“Kids Don’t Float”
August 13, 2014
Elise Schaffer, PIO
Phone: (608) 284-6142
Sheriff's Office
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is proud to announce the “Kids Don’t Float” program.
On Saturday, August 9th, a life jacket loaner station was placed at the Babcock County Park boat launch in McFarland. The program is paid for by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and allows anyone who may be in need of a life jacket to borrow one at no cost. Babcock Park was chosen because it’s one of the busiest boat launches in the Madison chain of lakes.
The loaner station contains life jackets and throwable personal floatation devices (PFD) for anyone who may need them before they launch their boat. The station has sizes for adults and children of all ages. There’s no charge, and users are just asked to hang the used life jackets on the provided hooks to dry when they leave. A citation for boaters not having enough PFD’s on board can run about $168.00. The Sheriff’s Office Marine and Trail Enforcement Unit will be monitoring the stations.
To learn more about what types of PFD’s are required when boating, go to http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/boat/pfd.html.