Photo By Leon Roberts | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District’s park rangers at J. Percy...... read more read more
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HERMITAGE, Tenn. – Park rangers at J. Percy Priest Lake are spending several hours at Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort every Friday this summer to promote that water safety and fun truly go together.
People of all ages visit the lake every year to hike, camp, boat and swim. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers patrols and shares important water safety messages, but being able to partner with officials at Nashville Shores makes it possible to reach out to a larger audience that also recreates at the lake.
Park Ranger Adam Johnson sets up a booth every Friday from noon to 2 p.m. in the center of the park and hands out goodies to kids, such as coloring books, cups and floatable and waterproof-container key chains, and he said the opportunity to tell kids how important it is to wear life jackets is priceless.
“We decided to team up with Nashville Shores to come out here and spread the water safety word, and get out as much as we can that kids need to wear their life jackets when out on the lake,” Johnson said.
Johnson said kids ask him questions and he plants seeds about being safe in the water, and parents are often with them to hear it and can then reinforce how important it is to be safe.
Daniel Strobel, director of marketing at Nashville Shores, said having park rangers from J. Percy Priest Lake on the premises to talk about water safety reinforces their own water safety initiatives.
“At Nashville Shores, we have so many attractions from the water park to the marina, boat rentals, jet skis rentals, our campground, so safety is paramount on anything we do, and water safety is really important,” Strobel said. “Since we have great access to the lake, we want to make sure that everyone who participates in any of these attractions at Nashville Shores is first and foremost safe.”
Strobel said the Corps of Engineers is doing a great job promoting water safety out on the lake, and it’s a perfect partnership because of the mutual need for people to recreate safely.
“We are thrilled to work with them and spread the word about the importance of life jackets and being safe on the lake,” Strobel added.
Nashville Shores also has exceptional life guards who work every day to keep visitors safe at the park. Strobel noted that during a recent audit the park exceeded water established safety requirements and one life guard garnered a “Golden Guard Award.”
“There are about 40 throughout the world ... so we have one on staff here,” Strobel said. “Safety at the water park and safety at our facility is our number one priority, and having the Corps out here emphasizes that and brings it even more to the forefront for our patrons out here.”
There have been 159 total fatalities since the Corps of Engineers impounded J. Percy Priest Lake in 1968. Only three of those wore life jackets.
Park Ranger Trey Church, conservation biologist, said this is a staggering statistic that shows just how vital it is for visitors to wear life jackets.
“You likely won’t have time to put on a life jacket during an emergency or immediately after an accident,” Church said. “So please be sure to wear it when visiting a Corps of Engineers lake.”
(The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. The public can also follow J. Percy Priest Lake on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jpercypriestlake.)
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.17.2015 18:54 |
| Story ID: | 170405 |
| Location: | HERMITAGE, TN, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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