[OSMB-News] News Release -Loaner PWC's Help Marine Law Enforcement

[Massey, Ashley]

For Immediate Release                                                       Date: Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Loaner PWC's Help Marine Law Enforcement

               Thanks to Power Yamaha in Sublimity, Benton, Yamhill and Malheur County marine law enforcement programs will have loaner personal watercraft to use during safety patrols this boating season.  A "turning over the keys" ceremony is taking place on April 26 at 1:30 pm at Power Yamaha, 333 SW Sublimity Blvd.  Representatives from the Marine Board, Power Yamaha, Benton, Malheur and Yamhill Counties will be attending.
            Personal watercraft (PWC's), also known as wave runners or jet skis, enable law enforcement to quickly and efficiently help boaters in need and can access hard-to-get-to locations on area rivers.  PWC's are shallow draft boats and with powerful motors.  They can respond to emergencies faster than many other types of boats.  PWC's are also more economical to operate and they use considerably less fuel.  They also meet modern EPA emission [cid:image010.jpg at 01CD22C6.CADF4030] standards.
Public safety agencies depend on PWC's for a wide variety of functions that include:

*        Towing stranded boats;

*        Pulling exhausted swimmers, surfers and sail boarders;

*        Search and rescue;

*        Accessing shallow lakes and rivers;

*        Removing hazardous debris;

*        Medical transport
Benton County will receive two PWC's to patrol the Santiam and Willamette Rivers.  Malheur County will use their two PWC's to patrol the Snake River and Owyhee Reservoir.  Another pair of PWC's will be on stand-by in Yamhill County for use on both the Willamette and Yamhill Rivers and for specific patrol operations like the Rose Festival.
            This is the 24th year of the Personal Watercraft Industry Law Loan Program, supporting public and federal safety agencies with personal watercraft from Yamaha Motors Corporation USA and Kawasaki Motors Corporation USA.  Since 1989, approximately 15,000 vessels have been loaned through manufacturers and local dealerships to law enforcement, fire and rescue, and marine mammal research organizations across the nation.
            The Oregon State Marine Board contracts with 32 Sheriff's Offices and Oregon State Police for marine patrol services.  The Marine Board also supplies equipment and training for law enforcement agencies.  In 2010, marine law enforcement saved 19 lives, with a great majority of those rescues on Oregon's rivers.
            For more information about marine law enforcement programs through the Marine Board, visit http://www.boatoregon.com/OSMB/BoatLaws/index.shtml.
###
Pictured: Marine Deputy Jon Bock, Lane County Marine Patrol, during the 2010 Marine Law Enforcement Academy training.


Ashley A. Massey
Public Information Officer
Oregon State Marine Board
503-378-2623
Ashley.massey at state.or.us<mailto:Ashley.massey at state.or.us>

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