Lake goers urged to take safety precautions during Memorial weekend

Jackie Elson
·1 min read

EL DORADO, Kan. (KSNW) – People spending the holiday weekend at the lake are encouraged to have safety precautions in place.

At El Dorado Lake, people were busy getting their boats into the water, but they said they already have safety in mind.

Butler County EMS and rescue crews were preparing for a busy weekend. The chief is hoping boaters are preparing their safety plans, too.

Storm Track 3 Forecast: Strong to severe storms for the holiday weekend

“Situational awareness, watching over each other, especially the younger population, the kids that are with us celebrating, being able to keep an eye on them, especially around the water,” Chief of Butler County Rescue squad and EMS Frank Williams said.

Williams says anyone on the water needs a life jacket.

“People can slip underneath the water pretty quickly,” Williams said.

Boaters we talked to say they’re ready.

“We’re required to have life jackets, fire extinguisher, and a first aid kit. So we always have to have those,” Sam Guevara said.

“One per person and we always have extra just in case,” Rebecca McKay and Robin Antonucci said.

The game warden says his crews will keep busy looking out for unsafe activity on the water.

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“Like jumping the wakes of other boats, jet skis are going too close to shore. If we see drinking, that’s another thing we deal with. We’ll stop that boat and make sure the driver is sober,” game warden for Butler County Tracy Cikanek said.

With severe weather in the forecast, Cikanek says boaters need to plan early to get back to the marina to avoid getting caught on the water.

Ultimately, Cikanek says campers and boaters need to make sure that they are being responsible and have a way to stay updated on the changing weather.

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