Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

The La Paz County Sheriff’s Office Boating Safety Center has been accepted as a finalist for the BOAT US Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner program location. The program will make child size life jackets available for loan to those boaters who may not have them, or forgot to bring them to the River.

The Coast Guard and all states require that children ages 12 and under be wearing a properly sized life jacket whenever they are in a boat, underway. Unfortunately many boaters don’t have life jackets for their children, or put them in life jackets much too big or too small. Having free children’s vests available will not only provide immediate protection for the child, but in cases where the boater is breaking the law by not having their children in life jackets, the vessel operator will not be forced off the water for non-compliance.

Being accepted is only the first step. The final step is for the public to vote for the locations where they would most like to see a Life Jacket Loaner program set up. Please go to the Boat US website via the link below and vote for the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office. Voting begins at 12:00 AM (Eastern Time), Monday April 29th, 2013 and continues until 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) May 12th, 2013. You can vote once per day per email address.

Help us keep boaters safe on our waterways and Vote for the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office for a Life Jacket Loaner site.

Web: http://shout.lt/hs0f
Facebook: http://shout.lt/hs0k

As much as I'd like everyone to vote for my Agency for this program, if one of the finalists is in your local area, by all means vote for them. But please vote to make this program as widely available as possible.

Thanks to all, in advance.

i'll throw some votes your way alan.
always keep the lil' sailors safe.

I'll throw some your way myself.

Got my vote!

U got it

Roger that!!!!

You got mine Boatcop--I had a center in Grapevine but I never fish that lake, No way I would have known about this if you hadn't of posted this.
Thanks!

More than happy too it will be done.

Voted again today so I got two in for you, I'm going to make it a sticky till the 12th since we can vote every day

Happy to vote for you, but I did want to add something regarding life jacket requirements for the little ones:
In Missouri the life jacket requirement for children is for anyone 7 or younger unless riding on a PWC or tube or ski's.
I believe the 12 year-old requirement you mentioned is for Corps of Engineer lakes, which LOTO is not part of.

On another note, I require all children riding on my pontoon to have a life jacket on if they are under 13, especially if we are going out at night.
Also, when riding in my bass boat, all passengers, regardless of age, must have on a life jacket while the boat is under way. I, being somewhat older and a little more less sure of foot, wear my auto-inflatable all the time until the water temps get above 70 or their is a lot of other boat traffic. I hardly even know I have it on.
I see lots of boats on our lake with small children with no life jackets. There are not enough Water Patrol units to cover 1,200 miles of shoreline.
Good luck, you guys do a necessary, and sometimes thankless job.

Alan, I don't see your office as one of the places to vote on. What's the deal?

Once you get in you have to scroll down the page till you find it

I didn't see the scroll bar--I got it.
Thanks, Herb!

Got another one. Our sheriff grounded our boat cops and let Fish an Wildlife guys do the patrols.

Boat cop needs more votes. Some outfit in Maryland is leading.