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New life jacket loan program looks to keep people safe on the water

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The Huron County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Village of Port Austin to offer a life jacket loan program. 

 

People can take a life jacket from a loan-box, use it for their trip, and then return it once they are back on the shore. 

 

Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson said this weekend is big for kayaking, and he wants people to make sure they have a life jacket easily available to them. 

 

“We just don’t want anybody to go below the surface of the water and not be able to come back up. And we are trying to do our best. So we are expecting this weekend with the forecasts, to see a high concentrate of kayakers.”

 

Sheriff Hanson says his department will also be increasing patrols to keep people safe. He said anyone on the water without a life jacket will receive a ticket. 

 

There are two boxes available for the public, one in Veteran’s Park and one at Bird Creek Park Beach.