Environmental Conservation Police were out in full force this Memorial Day weekend, patrolling Connecticut waterways to make sure people were boating responsibly and had all the required safety gear onboard.
Life jackets are required for every person onboard a boat and they must be the correct size. People onboard manually propelled vessels like canoes or kayaks are required to wear life jackets until the end of May. The water temperature was still cold, about 65 degrees at the surface of the Connecticut River in Haddam. The deeper you go, the colder it gets.
“When you fall into the water, it can have an effect on your body to where you gasp for air and you suck in water, or your body starts to cramp up really fast. So, you won't have the ability to swim as well as you thought you could,” said Sgt. Dakota Flis with the Environmental Conservation Police.
Sgt. Flis recommends boaters also have a whistle and a flashlight. On the larger boats, you’ll need additional floatation devices, a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher if the fuel tank is enclosed.
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For those not on boats, Sgt. Flis said water safety is just as important. Some of the swimming spots in Connecticut have sandbars. The one at Haddam Meadows State Park can be a popular spot for people to picnic, but there have been a few drownings there.
“It has a pretty significant drop off. When people go swimming, they might not realize that it goes, it gets deepest as fast as it gets. And then with the current aquatic river in and out every day, sometimes they'll get swept out right away from the sandbar which can cause an issue if you're not a great swimmer,” said Sgt. Flis.
Having safety equipment onboard, abiding state laws and avoiding alcohol or drug use while on the water will hopefully lead to a positive experience on the water.
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“We know everyone's out there to have a good time, we understand that. We just want to make sure everyone gets home safely at the end of the day,” Sgt. Flis said.
