GRDA Update

April 16, 2019

Grand River Dam Authority Police Department

EMERGENCY 911 GRDA Police 918-256-0911

In Recognition of our Dispatchers,

who are the true First Responders!

Crime Reporting:

Helping Us Help You

As the temperatures begin to creep up, so do our incidents of crimes that occur on the lakes and rivers as the criminal element becomes more active in the warmer weather. We are fortunate to have had a relatively uneventful winter as far as crimes reported in the lakes and river region, but that can soon change if we don’t remain vigilant. While petty crimes may seem to be more of a minor nuisance, to us they can be a signal of greater problems to come. The people that commit these crimes will soon begin to escalate to committing other crimes, such as larcenies and burglaries, if they have not already.

For this reason, the GRDA Police ask for your help in preventing this natural progression of these crimes. This can easily be accomplished by simple communication to us as to what is happening on your properties. WE WANT YOU to tell us when these incidents occur. Even if you don’t want to file a police report or request an investigation of these petty crimes, we still ask that you notify us of these incidents so we can take action to quell the problem before it escalates. Why? Because others will soon become victim of the same type or more costly crimes if we are not able to invoke preventive strategies when the incidents occur.

We all become complacent about reporting crimes, because there is a natural acceptance that “things happen”, and some losses are expected as the cost of doing business. But, there are a number of things that we can do for you and others when we hear of these crimes occurring. This begins with notifying our officers of the incidents so we can increase patrols in the area, not only as a deterrent, but to increase the risk of apprehension for offenders that we may find in the area. Criminals are creatures of habit, and by identifying their crime patterns, we have a much greater chance of making an apprehension. We can also take steps to notify others of the possible trends in crime losses so they can invoke their own steps to protect their property and personnel.

What may seem trivial or a nuisance crime to you, may be a crime pattern to us that we can put a stop to. But we can’t do anything for incidents that are not reported to us. Even though you may choose to not report these minor incidents for police investigation, we would still like to hear the details. You are encouraged to contact us by sending an email with the details of these incidents to ed.ferguson@grda.com . Once notified, we will invoke the strategies necessary to try to prevent crimes in the region from increasing. We can't do it without you!

Choosing the Right Life Jacket

Drowning is terrifying, and there’s nothing about our modern society that makes it more frightening than it must have seemed since the first human being experienced it. As such, we’ve been looking for ways to prevent that particular fate for as long as we’ve interacted with bodies of water. Ancient civilizations used everything from inflated animal bladders to sealed gourds as flotation devices, but these were all handheld options that made it more difficult to swim, and wouldn’t be of much help if you ended up in the water without holding onto one.

In the very early 1800s, vests made out of cork were worn by sailors intent on surviving at sea, but no such vest or device was included in the basic equipment kits issued to naval sailors for some years. Cork vests dominated the landscape until kapok, a lightweight vegetable material, supplanted it in the early 20th century. These vests proved much more comfortable and flexible, allowing wearers to perform more of the necessary tasks without having to temporarily take their vest off.

Most of today’s life jackets are constructed from nylon or similar synthetic materials, and they have pockets filled with buoyant foam that is very inexpensive to produce and requires minimal maintenance on the part of the user.

Life jackets are effective thanks to their inherent buoyancy . The natural upthrust of a body of water is far greater than the gravitational force of the vest, even when it’s attached to a large human body, so it can easily keep that body afloat. Even if you were to bang your head on the rail of the boat before toppling over the side, rendering you unconscious and unable to support yourself in the water, your life jacket would keep you safe. That’s because they’re designed with greater buoyancy in the front than the back, so they can naturally help your body turn over to a position that won’t leave your face submerged in the drink.

If you’re going out on a boat, you need to wear a life vest. But which one will you choose? Beyond obvious considerations like available sizes, are there really any important differences among the options? The answer is absolutely, and it all depends on the boat you’re in and the water you’re on.

For example, if you’re on a small lake or the river with a lot of people around, and you want to go out in a canoe, you might not need the most advanced, expensive option. Something simple will serve you just fine, as you can bank on getting help in the event that you capsize.

Boating on larger bodies of water or in places that are more isolated is another story altogether. In these situations, you’ll want something reliable, with a high degree of adjustability to ensure a snug, safe fit.

As for the kind of boating you’re doing, your activity level can help determine your life jacket choice. Sitting in the back of a fishing boat while casting a line might not necessitate the most comfortable vest on the market, but a kayak expedition down the river will require a durable, adjustable model that also has plenty of room in the arm holes for significant paddling movement.

You might also prefer an inflatable life vest, as these are much easier to pack up for storage. They are also much more comfortable, cooler and allow free range of movement. You can get the inflatable types with either manual inflation, or automatic inflation so if you are knocked unconscious, the life jacket will still work as intended. If you plan to do some traveling where you know you’ll be on the water, but you don’t know whether you’ll be provided with a life jacket, the inflatables make great investments since they are easy to carry.

Keep an eye out for extra features, as well. Some life jackets come with pockets that can help you carry everything from emergency water pouches to extra fishing tools. These are ideal if you want to replace your fishing vest with a life vest, or if you’re going out on open water. Some vests also include flashing lights or whistles to make it easier for rescue workers or others to find you.

If all these considerations are met, and you still have more than one vest to choose from, then you can go ahead and consider style. Some options come in a few different colors or have flashy logos or designs. It’s far from the most important thing to think about, but if you’ve got a kid or a teen who thinks they’re too cool to wear a life vest, having something that looks as awesome as they think they are might help ensure that they wear it.

To keep us from drowning, we should don your life jacket every time you leave the slip. Given how reliably they can prevent drowning in almost any situation, it seems ridiculous that anyone would choose not to wear one.

Now is the time to get your Life Jackets ready for the season!

GRDA Receives

“Reliable Public Power” Provider Status

T he Grand River Dam Authority has been recognized across the public power electric utility industry for its reliable and safe delivery of electricity. GRDA was one of 48 public power utilities to earn the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) ® designation from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for providing reliable and safe electric service. APPA made the announcement during its annual Engineering & Operations Technical Conference in Colorado Springs on April 1.

According to APPA, the RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity.

“It is a great honor for GRDA to receive the RP3 designation because it recognizes organizational achievement in areas that we have made a priority over the last several years,” said GRDA President/Chief Executive Officer Dan Sullivan. “All of these areas are at the very heart of our mission and this recognition is a reflection of our dedicated workforce to achieve reliability for our customers.”

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APPA is the national association for the nation’s 2,000 not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities and represents public power before the federal government. Collectively, these utilities serve 49 million people across the United States.

Did You Know?

Why should you take the time to prepare a float plan? The answer is simple... there are just too many facts that need to be accurately remembered and ultimately conveyed in an emergency situation and it is a lot easier to find you if someone tells searchers when and where to look.

GRDA Buoy Guide

"Updates" on the Web

Did you not receive our latest GRDA Update? Do you have a friend that wants to see our Updates? You can now go to our website at GRDA.com to view the latest edition of GRDA Police Updates. Go to the Lakes/River tab, open the GRDA Police tab and click on the GRDA Police Update for the latest version of our email release.

Visit our website for GRDA Police Updates

Boating Tips From the GLPS

Did you know that both the Inland and the International Navigation Rules require a lookout? This is someone who is specially charged to observe any obstruction to navigation such as other vessels, hazards, swimmers and divers. Ask one of your passengers to be a lookout for you while you operate the boat. If you are single-handling the boat, you will be doing double duty as the skipper and the lookout.

Coast Guard statistics show that the major cause of collisions is an improper lookout. Remember, the operator is responsible for the safety of the boat and everyone on board, as well as, others affected by the action of the skipper.

Interested in becoming more confident in your boating skills? Boat Smart and take a course online or in the classroom from America’s Boating Club, the United States Power Squadrons. For more information visit americasboatingclub.org or grandlakeusps.com , on Facebook: glsps.

NAV TIME

A Summary of Boating Laws, Navigation Regulations & Tips

That All Boat Operators Should Know

Sound Producing Devices

Vessels less than 26 feet in length, which includes PWCs, are required to carry on board a whistle or horn or some other means to make an efficient sound signal.

Vessels that are 26 feet or more in length are required to carry on board a whistle or horn and a bell.

No vessel may be equipped with a siren except vessels used by law enforcement officers.

You may not cause or permit the sounding of any sound-producing device while your vessel is within any harbor limits or in areas of congested waterway traffic.

You should learn to recognize these sound signals.

A short blast lasts one second.
A prolonged blast lasts 4-6 seconds.

Restricted Visibility

One prolonged blast every two minutes is the signal used by powerboats when underway.
One prolonged blast plus two short blasts every two minutes is the signal used by sailing vessels.

Warning

One prolonged blast is a warning signal (for example, when coming around a blind bend or exiting a slip).
Five short blasts signal danger or signal that you do not understand or that you disagree with the other boater’s intentions.

Toes in the Grand

Summer Kick-Off Festival

The 2019 Toes in the Grand Summer Kickoff Festiva l is May 31st - June 1st at Grove's Wolf Creek Park. Join us for Mid America's largest FREE Trop Rock music festival plus hydroplane boat racing, Major League Fishing, arts and crafts, fireworks, and more!

GRDA Community Relations Officer Ed Ferguson (third from right) presents a $5,000 sponsorship check to Grove Chamber of Commerce President Donnie Crane and other members of the Grove Chamber. The funds will help support the upcoming “Toes In The Grand” Festival. GRDA is proud to be an active supporter of this festival and many other lakeside events across the Grand and Hudson lakes region.