GLSRP's Third Coast Ocean Force: Great Lakes - July 17, 2011 Surfboard Rescue Techniques class

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 5, 2011

Contact:

Dave Benjamin Bob Pratt - Surfboard Rescue Techniques Instructor

Class Organizer Fire Marshal & Water Rescue Expert

708-903-0166 East Lansing, MI

dpaulben@hotmail.com 517-256-4600

rpratt@cityofeastlansing.com

The Second “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” Class

Launches July 17, in Frankfort, MI

Supporting a Summer-Long Rip Current Awareness Campaign

FRANKFORT, MI – In support of a Summer-long rip current awareness campaign, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project’s “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” class and the “Third Coast Ocean Force” rip current awareness PSA campaign will be hosting its next training session Sunday, July 17, 2011, in Frankfort, MI for Great Lakes surfers and for professional water rescue personnel.

In 2010, 74 people drowned in the Great Lakes primarily due to rip currents. The “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” class is about saving lives and rip current awareness.

“There are hardly any lifeguards at beaches anymore,” said Bob Pratt, a former lifeguard and current fire marshal in East Lansing, MI. “We need people who can rescue when others are in danger, and surfers are able to safely travel to a dangerous area and assist those in distress.”

“Most drownings occur during moderate wave action (3’-6’) and surfers are likely to be in the area. Someone has to be the missing link between those in danger and professional rescuers because it only takes a couple minutes to drown. “This training is geared for surfers who are in a unique position to rescue people because they have a floatation device with them, but this class is also available to professional water rescue personnel,” Pratt added.

The class will teach surfers and professional water rescue personnel to:

Recognize the danger of the surf environment and keep personal safety as THE primary responsibility
Identify hazardous conditions – Understanding how, where, and why rip currents occur
Identify a person in trouble from within a crowd
Summon help
Use a surfboard or boogie board to rescue a person in distress or in a rip current
Rescue a swimmer in distress or in a rip current around a jetty or pier
How to react when encountering swimmers who have suffered an injury
How to react to an unconscious victim
Encouraging surfers to enroll in lifesaving, first aid and CPR training from accredited agencies.

The “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” class will be hosted in the Betsie Bay Inn’s “Algonquin” room, 231 Main Street, Frankfort, MI 49635, (231) 352-8090. There will be a meet and greet at 9:30 a.m., classroom session, 10:00 a.m., and water session at 11:15 a.m.

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ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES SURF RESCUE PROJECT

Created by Bob Pratt, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project is made up of Great Lakes surfers dedicated to reducing drowning incidents on the Great Lakes. Surfers have a long history of rescues along our coasts. As surfers we are often in the water when conditions are most dangerous: high surf and cold water. By educating surfers to the dangers of RIP currents and hypothermia we can reduce the likelihood of them becoming victims but more importantly, by educating them to use their surfboard as a rescue tool, more lives can be saved. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Great-Lakes-Surf-Rescue-Project/120501018657?sk=info

ABOUT THE THIRD COAST OCEAN FORCE RIP CURRENT AWARENESS

Because the Great Lakes are referred to as the “Third Coast” of the United States and the “Third Coast” can have “Ocean Force” rip currents during windy weather conditions – the Third Coast Ocean Force community project was created to:

Support the existence of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project’s efforts to educate surfers and other water rescue personnel to use surfboards as lifesaving devices;
Encourage lake surfers to obtain CPR Certificates and Life Guard Certificates;
Publicize instances where lake surfers or water rescue personnel rescued swimmers from rip currents/drowning;
Support a summer-long rip current awareness public relations campaign.

Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/home.php?sk=group_129564050452987

IN PARTNERSHIP OR SPONSORSHIP WITH: