Ohio Department of Natural Resources Lt. Michael Sterwerf says even before boarding the vessel, safety precautions begin.“Generally the first thing I do before getting on the boat is I put my life jacket on," he said.The veteran water patrol supervisor says wearing the life jacket is the difference in life and death in many of the watercraft accidents he has seen. “The life jacket is pretty much your lifeline to keep you alive in the water, much like a seat belt in your car," he said.Cruising the river, Sterwerf and his officers keep their eyes out for dangers seen and unseen.“With murky water, you have a lot of unknowns. You have objects that are just under the waterline," he said.But the 10-year veteran says it was another unseen and silent threat that coroners linked to the tragic drowning death of UC student-athlete Allyson Sidloski at East Fork Lake, carbon monoxide poisoning. Sterwerf says the odorless and silent gas has been a threat for him and his officers as well.“If we’re tied up to something, one of us will get a headache and we’ll be like we’re getting carbon monoxide sickness is what we are getting.”Exhaust off of engines, Sterwerf says, is very prevalent near swim decks. The gas denies the body of oxygen, leading to disorientation. That leads to drowning. Medical examiners place the cause of Sidloski's death on that deadly combination.As the veteran officer patrols, the day on the river is a mix of waves and inspections. But in between the friendly interactions, he says there is always a warning lurking beneath the water.“It makes you think that life can change that quick. You’re out here having fun on the water, and the next thing you’re involved in a boat accident, and someone’s missing. And that’s the kind of calls I get," Sterwerf said.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Lt. Michael Sterwerf says even before boarding the vessel, safety precautions begin.
“Generally the first thing I do before getting on the boat is I put my life jacket on," he said.
The veteran water patrol supervisor says wearing the life jacket is the difference in life and death in many of the watercraft accidents he has seen.
“The life jacket is pretty much your lifeline to keep you alive in the water, much like a seat belt in your car," he said.
Cruising the river, Sterwerf and his officers keep their eyes out for dangers seen and unseen.
“With murky water, you have a lot of unknowns. You have objects that are just under the waterline," he said.
But the 10-year veteran says it was another unseen and silent threat that coroners linked to the tragic drowning death of UC student-athlete Allyson Sidloski at East Fork Lake, carbon monoxide poisoning. Sterwerf says the odorless and silent gas has been a threat for him and his officers as well.
“If we’re tied up to something, one of us will get a headache and we’ll be like we’re getting carbon monoxide sickness is what we are getting.”
Exhaust off of engines, Sterwerf says, is very prevalent near swim decks. The gas denies the body of oxygen, leading to disorientation. That leads to drowning. Medical examiners place the cause of Sidloski's death on that deadly combination.
As the veteran officer patrols, the day on the river is a mix of waves and inspections. But in between the friendly interactions, he says there is always a warning lurking beneath the water.
“It makes you think that life can change that quick. You’re out here having fun on the water, and the next thing you’re involved in a boat accident, and someone’s missing. And that’s the kind of calls I get," Sterwerf said.
Source link
