Life Jacket Stations offer loaner safety vests at two locations on Hubbard Creek Lake
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Several local, area and state organizations have teamed up to make boating safer on Hubbard Creek Reservoir (aka Hubbard Creek Lake) with two new life jacket stations, providing the safety vests for anyone who needs them.
The life jacket stations were a joint partnership with the Department of State Health Services, Stephens County’s Texas A&M Extension Service office, the West Central Texas Municipal Water District and Cook Children’s Health Care System. Additionally, Jeff Eubank Roofing Co., Inc., contributed to the project, and Jeff Dunham with the WCTMWD put the wooden structures together.
The life jacket stations are located at the Mile Long Bridge boat ramp on the west side of the bridge across the lake on U.S. Highway 180 and at Paul Prater Landing, located off FM 3099 at the south end of dam.
Each station has several hooks with life jackets of various sizes, from infant, youth to adults. The life jackets are free for anyone to use while on the lake.
The life jackets will be available during the summer season and will be picked up and stored during the off season.
After using a life jacket, boaters are asked to return it to the station when leaving the lake. Stephens County Extension Office will manage the life jacket stations, making sure all of the vests are in good condition and replaced during the summer season. The goal is to help provide safety to all that are enjoying Hubbard Creek. Everyone is welcomed to utilize the new addition to the lake.
The life jacket stations are a project that got its start in the quarterly meetings of the Community Conversations on Health group that includes a variety of health-related representatives in the community and is headed up by Sumer Russell, the Stephens County Family Community Health Extension Agent. Group member and DSHS employee Anthony Kelly came up with the idea for the local lake.
“I was on a meeting with Cook Children’s, and they were talking about these,” he said. “I noticed that (Possum Kingdom Lake) had some. We have had a few drownings here, and I thought our lake would benefit from it, so I wanted to make sure that we got these set up.”
Although Russell and Kelly said they hope people take good care of the life jackets, keeping them in good condition and returning them when they’re finished using them, they acknowledge that some of the vests may get damaged or may end up going home with someone. “But if they need them and keep them, they need them more than we do,” Kelly said. “We have replacements.”
Texas state law requires that on recreational vessels under 26 feet in length, when underway (including drifting or not at anchor), all children under 13 years of age must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Adults must have a properly fitting life jacket that is easily accessible. For more regulations on life jacket requirements by vessel type, see Required Safety Equipment in the Texas Outdoor Annual, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department guide to hunting, fishing, and boating regulations in Texas. Complete water safety information is available in TPWD’s Water Safety Act (click here to download as a PDF file).
According to Cook Children’s Lifeguard Your Child website, drownings are the second leading cause of death, nationwide, for children 14 years old and younger. The rate for drowning in open water at age 15 triples.
The single most important thing when it comes to open water safety is a life vest, according to the website. Especially in murky water with a current, it can be the difference between life and death. Life jackets need to be labeled “US Coast Guard Approved” or “USCG approved” to be considered safe. U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets go through strict regulations to be designated as a life saving device. Life jackets are key in keeping the head above the water in order to breathe. Always check the labels for the correct size and for the USCG approval number.
The Stephens County Life Jacket Stations have information in English and Spanish about how to check the life jackets for size and fitting, along with photos showing the correct way to wear the life jackets.
For more information about the Life Jacket Stations, contact Russell at 254-559-2313.
Cutline, top photo: On Thursday, June 26, a group of people involved with getting the Stephens County Life Jacket Stations installed at Hubbard Creek Lake gathered at the Mile Long Bridge boat ramp to spread the news about the availability of the life jackets. Pictured, from left, are Keith McLane, operations manager of the West Central Texas Municipal Water District; David Fambro, precinct 1 county commissioner; Anthony Kelly with the Texas Department of State Health Services; Sumer Russell, Stephens County Family Community Health Extension Agent; Mark McCullough, precinct 2 county commissioner; and Jeff Dunham with lake maintenance for WCTMWD. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
