Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office urges safety while out on the river this summer
Life jackets are required to be worn by people 14 and under, and for those 14 and older, they must have a life jacket near them
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — If you are planning to head down to the Snake River to cool off this summer, you may see the Twin Falls Sheriff’s Department out patrolling the water.
Many people enjoy recreating on the Snake River during these hot summer months. Paddleboarding, Kayaking, and boating are common during the summer months.
Seargent. Ken Mencl with the Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone that there are also a lot of dangers that come with being on the water.
Life jackets are required to be worn by people 14 and under, and for those 14 and older, they must have a life jacket near them.
Each life jacket is required to have a sound-producing device in case you end up in distress.
Mencl says life jackets are one of the main things they look for when out on the water.
“We respond to this area in Twin Falls county almost every year because somebody has drowned,” he said. “Most of those could have been prevented if the user would have been wearing a life jacket.”
“The water is only 61 degrees right now, hypothermia sets in real quick. You couple that with alcohol, hypothermia happens even faster, and we see tragedies set in.”
The Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office says their goal is in education and to prevent tragedies from happening, which is why they patrol the waterways so frequently during these hot summer months.
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