The Wave is the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium's Member e-News-in-a-Letter
Middle School Classes Can Win a Pizza Party by Designing Water Safety Posters by April 5 Kids Helping Save Kids by Encouraging Lifejacket Use
The GLWSC is sponsoring a water safety poster design contest for all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in the eight Great Lakes states and Ontario, Canada.
With drowning being the leading cause of unintentional death in kids 1-2 and the second in kids under 15, we're encouraging kids to encourage other kids to wear a lifejacket in and around the water.
Make sure every middle school teacher and student knows that the deadline for poster submissions is April 5, and the winning student and her/his class will be announced April 30.
Universal, Consortium-Approved Beach Warning Signs Available FREE during March Buy Now to Make Your Beach Safer Later
Does your Great Lakes beach have enough warning signage to help keep your visitors safe? Now is the time to order to get them installed before the busy season.
The Consortium sold enough signs in 2018 to allow us to offer them to you FREE this month (while supplies last), so place your orders via our website soon. The signs, tested in all 43 Michigan State Parks and enhanced with QR codes linked to the National Weather Service Great Lakes Beach Hazards site, are made of high-quality, fade resistant aluminum.
Our goal is for all Great Lakes beaches to have one or more of these universal beach warning signs, which include classic rips, structural currents, channel currents, outlet currents, and proper rescue equipment usage, to help keep visitors safely enjoy their day at the big lake.
Learn more and order your new official signs here and see our expert rescue equipment recommendations here.
Automated Beach Flag Warning System Piloted by Michigan Tech Students
Beach warning flag systems only work well if they are kept updated throughout the day as conditions change, otherwise beachgoers quickly lose trust in their credibility.
As a possible solution, Michigan Tech students in the SENSE (Strategic Education through Naval Systems Experiences) program are piloting a cellular-based system, based on data from the National Weather Service to automatically change the flags.
The Consortium has contributed $500 to the project, which has raised more than $2,000 toward their goal of $5,000, and asks you to consider supporting this potentially lifesaving project as well.
The Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium is a "community of BEST practice," supporting front line beach and park workers, parents of teens and children, and first responders in helping people safely enjoy the Great Lakes.
