CFR reminds citizens about water safety ahead of Memorial Day Weekend
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Memorial Day falls on the last Monday of May each year to remember those who have lost their lives serving the country.
It’s often observed by placing flags on graves, visiting cemeteries, and parades each year.
It’s also the unofficial start of Summer, and many people spend the long weekend with family outside on a boat or barbequing.
With all the social gatherings that come with the holiday, it’s important to stay mindful, especially out on the water.
Whether you’re relaxing on the boat or wakeboarding, it’s important to keep water safety at the forefront of your mind.
“Be mindful of your surroundings,” said Captain Josh Boyer with Columbus Fire and Rescue. “Make sure you have plenty of life preservers on your boat; maybe you won’t have to wear them, but any children should definitely have them on. Definitely have a designated driver for your boat. And that’s probably one of the biggest issues, which would be people boating under the influence. ”
Captain Josh Boyer has been with Columbus Fire and Rescue for 12 years.
He stressed the importance of life preservers because he says emergencies can happen quickly, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
It’s also important to keep an eye on water conditions. Heavy rains can cause rivers and creeks to change from one week to the next.
“So any time there is a major flooding and a lot more water coming into the Tombigbee, you also need to be very mindful of any snags, any logs that are coming down,” Boyer said. “Sometimes you can’t really see them until you’re on top of them. So just be mindful, especially going through the main channel, that you’re not going to hit one of those going too fast, because that can cause you to wreck. ”
Boyer said his team is always prepared for a water rescue, especially on days when they know lots of people will be out on the water.
“We have plenty of equipment and are ready to respond to any accidents at a moment’s notice,” Boyer said.
Sometimes the department will see boat wrecks or people who are lost out on the water.
Columbus Fire and Rescue trains for all types of situations through swift water training and dive training.
“As far as training for this, we usually will go down to the Luxapalila and practice with throw bags with a live person in the water floating down, and we practice throwing ropes to them so that we can get them to the shore,” Boyer said. “And if that doesn’t work, we also have boating operations. We have three different boats that we will take out.”
Overall, Boyer said be water-wise, have a sober driver, and have your personal flotation device and life jackets.
“Be very cautious with the heat and make sure that you have everything that you need to be possibly prepared for on the water,” Boyer said.
Columbus Fire and Rescue will have a training coming up to prepare for situations like this in the first two weeks of June.
Boyer says if you find yourself in a dangerous situation out on the water, call for help, and make sure your life preserver is on.
