Chicago Park District Ignores Pleas for Safety
Great Lakes USA – The Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium (GLWSC) submitted written testimony for the May 12 Chicago Parks District (CPD) Board of Commissioners meeting. The topic under consideration was whether to improve safety along the Chicago waterfront by installing liferings.
Despite receiving a petition with thousands of signatures and comments, as well as heartbreaking testimony in favor of increased safety features, Board President LaVelle made it clear that she believes liferings make the waterfront less safe by actually encouraging people to enter the water when they otherwise would not.
The GLWSC would ask is she also believes that fire extinguishers promote playing with matches? Would your park visitors be safer without them, as well? If not, what's the difference between emergency fire suppression equipment and emergency water rescue equipment?
LaVelle also explained that liferings can’t be thrown to victims in open water, unaware that (unless aboard watercraft) they are actually intended for near-shore rescues, where most people enter the water, and that they help keep untrained beachgoers who become would-be rescuers safe where no lifeguards are on duty.
Below is the written testimony GLWSC Executive Director Jamie Racklyeft, MEd submitted prior to the meeting:
Hello Commissioners,
As leader of the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium, I am writing to ask that you please do everything you can to make your beautiful shoreline safer for millions of residents and visitors this year.
Lifejackets are our #1 recommendation for individuals, and liferings are our #1 recommendation for community leaders like you who oversee beaches and parks.
Drowning is swift, subtle, and silent. Flotation is key. First responders can't get to them quickly enough and untrained, would-be rescuers often become victims if flotation isn't available.
Liferings are a basic water safety feature. You can also invest in lifeguards, beach warning signage, full rescue equipment stations, 911 call boxes, webcams, loaner lifejacket programs, education & training events & materials, drones, and more.
You can budget for these as part of your long-term strategic planning, but let's start with liferings and make Chicago safer soon.
The United Nations just named July 25 World Drowning Prevention Day. The World Health Organization calls drowning a neglected public health issue. The CDC says drowning is the #1 cause of unintentional injury death for kids 1-4 and second for all kids under 15.
Thank you for all you do - and intend to do - to protect residents & visitors of my favorite city in the country.
Please enter this message as a written comment for your next Board Meeting, and let me know if you'd like me or anyone else from the water safety community to testify.
Take care and stay safe!
Jamie
Jamie Racklyeft, Executive Director
Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium http://GreatLakesWaterSafety.org
Helping people SAFELY enjoy the Great Lakes.
And this is the testimony Racklyeft planned to give during his two-minute public comment slot, had he been called upon:
Several years ago when I was dragged deep into Lake Michigan by a rip current, within minutes I went from having my BEST day of the year to what I was sure would be my last.
We love all our first responders, but only lifeguards at the beach can get to you quickly enough if you are drowning. Since we don't have enough of them and untrained beachgoers often try and save someone, having LIFERINGS nearby is key to keeping these would-be rescuers from becoming drowning victims themselves.
Drowning is a TOP cause of unintentional injury death for kids under 15. With about 100 drownings every year in the Great Lakes, and with southern Lake Michigan being a hotspot, you have a serious challenge when it comes to keeping millions of residents and visitors safe.
You also have simple solutions, including not only LIFERINGS, but full rescue equipment stations, loaner lifejacket programs, education & training, beach warning signage, LED warning systems, drones, and more. But let's agree that a good next step is LIFERINGS.
Today I feel fortunate to lead the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium and our #1 recommendation for those responsible for the shoreline IS LIFERINGS – mounted on posts, with unique numbers on top for 9-1-1 dispatchers, and spaced no more than 200' apart.
You will save lives if you approve this simple solution.
At the time, there were no LIFERINGS on the beach where I almost drowned, and if it hadn't been for two brave strangers who commandeered a kayak and saved me at the last second, I wouldn't be here today asking you to do something this year – and every year – to make your waterfront a little bit safer.
Please don't wait for MORE drowning tragedies before you take action. Please don't believe the MYTHS about liability. Please help people SAFELY enjoy the beautiful Chicago parks and waterfront.
Thank you for your time and for all you do.
Our position remains that liferings and other safety equipment are vital investments to help ensure residents and visitors are safer, and we will continue to educate and urge the CPD to do the right thing.
