DEM ISSUES CALL TO BOATERS TO STAY SAFE

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management, in the aftermath of a boating incident that could have had a different and tragic ending, has a message for all boaters: Think before you go out on the water.

"With the weather warming up, it is very tempting to get out there on the Bay," says Steven Hall, Chief of DEM's Division of Enforcement. "Even though the air temperatures have risen, water temperatures are still low and situations can quickly turn dangerous."

Three important rules: always have personal flotation devices for each person; do not drink and operate a boat; be sure the craft is seaworthy. "The first two rules are, in fact, law; the third is just plain common sense," Hall says.

It was one of his officers, after responding to a recent incident, who asked that the Department issue the safety reminder. DEM received a report early Sunday evening, March 25, that six young people, including two juveniles, were heading out into the Bay from Warwick Cove. They were in a nine-foot red Achilles inflatable that was towing a dinghy loaded with camping gear. None was wearing a life jacket. DEM officers responded, searched for the youths, whose ages ranged from 17 to 22, found them on the East shore of Patience Island, and brought them back to the mainland, where relatives were contacted. The two juveniles were released to family members, two young adults were issued summonses (one for operating an unregistered boat and not having personal flotation devices; the other for possession of alcohol on state property,) and the remaining two young adults were released without charge.

"Everyone was returned safely in this instance," Hall says, "but it could have ended badly. Please, stay safe. Think before you go out on the water."