It takes three minutes of submersion in water for a persons heart to stop; after four minutes irreversible brain damage begins. Dave Benjamin with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project says hes seen lifeguards save lives in New Buffalo. The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project has reported 21 drownings on the Great Lakes this year. Lifeguards are trained to recognize the signs of drowning, which Benjamin said many people misunderstand. According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, there have already been at least five Great Lakes drownings this year, with three of them in Lake Michigan. In addition, the CDC states, for every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. 09/24/2017 Holland Sentinel A much better summer: Drownings down from 2016 Five people died in Ottawa County waters last year. The updated stats are 612 Great Lakes Drownings since 2010.]. 08/08/2017 Detroit Free Press Illinois boy, 4, dies days after being pulled from Lake Michigan In 2016, 98 people drowned in the Great Lakes ranging in age from about 9 to 75, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, a nonprofit that tracks incidents and spreads awareness. 05/23/2019 Chicago Tribune Going to the beach can be dangerous. Right now, we are on a record pace to match last year, he said. Of the remaining 32 drowning deaths, 7 have been on Lake Erie, 10 on Lake Ontario, 1 on Lake Huron, and zero on Lake Superior. Were not often playing with fire, but we are often playing in water, Benjamin said. The message is to Flip, Float and Follow in a water emergency. 07/12/2022 KENOSHA, WI PENNOYER PARK OUTLET CURRENT Samuel Euceda Ucles, M-5 shortly after 6 p.m. directly behind the Pennoyer Park band shell outdoor concert A boy was reported missing. Annual Wisconsin Death Report, 2018 P-01170-20 (December 2020) Report Narrative (PDF) Detailed Tables (Excel) Technical Notes (PDF) Other reports and data products All the parks, pools have been closed, and we have a hot summer in Milwaukee and people want to cool off and theyre going to come down to the beach, he said. Those three words were heard throughout Michigan City Area Schools this past week with hopes that they will be remembered by area students as well as Stop, drop and roll has. We bring back our summer 2017 conversation about Lake Michigan drownings with Dave Benjamin with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. (The Interview begins at 27:38), 06/05/2019 Southbend Tribune After loss of Lake Michigan kayaker: Look out for our brothers and sisters. 05/24/2019 The News Dispatch Lake safety part of curriculum Lake Michigan can be dangerous After the deadliest year on the Great Lakes in 2018, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project is reminding swimmers and beach-goers to be safe when in or near the water. Sympathy Ideas. He was pulled from the water, taken to the hospital and died. 05/30/2019 WWMT Data shows deadly year so far on Great Lakes 751 Great Lakes Drownings since 2010; 11 to date in 2019 GREAT LAKES, USA The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP) announces its current drowning statistics. City officials countered that the pandemic interfered with their ability to recruit and train lifeguards and argued that rescues could put guards at risk of the virus, The Times reported. Meteotsunamis are sort of the sharks of the Great Lakes, Benjamin said. Some floats are equipped with live cameras and signals that allow 911 dispatchers to recognize that the device has been activated at a specific location. The 4 Ws warm, wind, waves and weekend- may come into play this weekend bringing more people to the beach. New projects in the $4.6 million draft include designing and constructing a new bathroom building, installing an automated parking notification system, upgrading the electric service in Lake Macatawa Campground and making accessibility improvements along the channel and on the beach. Without lifeguards on duty to watch over those who choose to swim in Lake Michigan, experts are worried it could be a recipe for disaster. City Controller Yvonne Hoffmaster broke the news to the Michigan City Common Council during a workshop on city finances Tuesday. Hence, more drownings. Surveying of the water, whether we are open or closed for swimming, is standard operating procedure, Denecke said. If it comes from Traverse City (HH-60 Jayhawk), the cost is about $11,000 per hour. Lake Superior is the largest, cleanest, and wildest of all the Great Lakes. If you dont get your breathing under control, youre not going to survive.. In addition, the council approved a resolution by Ald. Lifeguards make sense Common sense and financial sense, Benjamin said. 4. 07/09/2020 Chicago Tribune Too many people are drowning. Whenever theres water washing over the piers you should definitely stay off them, do not swim near them, Benjamin said. 07/19/2017 South Bend Tribune Paddle in awe of Great Lakes in Michiana and up north The nonprofit Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project reports 45 drownings in the Great Lakes so far this year. Its obvious how dangerous Lake Michigan can be. Deaths: 10. During this time students will learn the following safety tips to practice when in and around the water: Only swim when and where there is a lifeguard on duty; never swim alone. Benjamin calls drownings a public health crisis. There were 12 drownings in the Great Lakes over the holiday weekend, adding to the 91 total drownings that were recorded so far this year, according to a Tuesday news release from the organization. 04/24/2018 Southend Tribune New Buffalo votes to keep lifeguards this summer If you remove lifeguards, when seconds count help is going to be minutes away, Benjamin said. Since pools closed for summer, more people are heading to the beach. The cold water. Eric Fryman, Cari Mews and their three young children arrived on Madeline Island for a long weekend at the end of August. The in-service training will focus on the worldwide drowning epidemic, how it relates to the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes dangerous currents, open water surf rescue techniques, and the latest water resuscitation CPR techniques (i.e. Twenty-two of those were in Lake . 08/27/2018 9 and 10 News Ohio Man Dies After Falling Off Frankfort Pier into Lake Michigan. He says the average beach-goer doesnt know enough about water safety. All rights . According to data from GLSRP, 80 percent of drowning victims are male, 66 percent of drowning victims are strong swimmers and 54 percent of Americans lack the basic swimming abilities necessary to save their own lives in a water emergency. Since 2010, there have been 714 Great Lakes drownings. 07/29/2017 NBC 5 Brandt Miller, Flip, Float, and Follow & Weather App. 2. Thats almost twice as many as I 2015. Heres how to stay safe in Lake Michigan this summer. Send flowers, find service dates or offer condolences for the lives we have lost in montana. 07/30/2019 CBS 2 Chicago Threat Of Dangerous Waves, Currents Prompts Warning About Beach Hazards, 07/30/2019 Holland Sentinel Police: Being a hero isnt always the safest bet during water rescues. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Not yet. Its better to watch waves and the water from a safe distance, than to risk losing it all. Edison sixth-grader Dakota Sullivan said he can swim a little but not very well. These numbers go up almost daily, this time of year, said David Benjamin, co-founder and executive director. They believe its the best approach to spreading information quickly, having completed more than 450 presentations in seven of the eight Great Lakes states. 2022 Crime Stats. Completed - UWinsite Student Disruption on Saturday, Feb 11, from 10 to 11 a.m. 06/21/2018 MLIVE 99% of Great Lakes drowning victims werent wearing a life jacket Since 2010, 643 people have drowned in the Great Lakes and all but six of those victims werent wearing a personal flotation device. Year of death The devices are expected to be stored in a cabinet, or kiosk, and will include attached ropes. Dave Benjamin, executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, told me that the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk is a hazard for potential drownings. If the waves and winds will be high, then stay away from these types of areas. 2023 FOX Television Stations, from SUN 9:00 AM CST until MON 12:00 PM CST, Clay County, Norman County, Wilkin County, Gov. Our beaches get structural currents around jetties and piers, and when youre close to those structures you can get caught in a current, which can carry you out to deeper water, Bueling said. Daniel Saik, 66, of Niagara Falls, Ont., whose body was recovered Aug. 31 along the lake shoreline in Burt. In 2019, Grand Haven State Park and City Beach posted numbered area signs to help get first responders where they are needed more quickly. Lake Superior College - Institutional Research Source: Minnesota State Operational Data (30 th day) Updated: 3/2/2023 The year 2012 was the deadliest of those years, with 50 drownings; 2016 followed with 46. Even when it comes to a fun, enjoyable activity like a day at the beach, beachgoers still should understand the risks before going in the water. A 12th drowning was reported on Lake Ontario. We already knew that we were going to be tight financially, he said. Why Lake Michigan is Called the 'Deadliest' of the Great Lakes - 99.1 WFMK What about a life ring or water safety classes and other measures to help educate or offer resources to prevent drownings? The Chicago area has already had five people drown in Lake Michigan this year. Arizona's Family | Phoenix News - azfamily.com With the new attraction set to open this weekend, Bob Pratt and Dave Benjamin of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project spent the day teaching summer campers and kids about proper water safety. Since 2010, the project has reported 710 drownings on the five lakes, 291 in Lake Michigan. 3. Its for this reason that after Martins death, the city checked the beachs condition each morning to see if it was safe to open. Police said shortly before 7 p.m., Wednesday, their marine unit responded to a report that a person fell off a boat in the Playpen near the Jardine Water filtration plant, was pulled back on the boat. The configuration of Lake Michigan as well as its residential population density and tourism population density creates a higher probability for accidents; i.e. He thought about his wife, Elise, his children, his granddaughter, and even his unborn grandchildren he hopes to enjoy someday. You have seconds to get to a person before they submerge, Benjamin aid. He was pronounced dead at Bronson Hospital South Haven. Since drownings happen within minutes, calling 911 to summon help often means first responders end up recovering bodies rather than saving lives. 09/06/2018 The News Dispatch MICHIGAN CITY A man who fell off the pier in Washington Park onto the rocks on Sunday was pulled from the water by lifeguards and taken to a hospital in stable condition. In a statement, a family spokesperson explained Salvino talked to a friend via FaceTime 11:59 p.m. and said that he was walking to his apartment in the 800 block of West Lill Avenue and was about a half-mile away. Kyra, the nine-year-old, panickedand jumped out of the kayak, causing it to flip over. Sat. The presentation is for everyone, including beachgoers, surfers, lifeguards, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, water rescue team members, dive team members and the U.S. Coast Guard, said Dave Benjamin, co-founder and executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. 05/28/2019 Fox News Chicago Flip, Float and Follow: What to do if you may be about to drown, 05/25/2019 Lake County News Sun Moran: Beach season opens with a reminder that Lake Michigan is not a kiddie pool. 06/21/2020 CBS 2 Summer Swimming Safety Tips As Indiana Beaches Reopen CHICAGO Beaches are still closed in Illinois, but they are opening up in Indiana. Thought to be the remains of the Amethyst, a tug which burned and sank near Duluth, Minnesota in 1888. 11/17/2019 Valliant News Michigan mission: Reduce drownings Nonprofit groups, such as the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, have been teaching school children of all ages about water safety and what to do in the event of a potential drowning. Our lakes are immensely powerful, even when placid. Malik was to turn 15 next week. Emily Richards said the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project organization (including Bob Pratt and Dave Benjamin) has worked with the New Buffalo lifeguards on water safety issues such as board rescue techniques (which she has since used in actual rescues). Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer issued this statement: It humbles me to know that the equipment we installed was utilized by two Michigan City residents to prevent drownings from occurring. This isnt just Michigan. East Harbor State Park has a 1,500-foot sand beach on Lake Erie. Waves and currents can be unpredictable and thats why the weather service encourages people to wear a life jacket. 06/11/2020 WNDU TV 16 Safety reminders on avoiding beach hazards this summer, 06/11/2020 WNDU TV 16 Great Lakes Beach Hazard & Safety Awareness Week. GLSRP recommends the flip, float, follow method for drowning survival: flip onto your back, float to keep your head above water and conserve energy and follow the safest path out of the water to safety. There have been 76 in all five Great Lakes as of Sept. 18. Or how many lives may have been saved. The record lows on Lake Superior were set in the late 1920s, with the exception of August and September records that were broken in 2007 (Table 1). 07/03/2019 WILX 22 Great Lakes drownings in 2019, 06/05/2019 Lakeshore Public Radio All Things Considered Regionally Speaking. A person will become unconscious and their heart will stop. If (LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers star forward) has a bad day, he might not win the game. You should immediately throw a flotation device into the water. Bokun has read too many stories about people whove drowned in that lake without the stereotypical image of flailing arms and desperate screams. But doing that gives people a false sense of security that it wouldnt happen to them or their loved ones, said Benjamin. According to GLSRP data, overall since 2010 they have tracked 858 Great Lakes drownings. And most drownings happen during this most dangerous time of the year, when frigid water incapacitates people who accidentally fall in. One thing for sure is it takes a community willing to come together to prevent drownings. In addition, check local sandbar formations. 07/13/2020 BuzzFeed Update: Search for man in water continues in South Haven, MI, 07/12/2020 Fox 6 News Beach Hazard issued for some lakeshore counties Sunday, 07/12/2020 MLIVE 6-foot waves, strong currents forecast for some Lake Michigan beaches on Sunday, 07/12/2020 The Detroit Free Press Its swimming season in Michigans lakes and rivers: Have fun but use caution, 07/10/2020 ABC 57 Dangerous Outlook: Strong currents, high waves along Lake Michigan. Cold water shock can cause an involuntary hyperventilation gasp reflex, so know the rules of hypothermia. He said it was a question for the City Council. If you are headed to a Great Lakes shoreline to walk out on a breakwater, climb some nearshore rocks, or jog along a lakeshore path, its important to know what the predicted wave and wind patterns will be for the day. I believe the best lifeguards you can find on the Great Lakes are surfers, Benjamin said, because they learn how the waves break and how to conserve energy in the water. Provincial officers say a post-mortem will be conducted to determine his cause of death, which is being investigated by the crime unit. The man was also wearing jeans and black hiking-style running shoes/boots. Thirty people have drowned in the Great Lakes during 2017 and 16 of those incidents happened in Lake Michigan. And most importantly, Benjamin says you should always have life jackets when around any body of water.