Army Corps Of Engineers Working To Keep Boaters Safe On Labor Day

The Army Corps of Engineers is doing its part to keep everyone safe on the lake this holiday weekend.

The unofficial end to summer brings boat after boat out to Keystone Lake for some fun in the sun, but the boaters aren’t alone.

Army Corps of Engineers park rangers are also out patrolling the water trying to keep people safe.  Their motto this year, “life jacket worn, nobody mourns.”

“A lot of times they are just courtesy checks,” said Park Ranger Matt Reeves.  “We just see a vessel out and about and maybe it is loaded down with quite a few people and we just want to make sure they have the proper equipment and sufficient life jackets on board.”

Park rangers are checking to see if people out on the lake have the equipment necessary to stay safe, including life jackets, fire extinguisher, a sound device, and checking to see if the boat has the proper registration.

While their main job is making sure people follow the law, park rangers say their job goes beyond that to keep people safe and help the public in any way they can.

While out on Keystone Lake, park rangers saw a boat being towed by another boat, so they headed over to help out.

“They have a disabled vessel, so we’ve got a tow line,” said Reeves, “a large tow rig that aids us in getting that vessel back to a boat ramp.”

After a day of patrolling, the Corps didn’t ticket anyone, only ensured this Labor day was fun and safe.