Delaware Office of Boating Safety to offer life jacket
demonstrations all weekend at Delaware State Fair

HARRINGTON (July 22, 2011) – If you own a boat or plan to go out on one this summer, the Delaware Office of Boating Safety encourages you to stop by the DNREC Building at the Delaware State Fair this weekend to see and learn more about the latest in life jackets, from children’s vest-style floatation aids to the newest adult inflatable personal floatation devices (PFDs).

As part of the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s commitment to promoting boating safety on Delaware waterways, each day from 2 to 8 p.m. on July 22, 23 and 24, Delaware Boating Safety Officer Sgt. Gregory Rhodes will be displaying various types of PFDs currently available and giving free demonstrations every hour on how to wear and fit PFDs for adults and children.

“PFDs have come a long way since the old-fashioned but still effective padded horse-collar style and zippered vest-style life jackets. Though they’re a little pricier, the least bulky and most comfortable adult PFDs today are the new inflatables, and you can get them in various models – suspender or waist-pack style, manual or auto-inflate,” Sgt. Rhodes said.

Inflatable PFDs are not designed for children, Sgt. Rhodes said, noting the safest PFD for a child is a padded vest style with an adjustable leg strap to prevent the vest from slipping off over the child’s head in the water. “Life jackets are designed to fit the wearer by weight. That’s why you should not put an adult life jacket on a child,” he added.

After checking out the life jacket demonstration, visit the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s air-conditioned wildlife room, with live animals including ducks, raccoons, wild turkeys and native fish. Also, don’t miss the 100^th anniversary display of historic photos and timelines, as the Division celebrates a century of fish and wildlife conservation by reflecting on the past and moving into the future.

Adjoining the wildlife room is the DNREC Building’s changing exhibit space, which for this year is featuring your Passport to Green Living, with all-new displays, games and interactive activities, including the Energy Smart House and a tour of Delaware’s beautiful natural areas, from beaches and wetlands to woods and state parks.

The DNREC Building is located at the north end of the Fairgrounds near the 4-H Building and across from the tractor displays. The building will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. on preview night Thursday, July 21, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, July 22 through Saturday, July 30.

For more information, visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov.

Since 1991, Delaware has required that all children 12 and younger must wear a life jacket while underway in a vessel on Delaware waters. Not a single child has died on Delaware waters as a result of drowning without a life jacket in a boating accident since the inception of the law. Though the law does not require adults to wear life jackets, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Section and the Office of Boating Safety strongly encourages wearing them, especially for those with limited swimming skills. The law does require that recreational vessels carry enough life jackets for everyone on board. Delaware consistently has one of the lowest boating accident rates in the country.

Vol. 41, No. 279