Chicago's first responders are offering advice for a safe summer in Lake Michigan, and they did so in a dramatic scene in the water off Navy Pier on Thursday morning as someone was dumped into the water, then rescued.
It was all planned as a demonstration by the Chicago Fire Department as emergency crews responded and pulled the person from the water.
The demonstration took place as members of several agencies including the Chicago Fire Department, Chicago Police, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Chicago Park District, and others, provided water safety tips for Chicagoans as summer approaches.
Robert Brown with the Coast Guard said aboard a Wendella tour boat afloat near Navy Pier, "The biggest thing is...don't underestimate the lake. The lake can turn on a dime. The weather can turn on a dime, and the water temperature can turn. Even right now, with the beaches (officially) opening next week (May 22) our water temperature is only sitting around 56 degrees."
Officer Gretchen Chavez of the Chicago Police Marine Unit said they encounter a lot of troubles in the summer months including, "boats on fire, boats taking on water, boats not starting after being out in the playpen for hours and then drifting into the breakwall, or the weather starts changing."
Andy Walsh is the Director of Aquatics for the Chicago Park District. He told WBBM they've hired lifeguards for beaches and pools and they're ready, saying, "we've been planning for this for....the last few months. We start in October getting ready for the summer so we are good to go. We've gone through ten different tests, opportunities for individuals to come and prep with us. We test their basic swim ability, and after they pass that we take them through sixty-eighty hours of training, specific for the Red Cross certification and then Park District policies and so when we get to our beaches and pools they know everything, they're ready to go and make sure it's a safe day for everyone."
