Marine Patrol Keeps Watch On Water Safety

“I’ve never pulled a body out of the water that was wearing a personal flotation device,” Doug Parks said just before we set out from Boyer Park to cruise the lake behind Little Goose Dam.

Parks, an 11-year veteran of the Whitman County Sheriff’s Department, invited me along on the county’s patrol boat two weeks ago to get an on-the-water look at boating safety and PFD compliance. He said regulations that took effect in May require all water craft to have wearable PFDs for each person aboard. And children under age 7 must wear an approved PFD at all times while on a boat.

Just out of the Boyer Park marina, Parks and Reserve Deputy Chad Harding hailed a man in a 10-foot boat. It was the first of more than a dozen contacts that day, and most boaters were in compliance.

The man had his PFD and it was within reach. But he had no audible signaling device, no visual signaling device and a non-Coast Guard-approved fire extinguisher on board.

Parks and Harding issued a written warning and talked to him about safety in such a small craft.

Under way again, Parks talked about one body he pulled from the water this season. A man in a small boat had anchored at the stern in current. As the victim stood to free his anchor, water came over the transom and swamped the craft. It went down keel first in seconds.

The victim’s wife swam to shore and survived. Neither was wearing a PFD and none was recovered. Two weeks later, Parks got the call to recover the body.

Later on this day, Parks overtook a cabin cruiser. He had to sound the siren before the owner came about. On the bridge was a young girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old, without a PFD. Parks advised what turned out to be the girl’s grandparents of the regulations.

It took grandma more than 10 minutes below decks to locate the child’s PFD. When she came topside, the child was in a tantrum, apparently because she’d never been told to wear a PFD before.

Parks offered to lend them a child’s brand-new PFD for the day in hopes it would calm the girl down. The loaners are part of a nationwide program to curb child drownings. The grandparents refused. They argued a bit before grandma and child went below decks again to work it out. Parks warned the grandfather, who was markedly perturbed at the intrusion.

By 1 p.m., strong winds had the mile-wide reservoir whipped into whitecaps with three-foot swells. Most boaters had taken shelter.

Parks stopped two more boats. The boaters were porpoising into the swells for fun. Both had small children wearing PFDs on the open bow to enjoy the carnival-like ride. Parks advised the boaters to move the children back to a safer location in the boat. Both boaters acted like it was a good idea that should have dawned on them earlier.

Pulling away, Parks, a 20-year U.S. Navy veteran before joining the Whitman County force, vented his frustration.

“Doesn’t anyone think! If a child goes off the bow, the boat will run right over the top of them. The PFD will float them, all right - right into the prop.”

Back at the marina, Parks readied the craft for the next day’s patrol.

“It’s such a simple thing, wearing a PFD. But it’s our most frequent reason for contact.”