STRONG — Landon Ryan, 3, is learning to swim this summer in the town-sponsored swim program, Strong to Swim, held at the public Porter Lake swim area on the Strong side of the lake.

His grandmother, Sonya Walker, brings him to the lake and said she finds the program is helping a lot.

Along with basic swim strokes, swim director Rhonda Kinney is teaching her 30 students, ages 2 to 11, another aspect of fun in the water — safety.

Kinney held a Safety Day for the students Monday with the help of Rick Rogers, regional safety coordinator for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Kris MacCabe, a Strong-area game warden and Daniel Christianson, a Kingfield-area game warden.

Kinney was inspired by Internet research that led her to a National
Safety Boating Council program that encourages kids to wear life
jackets. At an open house at the Coast Guard in Boothbay, Rogers was
referred to Kinney as someone who could provide a safety day for the
students.

As Maine ranks third in the nation for paddle-sport fatalities, teaching youngsters about life jackets, personal flotation devices and boats is something the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is focused on, Rogers said.

People in their late 40’s and above make up the majority of fatalities in Maine. Boat, canoe and kayak inexperience, and the colder water temperatures of the spring and fall are key factors, he said.

Anywhere brook trout are found, the water temperature can range from 60 to 70 degrees, he said. Water under 70 degrees can induce hypothermia within a couple hours. When the body’s temperature drops even five degrees, muscles and judgment can be affected, he said.

Their message was toned down for the youngsters who learned about the different types of life vests. Some students attempted to throw the warden’s small flotation line out to classmates and use the line to pull them in.

Although national law requires the driver of a boat to have a preserver in the boat for each person, the wardens on patrol still find boat operators without preservers. Fines for not having preservers amount to about $100 plus court fees and charges, he said.

Kinney’s students also gave her essays and posters they created about their boating experiences and why they should wear life jackets.

Local teenagers also regularly help Kinney teach the children. They came up through the program and know what Kinney expects, she said.

Later this week, weather permitting, some of the older students will tackle a swim across Porter Lake to an island in the lake. A campfire and marshmallows are planned as a reward for their efforts, she said.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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