Oakland County deputies work to keep people safe on the water during 4th of July
Push to stay safe on the water this holiday weekend
The Oakland County Sheriff?s Office says it is really about education and making sure people know the right things to do while out on the water so that good times never have a chance of ending in tragedy.
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Thousands of Metro-Detroiters are expected to hit the waterways for the Fourth of July weekend, but first responders are hoping to avoid a repeat of the large number of drownings they saw in 2024.
What they're saying:
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office says it is really about education and making sure people know the right things to do while out on the water so that good times never have a chance of ending in tragedy.
FOX 2 tagged along with the Oakland County Search and Rescue Team who hope to not have to do the very work outlined in their title.
But they remain vigilant just in case.
The goal is to educate and keep people safe during Operation Dry Water efforts this Fourth of July weekend.
A job they are proud to do, not just as law enforcement.
"We run into a lot of people who are just out enjoying the day, but then we run those people who are making poor decisions and those poor decisions lead to accidents," said Lt Brian Burwell.
Big picture view:
Burwell took FOX 2 out on one of their rigs as his team made several stops, either for water violations or just to give a friendly tip, hoping to prevent a repeat of the 13 lake drownings they responded to in 2024 and one that happened on the lake on Tuesday afternoon.
"Certainly slow, no wake violations, too close to shore. You have some people - reckless operations, improper life jackets," Burwell said. "Again, they’re looking for that behavior where, hey, this is reckless or poor decision that’s going to encounter that stop with the deputies."
The county search and rescue team says this is all about education. FOX 2 learned there’s actually a right direction to go around the water.
"Inland lakes, you go counterclockwise. A lot of people just think they can go whichever direction they want on the lake and the other thing we run into a lot of on the lakes is people just don’t check the fuel in their boat," Burwell said. "So we have a lot of people who go out for the day, and now they’re stranded on the water."
What you can do:
There are other things to keep in mind as well, like wearing a personal flotation device at all times.
Oakland County Sheriff also offers boating safety classes absolutely free.