Boater safety

OCSO stresses boater safety

Office reported a very busy weekend out on the water.

The sheriff's patrol boats were out on both oneida and delta lake making sure everyone was staying safe.

News channel 2's brent kearney went out with the sheriff's marine patrol unit and learned about how they operate and the safety measures they want boaters to know about.

It was a busy day to be out on the water.

Sergeant scott kahl lead's oneida county's marine patrol unit.

He's gearing up for what he expects to be a busy weekend out on the water.

"it's already proved to be a busy yesterday i need a lake in delta lake we're both busy with boulder traffic because the weather is beautiful and there's not a lot of outlets for people to go to right now."

We left the harbor in sylvan beach as sergeant kahl began his patrol.

On our way out, kahl points out the safety markers and signs that he says alot of both seasoned and new boaters often miss .

None .

None "scott kalh, oneida county sheriff's dept."

Safety is our biggest concern with the weather that we've had this spring and the pandemic that we've had this weekend is probably going to be the first weekend at a lot of people have been out in their boats so it's kind of a test run right now.

We just urge people to look over their boats really well before before they go out make sure their plugs are in.

One of the biggest safety precautions they push boaters to use, life jackets.

Any kid that's under 12 years old while they are out and about in the boat or in the cabin unless they're down inside the cabin they have to have their lifejackets on at all times.

They also have to have lifejackets that are ready or available to them they don't necessarily have to wear them.

Additional distress signals whether it's a flag or a flare a type for throwable device that they can throw to somebody that's in the water that's having a problem you know just all the basic standards that requires both of us to have.

Sergeant kahls scanned the boats out on the water and it wasnt long until we got our first call of the day, a jetski accident on the lake's northern shore that we would later find out to be fatal.

Nats kahl getting off "over the years you can get a little more used to it i'm able to cope with it a little bit better.

Sure it's difficult."

Sergeant kahl says these situations are always difficult for all of the deputies, but said their shift continues.

Answering the next call for whoever may need them "just as the same as when we're on the streeor same aswert ends when your shift es so if tre's stf more to dothroughog to do more."

In sylvan beach brent kearney news channel 2 > there are a bunch of happy