Press Release
December 14, 2008
Contact:
Eileen Larrabee
Dan Keefe
518.486.1868
Two New York Residents Receive National Award for Lake Rescue
Putnam County rescue underscores risks of boating without life jackets, cold water
Nearly one-third of boating fatalities occur in cold-weather season
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the U.S. Coast Guard, Putnam County Sheriff's Office and Kent Police Department today recognized two Putnam County men who last year saved the life of a canoeist on Seven Hills Lake. Richard Allen and Thomas O'Connor, both of Kent, were presented with the Award of Commendation from the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and a Life Saving Award from State Parks for their quick-thinking action.
Last November, Allen and O'Connor responded to signs of distress from a man who fell out of his canoe during what he expected to be a brief trip to retrieve pet ducks from the frigid waters of Seven Hills Lake in Kent Cliffs, southeast of Newburgh. Without a life jacket and unable to swim to shore because the cold water had numbed his arms and legs, the man had been clinging to a floating tree limb in the desolate lake for about 30 minutes before he was spotted.
State Parks, which is responsible for providing the public with a safe, enjoyable environment for recreational boating in New York, nominated Allen and O'Connor for NASBLA's Award of Commendation. The national nonprofit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety annually presents its award "to recognize persons who have exhibited heroism and faced risks to their own lives in saving another person or people involved in a recreational boating safety incident."
"The great thing about this rescue is that it was a tragedy averted," said Al Johnson, recreational boating specialist for the Northeast's First Coast Guard District. "It is imperative for all boaters and paddlers, whether it's a 10-minute paddle on the pond or a 10-day boat trip, to assess the risks, realistically envision what can go wrong and, quite simply, be prepared. Wearing a Coast Guard approved, comfortably fitted life jacket is your first step to survival. Here in the Northeast over 80 percent of our recreational boating and paddling fatalities are the result of capsizing or falling overboard and, of these, close to 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket. Plain and simple, when you need a life jacket, you need it on."
Each year, nearly 30 percent of recreational boating fatalities occur between November 1 and mid-May on boats under 21-feet in length. Marine safety officials said hunters, anglers, determined kayakers and canoeists, and other boaters who venture out on the water in the off-season should be aware of the added risks:
- Sudden cold water immersion causes a gasp reflex that can lead to drowning;
- Cold water immersion removes body heat 25 times faster than cold air, increasing the risk of cardiac risk and making limbs numb and useless as hyperthermia sets in and
- Prompt rescue is less likely in the off-season.
Marine safety officials reminded boaters to take common-sense steps to reduce the dangers associated with cold water boating. Boaters should always wear a life jacket, with a whistle or horn attached, and carry some means on communication, such as a mobile phone or radio. Boaters should dress in layers of fabric that trap body heat, such as wool and polypropylene, and consider wearing wetsuits with dry tops when the water is below 50 degrees. Always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return; file a float plan.
For more information about boating safety and marine recreation in New York State, visit www.nysparks.com or call 518-474-0445.