Flotation Station Inauguration

Four New Life Jacket Loaner Stations Open at Lakes

Duluth, Minn.- Young swimmers and boaters at several Duluth lakes now have free access to life jackets, thanks to new children’s’ life-jacket loaner stations.

Minnesota Power, Duluth Superior Eco Rotary, Essentia Health and and Local 361 Carpenters’ Union teamed up with the Nonprofit Safe Kids to build these stations. Essentia Health provided the Life-Jackets, while volunteers from the Carpenter’s Union helped construct the stations.

Members from these sponsors unveiled the final station on Island Lake on Wednesday.

It’s one of four new life jacket loaner stations in this area that are free for the public to use.

According to the Department of Natural Resources there have been 11 drownings in Minnesota since June 30th — many of which have been children.

“We really want to kind of monitor whether or not life-jacket tickets have been given out on this lake in the past and whether the station makes a difference

The sponsors plan to study if these new stations make a difference.

“We really want to kind of monitor whether or not life-jacket tickets have been given out on this lake in the past and whether the station makes a difference, if a person has forgotten their life jacket if they put it on and then we’d see less citations on this particular landing.” said Allison Nicolson, Intraprevention Coordinator with Essentia Health and Safe Kids volunteer.

Safe Kids hopes to build and install more stations like this around the area.