Celebrate National Safe Boating Week:
Have you ever shot off a flare gun? Have you ever used a fire extinguisher to put out a fire on a boat? Do you know how an inflatable life jacket works?
Boaters have a free upcoming chance to witness these safety devices in action in a non-emergency setting with a downtown Fort Myers event that will kick off National Safe Boating Week.
The Lee County Marine Law Enforcement Task Force, the Marine Emergency Response Team and West Marine will be at the Centennial Park Boat Ramp at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 14, for the demonstration, which will be both in water and on the shore.
The public and media are invited to help with the hands-on exercises. Boaters can shoot flares, use marine fire extinguishers and watch a person jump into the Caloosahatchee to demonstrate how inflatable personal flotation devices (PFDs) work. Task force members urge all boaters to set a good example by wearing life jackets at all times.
National Safe Boating Week 2009 is May 16 through May 22. The Lee County Marine Law Enforcement Task Force and Marine Emergency Response Team are supporting Florida’s “Wear It” campaign, with a goal of increasing the number of recreational boaters who consistently wear life jackets. For more information, go to www.wearitflorida.com/index.htm.
The task force, which was formed in 2003, includes members from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Myers Police Department, Cape Coral Police Department, Sanibel Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Marlin, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service/J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Division of Law Enforcement, United States Power Squadrons, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.