taking them.”

Fred Banham is station leader with Shuswap marine search and rescue.

He, too, is disappointed with the disappearance of life jackets in Chase.

He says there are 14 kiosks around Shuswap, Mara and Little Shuswap lakes.

On average they’re stocked with about 10 personal flotation devices beginning each May long weekend, of which eight are generally new and the rest donated.

Some of the busier places like Sunnybrae, Herald and Shuswap Lake parks are provided with more.

Read more: Marine search and rescue less busy than previous summers on Shuswap Lake

Read more: Marine search and rescue issues safety warnings

Banham says community groups have been good partners in raising funds for the project.

RCMSAR106 has had good success with a number of different legions, Lions, Kiwanis, some municipalities like the City of Salmon, District of Sicamous and the electoral area directors with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District who pay for the materials, he says.

Volunteers with search and rescue build the stations, put them together and install them.

He said RCMSAR106 has a good relationship with BC Parks, CSRD, and the transportation ministry in getting permits to locate at boat launches.

“A whole bunch of people have made it happen.”

Read more: Vandals target loaner life-jacket kiosk in Canoe

Read more: Community steps up after Kids Don’t Float station vandalized

Read more: High water levels call for caution

As for people keeping the life jackets, he remarks: “You don’t chastise people for that – it’s a reflection of society; people don’t care anymore.”

He adds he doesn’t think the program is a failure because some people don’t return the jackets.

“I don’t know how you police it… You hope people on their good merit will use it, be safe and when they’re finished with it, hang it up.”

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue 106 Shuswap also runs two rescue boats on Shuswap Lake, the only inland search and rescue station out of 33 in B.C.

@SalmonArm
marthawickett@saobserver.net

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Fourteen life jacket kiosks like the one shown here in Shuswap Lake Provincial Park have been built around Shuswap, Mara and Little Shuswap lakes. (Photo contributed)
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Back in 2016, Pat Gau and Rob Hein show off the loaner life jacket kiosk at the Canoe Beach boat launch. There are now 14 life jacket kiosks in different spots around Shuswap, Mara and Little Shuswap lakes. (File photo)


Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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