Photo By Randy Cephus | Ronnie Bruggman, center, the Belton Lake manager discusses public safety issues with...... read more read more
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Belton Lake staff and several area first responders hosted a Media Day to promote boating and water safety at Temple Lake Park, on May 22 to prepare for the peak visitation season.
This coordinated effort among the Corps and area first responders was a pre-emptive strike at reducing the number of boating, swimming and park incidents as the peak season for outdoor recreation approaches.
“The peak time for park visitation begins Memorial Day weekend and runs through the Labor Day Weekend,” said Belton and Stillhouse Lake manager, Ronnie Bruggman.
Last year there were 25 fatalities at the Corps’ 25 lakes in Texas. This was a vast improvement from the previous year, where there were 36 fatalities. Much of this improvement is in large part due to the water safety campaign launched across the Corps’ Southwestern Division’s area of responsibility. This area includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
“At Belton and Stillhouse, there were four fatalities last year,” said Bruggman. “On the surface, this may not seem like a large number, but even one fatality is one too many.”
Among the agencies collaborating with the Belton Lake Office were Temple, Morgan’s Point, Harker Heights and Belton Police Departments, Bell County Sherriff’s Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Morgan’s Point Dive Team and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Highlights of the day’s activities included boat patrols and safety stations to discuss boating and water safety, law enforcement activities and dive team responsibilities.
Each agency availed themselves to media to discuss their specific roles in boating and water safety and other efforts to promote a safe and enjoyable time at area lakes.
With a slow start for visitation on Friday, the action gradually picked up over the weekend and culminated with a large turn out on Memorial Day. Among the areas monitored during safety patrols over the weekend were life vest use, overcrowded conditions and the use of recently banned glass containers.
“At Temple’s Lake Park, we had to turn away a few visitors due to full parking lots and overcrowded conditions,” said Robert Giacomozzi, a natural resource specialist with the Corps’ Belton Lake Office. “We no longer allow patrons to park on the road leading up to the park due to public safety concerns.”
Throughout the Memorial Day weekend, Corps park rangers and area responders stepped up patrols and interactions with the public educate them on water safety initiatives in and around the water.
“Our goal was to provide a positive interaction with the public so they would know we were there for their safety and the safety of their children,” stated Giacomozzi.
The efforts paid off as there were no reported serious incidents at either Belton or Stillhouse Hollow Lakes over the weekend. The Corps and their partners will continue with water safety awareness throughout the peak recreation season.
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 05.28.2013 16:09 |
| Story ID: | 107658 |
| Location: | BELTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 73 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Media Day and increased patrols result in safe Memorial Day weekend for Belton and Stillhouse Hollow Lakes, by Randy Cephus, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT