South Lake Tahoe fire stations stocked with loaner life jackets

The use of life jackets saves lives, especially on Lake Tahoe where Cold Water Shock can kill a person in minutes.

It has been a deadly year on the lake, and the South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) department has started a new program to help save lives in the future.

California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) has partnered with SLTFR in making life jackets available to the public on a loan basis. They have infant, child and adult sizes.

Fire Station #1, located at 1252 Ski Run Blvd., and Fire Station #3, located at 2101 Lake Tahoe Blvd., will both have 15 loaner life jackets for the public. By summer, SLTFR Jeff Meston hopes to have them available at the beaches.

The blue life jackets are all numbered and adorned not only with the DBW's program logo, but also with "SLTFR" marked on them. People wanting to borrow the vests sign them out and then return them when no longer needed.

Not only does wearing a life jacket save lives, it is also the law to either wear or carry a life preserver, depending on the water enthusiast's age.

Under California law, every child under 13 years of age on a moving recreational vessel of any length must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket in serviceable condition and of a type and size appropriate for the conditions and the activity. This includes kayaks and stand up paddle boards.

For a boat less than 16 feet long, or a canoe or a kayak of any length, you are required to:
1. Everyone on board a personal watercraft (popularly known as “jet skis”) and anyone being towed behind a vessel must wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
2. A Coast Guard-approved life jacket must be carried for each person on board. If stored, these life jackets must be readily available (easy to get to), and you must show passengers the location of life jackets and other safety equipment.
3. Anyone using an underwater maneuvering device is exempt from wearing a life jacket. An underwater maneuvering device is any towed or self-powered device designed for underwater use that a person can pilot through diving, turning and surfacing moves.

For a boat 16 feet or longer, you must carry for each passenger:
1. The same requirements as above and one immediately accessible (easy-to-reach) Type IV device designed for throwing – such as a ring, cushion or horseshoe buoy for each boat.

Stopping by the South Lake Tahoe fire stations for a loaner jacket will not only save a life, it will also save you the amount of a costly ticket.

Boater Education Law

Not only will the fire stations in South Lake Tahoe have the loaner jackets, they will also be the local center for the mandatory boating safety education law that goes into effect on January 1, 2018. Chief Meston said they will have all the necessary education materials at the fire stations.

They will have the safety education materials as well as the life jackets on display during their annual open house on October 14, 2017.

The law will be phased in depending on age will be phased in by age. On 1/1/18, all persons 20 years of age and younger who operate any motorized vessel on state waterways, including powered sailboats and paddlecraft will be required to carry a boater card issued by DBW. Click HERE to see all future dates and ages.

If you operate any type of motorized vessel on California waterways (including powered sailboats/paddlecraft), you will be required to pass an approved boating safety examinaton and carry a lifetime California Boater Card. DBW plans to start issuing cards this fall.