Aug. 27, 2021 2:50p
(WGTD)---Racine firefighters placed the first of three storage boxes filled with life vests on a Lake Michigan beach Friday where four drowning deaths have occurred in recent weeks.
"These are for anybody to use," said Brian Turczynski, a firefighter and board members of the firefighters' union. "Lake Michigan with the currents and the waves can be very dangerous. So we encourage any beach-goer to put one on when they go in or near the water," he said.
The life vests were purchased with funds from the Racine Founders Rotary Club. Park High School students made the boxes. The Sign Shop donated signage. City of Racine Parks and Recreation had a hand in the project as well, as did the firefighters.
The hope is that people will use the vests, then return them to the boxes when they’re done. There are also hooks for drying purposes. "We're trying to create a proactive approach to stopping an emergency before it would happen," Turczynski said.
The initiative also includes a dozen life safety throw rings that will be mounted in the area.
Two of the life-vest filled boxes will be located at North Beach while the third will be at Zoo Beach.
Turczynski says the firefighters started working on the project following the three separate drownings that occurred back in June. A 4th occurred recently when a man from Missouri drowned while helping rescue two children who had gotten into trouble in rough waters.
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