In her life on the shore of Lake Superior she mingles with fishermen and farmers, quiet folk who keep to themselves. 05/04/2018 Holland Sentinel 3. The city hasnt made a final decision about the lifeguard program. 07/08/2020 WGN 720 AM Summer safety: Tips for staying safe around water Dave Benjamin, Co-Founder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, joins the Ji Suk Yi show to talk about important swimming safety tips to help you and your kids be safe this summer while in the water. Facing shore, mouth at water level, head titled back, their body is vertical, less than one minute until submersion, said Benjamin. 08/24/2018 Cleveland 19 News Ashtabula teen becomes latest Lake Erie drowning death in 2018 Safety experts and government officials are expected to meet in Cleveland this fall to discuss water and swim safety in Lake Erie. A fully staffed Bradford Beach would have 14 lifeguards working seven days a week for 10 weeks at a total cost of $70,000. 10/01/2018 Buffalo News For Erie and the Great Lakes as a whole, 2018 ties a deadly record This year has been Western New Yorks deadliest for drownings in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. While the weather hasnt been really warm until recently, that hasnt stopped people from going into the lake, oftentimes unprepared. 10/08/2020 MLIVE Letter from the Editor: Lake Michigan drowning video shows the power of nature, and the power of journalism to save lives. Thats one of our biggest worries. Why is there not water safety curriculum?, With these presentations, as well as additional outreach, training, public awareness and preparedness efforts, GLSRP hopes to reduce the number of Great Lakes drownings. This is why lifeguards are so important. Diehl and a 7-year-old Texas boy died after going under water along the north beach in South Haven. Corporate Party Entertainment Ideas Denver Colorado 01/13/2020. There were 11 more drowning deaths than average in Lake Ontario this year and four more in Lake Huron. Benjamin is a strong advocate for lifeguards, which most Lake Michigan beaches dont have. 07/31/2017 WBEZ Public Radio The GLSRPs Dave Benjamin was be on WBEZs Morning Shift, 91.5 FM, Monday to discuss the current Great Lakes drowning statistics and Great Lakes Water Safety with host, Jenn White. Is Lake Michigan the deadliest Great Lake or just the most frequented? The Coast Guard texted back: This is search & rescue. 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. 08/22/2018 WLS 890 AM the John Howell and Ray Stevens show Live Water Safety Segment, Online here:http://player.listenlive.co/22231/Call in with your questions, comments, and concerns too!!! GLSRP is a non-profit group that tracks drowning statistics and performs presentations and training around the Midwest. To date, the GLSRP is tracking 20 Great Lakes drownings in 2020. Ninety percent in attendance will say they know how to swim, and less than 5 percent will know a drowning survival strategy, he said. Preliminary data on fatalities which occurred in the surf zones across National Weather Service areas of forecast responsibility through January 31, 2023. 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. 07/30/2018 Kenosha News Water safety initiative calls on greater action to prevent drowning deaths The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project gave a presentation Monday on water safety education to a group that included YMCA Executive Director Cindy Altergott, Somers Fire Chief Carson Wilkinson, John Raquet, and Peggy Burke, a Kenosha resident whose husband drowned in Lake Erie while on a fishing trip, among others. Another option Benjamin suggested, updating the signage to be specific to the dangers at the beach, is already underway. 10/25/2019 NBC 5 Brandt Miller In 2012 the GLSRP pioneered the Flip, Float, and Follow drowning survival technique to the public and media, and here is a Chicagoland woman crediting it for saving her life when she was on vacation this October. People drown every year during red flag conditions and every year, the system proves to be a failure. Once you are floating and calm, find the safest route out of the water. Swimming parallel to shore typically is the most effective way of getting out of a current. We are going to continue to limit spending and watch our revenues closely, I believe with close monitoring and watchful spending, that the city will come out of this on the other side OK, and that we will not have to reduce our workforce or reduce any of the services that our residents have become used to.. 08/27/2019 The Weather Channel Lake Michigans Deadly Waves Prompt Warnings for Swimmers and Boaters in Illinois and Michigan, 08/26/2019 Univision Revelan alarmantes cifras de muertes por ahogamiento en el lago Michigan Segn datos de Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, una organizacin que monitorea accidentes. Her efforts, which include water safety classes for Madison and Ashtabula students in partnership with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, earned her the honor as the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium 2016 Water Safety Superhero of the Year. You should immediately throw a flotation device into the water. 07/10/2020 NBC 26 Green Bay STURGEON BAY (NBC 26) A non-profit group that tracks drownings on the Great Lakes is warning that the deadly four Ws are in play: Warm, Wind, Waves and Weekend. If you enter the water, ease your way in and wear a lifejacket. Three of our lifeguards responded and were able to get to him and put him on a backboard to safely transport him to EMS once they arrived.. Its going to continue to be a leading cause of accidental death until we start to look at the bigger picture, said Benjamin. If you fall into 40-degree water without a life jacket on, your survival is measured in seconds even if youre a really good swimmer, Pratt said. I could no longer swim. The group also discussed ideas from staffing beaches with lifeguards to better signage indicating the dangers of swimming in dangerous areas, such as the Pike outlet, as well as flotation devices that could be placed in and around the piers. You could also blame the heat. It was the scariest thing, but Bokun told me after his family returned from Tennessee. It was the first mistake, of several, documented in the report. 07/14/2020 Fox 17 Search for missing swimmer now a recovery mission in South Haven The Great Lakes Surf Rescue project, a non-profit that keeps tabs of drownings, says so far this year 16 people have already drowned in Lake Michigan. Instead of lifeguards, he said, the beach would use existing flags and signs noting that visitors are swimming at their own risk. Its unknown if a lifeguard was present at the time. Lifeguards are first responders and just as important as police and firefighters, he said Were a huge advocate for lifeguards. June 10, 2023). Lake Superior is a vast fresh water resource that has not experienced the same levels of development, urbanization and pollution as the other Great Lakes. So far this year, at least 10 people have drowned in Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. Other beaches dont have that, she said, adding when unsafe conditions shut down swimming, swimmers sometimes go to an unguarded beach. 05/24/2017 Tinley Junction Tinley Park couple spreads water safety message in memory of son Tinley Park residents John and Kathy Kocher, teaching water safety and giving back to their community is more than just a passion for them; it is their mission. This happened to an Indiana couple in 2012 and to Chicago kids in 1988. The initial lack of response was not concerning for Parry, he said, as it would be months until lifeguards would be needed. 08/18/2022 CHICAGO MONTROSE HARBOR 12:20 AM 200 BLOCK OF WEST MONTROSE DRIVE Francisco Gonzalez, M-38 His body was pulled from Montrose Harbor, hours after a person went missing in the water in Chicagos Playpen area of Lake Michigan Wednesday night, according to CPD. Three bodies found in the lake this year are not yet confirmed as drownings, said David Benjamin, executive director of the safety group. This year already reports 5 deaths, again the majority on Lake Michigan. Drowning happens to other people until you become other people. Lake Superior State University is celebrating the end of 2020 with the release of their annual 'Banished Words List.' 1 weather alerts 1 closings/delays Watch Now There are two rings at the lifeguard station, but thats set back from the water, Benjamin noted. Published: Sep. 17, 2021 at 11:14 AM PDT. The diver, whose identity has not yet been released, was taken to Northshore Evanston Hospital where he was pronounced dead. 07/29/2019 WTOL 11 Toledo Experts offer drowning prevention strategies after 12 people drown in Lake Erie In all of the Great Lakes, 50 people have drowned in 2019. The teens name has not yet been released. Its better to watch waves and the water from a safe distance, than to risk losing it all. Flip, float and follow should be second nature to them the way stop, drop and roll is. Since pools closed for summer, more people are heading to the beach. 06/11/2017 Lansing State Journal Bob Pratt, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Projects director, told the State Journal the Lansing man was 27 years old. Also factor in that some budget-restricted municipalities, such as Michigan City, are not hiring lifeguards this year. 11/18/2018 Parents Preventing Childhood Drowning Sunday Survival Story: Swim Near a Lifeguard! On Friday, his body was found in Lake Superior in Fort William First Nation. A person who is drowning will usually be facing shore, their mouth will be at water level and may have their head tipped back. And those life-saving devices work. They have fire drills, tornado drills, shooting drills and even earthquake drills in school, said Benjamin. He said that according to the World Health Organization, drowning continues to be a neglected public health issue. Thatcher knew how to respond if he gets in trouble in the water. For the first time in five years, lifeguards are not on duty at Atwater Park beach due to a shortage of lifeguard applications received by the Milwaukee County Parks Department. Currents caused by wind or structures like piers can make swimming in the lakes dangerous. 07/12/2018 AP US News & World Reports Chicago Urged to Extend Lifeguard Hours After Drowning The Chicago Park District is being urged to extend lifeguard patrols after the recent drowning of a 13-year-old girl. About 30 moms, dads and kids learned how to tell when a swimmer is in trouble and some basic first aid that can save lives. This year, seven have drown so far. Schools with pools teach children water safety, but that should happen at all schools, Benjamin said. That friend called again at 12:15 a.m. to confirm that Salvino had arrived home, but the 25-year-old said he was still walking to his residence. in Sheboygan, WI. 06/11/2020 WNDU TV 16 Facebook Live GLSRP and WNDU TV News water safety segment. Join the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium for compelling presentations by and networking opportunities with experts in water safety, risk communication, lifeguarding, beach safety, and hazard mitigation. Benjamin said, according to the Centers for Disease Control, that drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in the U.S. as well as worldwide, and that it is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-4. Take proper precautions near the waterThere were 88 drownings in the Great Lakes last year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. But the No. When first responders arrived, he was floating and being pushed by waves. He was revived, but died two days later at a Kenosha hospital. Looking at other beach locations: life rings are credited with saving lives in Grand Haven, Holland and St. Joseph in Michigan, and Gary and Michigan City in Indiana, according to the non-profit Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. The south sides (windward sides) of all piers will be the most turbulent and dangerous spots on Lake Michigan., 07/26/2019 Detroit Free Press Drowning deaths on Lake Michigan have skyrocketed this year, 07/26/2019 Michigan Radion NPR Reports of drowning in Lake Michigan are higher this year than last, group says, 07/25/2019 CBS 2 Chicago Man Dies After Being Pulled From Water At Rainbow Beach, 07/25/2019 CBS 2 Chicago Lake Michigan Drownings Up 57 Percent This Year, Water Safety Group Says, 07/25/2019 Northwest Indiana Times EDITORIAL: Keep your wits when venturing into the lake, 07/25/2019 WILX NBC 10 Lake Michigan more dangerous for swimmers, 07/25/2019 WBCK FM Almost 800 People have Drowned in the Great Lakes Since 2010, 07/25/2019 WLNS 44 Great Lakes drownings reported in 2019, 07/24/2019 WXYZ Detroit 44 people have drowned in the Great Lakes in 2019, 07/24/2019 WOOD TV Group: Lake Michigan worst Great Lake for drownings SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN, 07/24/2019 NBC WKYC 3 CLEVELAND Near-drowning survivor issues Great Lakes safety warning Be safe versus sorry while enjoying the water. Such was the case with Biehler, the Hamburg kite-surfer. The body has not yet been identified by the Cook County medical examiners office. On Sept. 3, divers found the body of 32-year-old man in the water, days after he went into Lake Michigan from a boat. He pointed out at Tuesdays city council meeting they had trained rescue professionals in the water trying to find Young, but it was so bad that some of them got into trouble.