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Safe Kids offers life jackets loaners for youngsters
on Lake Lanier
By Pamela A. Keene
 Thanks
to Safe Kids Gainesville/Hall County, youngsters who have outgrown
their life jackets have a safety net. The organization recently
launched Kids Don’t Float locally as part of a national water safety
program, providing loaner life jackets at two locations on Lake
Lanier.
According to statistics, drowning is the
second-leading cause of injury-related death for children ages 1
through 14.
“Because drowning is so prevalent in the United
States, we were delighted to host a launch of the national Kids
Don’t Float program,” says Kim Martin, coalition coordinator for
Safe Kids Gainesville/Hall County. “We want to educate kids about
open-water safety and how important it is to always wear a
lifejacket in and around open water.”
Lifejacket loaner stations at Lanier – one at Van
Pugh North Park on Gaines Ferry Road and one at Old Federal Park on
Jim Crow Road – provide lifejackets that children and their
caregivers can borrow for the day. Each station holds eight loaner
lifejackets, ranging in size from small child to adult. The
lifejackets are available for use at no charge, to be returned to
the unmanned stations at the end of the day.
Each station also provides education tips from “PFD
Otter” on the importance of wearing lifejackets as well as
instructions on how to properly fit a lifejacket.
“By educating our children and caregivers, we can
reduce drowning fatalities and increase child safety in open water
settings, Martin said. “As children grow older, the drowning risk
increases for them in open-water settings, in part because they are
less apt to wear a lifejacket.”
Safe Kids Gainesville/Hall County is funded by The
Medical Center Foundation’s Healthy Journey campaigns. For more
information, please contact Kim Martin at 770-533-8095 or visit
www.safekidsgainesvillehall.org.
For specific information about the program at Lanier,
contact Park Ranger Nic Evans at the Corps of Engineer’s Project
Management Office at 770-945-9531.
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