Right now, local governments and nonprofit groups can apply to host Life Jacket Loaner Stations, where boaters can borrow life jackets for the day for free.
The marine towing service Sea Tow and its boating safety nonprofit group, the Sea Tow Foundation, are accepting applications through January 30.
The Sea Tow Foundation already has 400 life jacket loaner stations around the country. The program aims to encourage people to use life jackets properly (it’s the law!). It’s funded through the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund, which is administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. Since the program began in 2008, more than 40,000 courtesy life jackets have been loaned to boaters.
“The Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Stations save the day for boaters who discover, at the ramp or on the marina dock, that they don’t have enough PFD’s for everyone on board, or need a different size to fit a guest or a child,” said Sea Tow Foundation Executive Director, Michael Wesolowski. “Life jackets save lives.”
For more information on the Sea Tow Foundation or the Life Jacket Loaner Program, as well as to download a copy of the application, click here.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
