WEBVTT 00:06.340 --> 00:08.229 Good afternoon . I'm Colonel John 00:08.229 --> 00:10.340 Stover , the commander of the U . S . 00:10.340 --> 00:12.396 Army Corps of Engineers , Fort Worth 00:12.396 --> 00:14.451 District . I'm here at the beautiful 00:14.451 --> 00:16.562 Westlake Park on Lewisville Lake with 00:16.562 --> 00:18.562 the Lead Park ranger Nick Wilson to 00:18.562 --> 00:20.284 highlight key information when 00:20.284 --> 00:22.507 recreating in and around our core lakes 00:22.507 --> 00:24.673 and river projects with summer in full 00:24.673 --> 00:27.420 swing water activities are a great way 00:27.420 --> 00:29.790 to beat the heat . Although fund these 00:29.790 --> 00:32.200 activities have an unfortunate downside 00:32.400 --> 00:35.040 of potential mishaps and drownings when 00:35.050 --> 00:37.272 safety is not placed at the forefront , 00:37.940 --> 00:39.980 ranger Wilson . What are some key 00:39.980 --> 00:41.758 factors we should remember when 00:41.758 --> 00:43.758 recreating , especially on our core 00:43.758 --> 00:45.813 recreation areas ? Well , sir , it's 00:45.813 --> 00:47.813 important always wear a life jacket 00:47.813 --> 00:49.980 went in on or near the water . Keep in 00:49.980 --> 00:51.758 mind that there are drop offs , 00:51.758 --> 00:53.980 currents and other water debris to make 00:53.980 --> 00:56.091 swimming in open water very different 00:56.091 --> 00:58.036 than swimming in a beach or a pool 00:58.036 --> 00:59.869 wearing a lifejacket drastically 00:59.869 --> 01:01.924 increases your chances of survival . 01:01.924 --> 01:03.980 Wearing a life jacket is important , 01:03.980 --> 01:06.147 but what would you tell those that say 01:06.147 --> 01:08.202 they don't need it because there are 01:08.202 --> 01:10.424 strong or decent swimmer . The key here 01:10.424 --> 01:12.591 is to learn to swim well and swim with 01:12.591 --> 01:14.702 a buddy . It only takes an average of 01:14.702 --> 01:16.869 20 seconds for a child who drowned and 01:16.869 --> 01:19.036 60 seconds for an adult never let your 01:19.036 --> 01:21.202 Children swim by themselves . Swimming 01:21.202 --> 01:23.424 ability decreases with age . So even if 01:23.424 --> 01:25.591 you're a strong swimmer wear your life 01:25.591 --> 01:27.480 jacket , especially in open water 01:27.480 --> 01:29.647 conditions , 20 seconds for a child to 01:29.647 --> 01:31.647 drown in 60 seconds for an adult to 01:31.647 --> 01:34.270 drown is scary . What can those of us 01:34.270 --> 01:36.340 who are at various lakes recreating 01:36.540 --> 01:38.873 look for as a sign of a person drowning ? 01:39.640 --> 01:41.529 There are four signs . You should 01:41.529 --> 01:43.751 commit to memory to help save a life if 01:43.751 --> 01:45.696 needed . The signs are head back , 01:45.696 --> 01:47.918 mouth open , no sound and arms slapping 01:47.918 --> 01:49.973 the water in an up and down motion . 01:50.240 --> 01:52.351 Now you don't want to enter the water 01:52.351 --> 01:54.518 to try to rescue them . The proper way 01:54.518 --> 01:56.629 to rescue somebody in the water is to 01:56.629 --> 01:59.560 reach , throw . Don't go reach 01:59.560 --> 02:01.560 something out to the person without 02:01.560 --> 02:03.810 endangering yourself , throw them 02:03.810 --> 02:05.810 something that floats row your boat 02:05.810 --> 02:08.320 close to the person with the motor off . 02:08.340 --> 02:10.570 Never attempt and in water rescue , 02:10.580 --> 02:12.413 unless you're trained to do so , 02:12.413 --> 02:14.830 instead go for help or send somebody 02:14.830 --> 02:17.350 else for help . Oftentimes a double 02:17.350 --> 02:19.406 drowning occurs when a person enters 02:19.406 --> 02:21.239 the water in an attempted rescue 02:21.239 --> 02:23.239 because a person fighting for their 02:23.239 --> 02:25.350 life is extremely strong and in order 02:25.350 --> 02:27.350 to stay afloat , they will hold the 02:27.350 --> 02:29.294 person that is trying to help them 02:29.294 --> 02:31.406 underwater . That's great information 02:31.406 --> 02:33.572 to help identify a person drowning and 02:33.572 --> 02:35.683 what measures to take to maximize the 02:35.683 --> 02:37.850 likelihood of survival without putting 02:37.850 --> 02:39.739 anyone else at risk . I noticed a 02:39.739 --> 02:42.017 couple of boats out on the water today . 02:42.017 --> 02:44.128 What key advice do you have for those 02:44.128 --> 02:46.128 wanting to take the boat out on the 02:46.128 --> 02:48.017 water , Sir ? The best and safest 02:48.017 --> 02:49.906 option is to take a boater safety 02:49.906 --> 02:51.628 course and boat with a buddy . 02:51.628 --> 02:53.794 According to U . S . Coast Guard , 70% 02:53.794 --> 02:53.480 of people that died in a boating 02:53.480 --> 02:55.424 accident were on vessels where the 02:55.424 --> 02:57.369 operator had not taken a Nashville 02:57.369 --> 02:59.424 approved voter safety course . Their 02:59.424 --> 03:01.313 online courses available and many 03:01.313 --> 03:03.480 insurance companies offer reduced rate 03:03.480 --> 03:05.480 for taking a boater safety course . 03:05.480 --> 03:07.702 That's a great incentive for maximizing 03:07.702 --> 03:09.800 safety while saving money . Ranger 03:09.800 --> 03:11.911 Wilson , you have provided some great 03:11.911 --> 03:13.967 tips to help all those recreating on 03:13.967 --> 03:16.300 our district's lakes and river projects . 03:16.440 --> 03:18.384 Do you have any last takeaways for 03:18.384 --> 03:20.607 recreating in and around our correlates 03:20.607 --> 03:22.607 and projects ? Yes , sir . The most 03:22.607 --> 03:24.329 important thing you can do and 03:24.329 --> 03:26.551 recreating in or around the water is to 03:26.551 --> 03:28.773 wear a lifejacket , encourage others to 03:28.773 --> 03:30.829 where there's two other factors that 03:30.829 --> 03:30.350 can be detrimental to your safety 03:30.350 --> 03:32.128 include not knowing the weather 03:32.128 --> 03:34.350 conditions and using drugs or alcohol . 03:34.730 --> 03:36.952 I would also ask folks to check out all 03:36.952 --> 03:39.119 of our resources that are like offices 03:39.119 --> 03:41.286 and our social media platforms . Thank 03:41.286 --> 03:43.330 you Roger Wilson . I appreciate you 03:43.330 --> 03:45.560 taking the time to inform us on how we 03:45.560 --> 03:48.040 can still have fun while being safe . I 03:48.040 --> 03:50.170 encourage everyone to follow the same 03:50.170 --> 03:53.010 guidelines as you recreate responsibly 03:53.020 --> 03:55.131 because I want you and the loved ones 03:55.131 --> 03:58.140 around you to make it home safely . One 03:58.140 --> 04:01.270 loss is too many . So remember life 04:01.270 --> 04:03.650 jackets worn and nobody mourns .