The Division of Outdoor Recreation has a dream goal, starts with life jacket safety

PROVO — As the weather heats up and Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, folks will be hitting the water for some fun in the sun. But that fun could turn deadly if proper safety measures are not taken.

Amid the recent drownings in the Grantsville Reservoir, state officials have issued this reminder: "Wear a life jacket."

But not just any life jacket. The Division of Recreation urges folks to remember the importance of wearing a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.

"You want to make sure it fits around you in a comfortable manner," Lt. James Skaggs with the Utah Department of Natural Resources said.

He oversees Region 3, which covers waterways in five counties throughout Utah. Skaggs told KSL-TV how to properly wear a life jacket.

"You'll want to adjust the strap system so it becomes appropriately fitting to you," Skaggs said.

It's a lifesaving part of your summer wardrobe you don't want to leave home without.

"The weather's getting good. It's beautiful, we love boating, recreation. Utah loves everything recreation-related," Skaggs said.

But the problem, he said, is complacency.

"And though it's fun to get out, we often tend to become very complacent in getting out on the water, and we start cutting corners on safety because it's not convenient," Skaggs said.

Not having a life jacket may have been a factor in the recent drowning deaths of two men in the Grantsville Reservoir.

"What happens is we start getting into that adult age and, especially when you've been on the water multiple times, and you've never had an incident, so you stop wearing them," Skaggs said. "In that case, we had two, otherwise healthy males, in a smaller but cold body of water, with at least one life jacket present that neither of them had on them."

Tiffany Reed of American Fork prepared to hit the water for some jet skiing with her family at Utah Lake State Park in Provo. But not without a life jacket.

"We never go out without a life jacket," Reed said.

And although she's a certified rescue scuba diver, she knows the importance of wearing a life jacket.

"It's super important. We always make sure we all have life jackets. No matter what, even if we're not wearing them the whole time, we have them with us at all times," Reed said.

Something Skaggs said even the strongest swimmers need to remember.

"Once you hit that water, the shock and everything of just the adrenaline dump of what happened. You tend to lose dexterity and you don't think straight," Skaggs said.

The Division of Outdoor Recreation has a big goal this year, and you can help it achieve it.

"Zero fatalities is the dream goal. It's the dream goal for all things." Skaggs said.

It's a goal that starts with not getting complacent and making sure you have a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket before hitting the water.

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