One simple item will help save lives when on Lake Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE - Boating, rafting, kayaking and paddling are just a few ways to enjoy beautiful Lake Tahoe, but they come with simple safety precautions and preparations to ensure that day is complete and enjoyable.

"People are very excited to get on the water," said Edwin Lyngar, Nevada Department of Wildlife's (NDOW) Water Educator. "Take safety precautions as you can't depend on luck."

Lyngar as well as both California and Nevada water safety experts were at Sand Harbor last week to inform the public about how easy it is to be safe on the water.

Life jackets, or personal flotation devices (PFD), are required to be on all boats, stand up paddle boards, kayaks, canoes or any other device on the water. Those 13 and under must be wearing them, others just need to have them on board.

Inflatable PVDs are getting more compact and can be worn around the waist like a fanny pack, or on the chest, so the bulkiness of a traditional life jacket is no longer an excuse to not wear one.

Cold Water Shock only lasts for about a minute after entering the water, but it can kill people who are not wearing a life jacket or other personal flotation device (PFD). Cold water affects breathing, and after initial contact there is an automatic gasp reflex in response to the rapid skin cooling. If a person is not wearing something that can keep their head above water, water may be breathed into the lungs during the gasp and they drown.

This is the main reason there is so much public outreach about wearing PFDs in Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River. They help keep your head above water during this critical first response and allow help to come if needed.

Lyngar's job is to inform the public about the dangers of Cold Water Shock, and how the beliefs that hypothermia kills people in Tahoe have shifted to understanding the danger of Cold Water Shock.

"Take your time getting used to the water. It's perfectly safe. You've just got to be aware of what can happen," said Park Ranger Jay Howard of Nevada State Parks at Sand Harbor. "Cold water shock is the first minute and we've all experienced that where we jumped in and we feel the cold water and we take that involuntary gasp."

With Lake Tahoe having 191 square miles of surface there is a lot of water for everyone to enjoy as well as a lot of water for local law enforcement to cover. officers from South Lake Tahoe Police and sheriff's deputies from El Dorado County, Douglas County, Washoe County and Placer County as well as the US Coast Guard.

Even with all the outreach and information for the public, many still don't understand the importance, or requirements, of having a life jacket.

So far in 2017, Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) alone has issued 20 citations for people not having a life jacket or PFD on Lake Tahoe. They have issued many more warnings, all in an effort for people to have a safe experience on the lake.

DCSO Deputy Ron Skibinski works full time on their Marine 7 vessel, covering from the California state line up to the shore around the Thunderbird Lodge, and further if needed. There are some days he and the Coast Guard are the only two law enforcement boats on the lake.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) does have reserve deputies who patrol six miles of shoreline along Carson City’s lake jurisdiction, from Chimney Beach South to Skunk Harbor on weekends and randomly during the week, said Carson City Sheriff's Reserve Commander Tom Crawford.

CCSO does not have a boat patrol. Instead, when needed, deputies will ride with Washoe County’s boat patrol unit or with Nevada Division of Wildlife game wardens.
Carson City Sheriff's Office assists surrounding lake agencies with area checks, passing checks and respond to emergency calls of service.

On an under 60 minute ride along with Skibinski Wednesday, I saw him issue several warnings, four in just one minute by Sand Harbor, as well as a $90 citation. In each case, paddle boarders did not have a PFD on their board, a requirement by law. He sent all of those back to where they started to get a vest or other life-saving device. The one person who received a citation put her board in at Sand Harbor and was already at Thunderbird Lodge, a fair distance. She told Skibinksi that it was the first time she was caught, referring to the fact that she boards often without a life jacket.

With several deaths in the last two years at Lake Tahoe, Skibinski and the other officers patrolling the lake take their job of keeping the public safe seriously.

Sand Harbor and the Truckee River in Reno have free life-jacket loaners for the public's use. California State Parks water safety department is working on getting a like program into South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay and Tahoe City and other California side spots.

"We've seen a lot of water this year and we expect many more people to head to Lake Tahoe and other waterways," said Chief NV Game Warden Tyle Turnispeed. "We don't want to see more people hurt because of unfamiliar conditions or a lack of preparation."

Besides having a life jacket, one needs to know how to wear it and not just carry it. The new waistband inflatable PFDs need to have the bag in front, and not at the rear. A man drowned off Santa Barbara last week by wearing the PFD the wrong way. Just a few minutes of proper fitting and understanding can save your life.

Even when one takes Cold Water Shock out of the equation, lack of a life jacket is the number one cause of drowning in the United States. The other three are abuse of alcohol, lack of sufficient swimming skills and hypothermia.

During the NDOW event at Sand Harbor, people from both California and Nevada were on hand to show how a great day on the lake doesn't have to turn tragic.

"Boating is safe, and boating is fun," said Need to make sure there are no freak accidents and tools are becoming more and more available to eliminate deaths from those types of accidents.

In Nevada there is a new Engine Cut off law. In 2016 in the United States, 170 people were injured and 24 died after the boat they were on hit them while as they were in the water. What's known as the "death circle," a boat without a driver will go into a circle pattern, many times hitting the person(s) and killing or harming them.

While not a law in California there are wireless kill switches available. AutoThether is one of those available that comes with a switch that hooks to the life jacket. The user pushes the button and the boat's engine is turned off.

Mandatory boater safety classes are another way boaters can be safe. New laws in California will require all boat operators to have a license, starting with those 20-years-old or younger. Each year a new group is added to the requirement where all boaters must be licensed by 2015.