Lake Michigan park gifted new rescue device to keep swimmers safe
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Berrien County Parks & Recreation Commission will receive a new water rescue device to keep swimmers safe on Lake Michigan.
The commission announced that an E.M.I.L.Y Water Rescue Device has been donated to Silver Beach County Park.
E.M.I.L.Y. stands for Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard. It is a remote-controlled device that can be sent out into rough surf to rescue a struggling swimmer without putting another life at risk.
According to the manufacturer, the buoyant machine is a little over 4 feet long and approximately 44 inches around. It can go up to 23 miles per hour and has several grip handles so swimmers can grab on and be pulled back to shore.
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Park staff along with first responders from nearby agencies are expected to undergo training on the new device next month.
The E.M.I.L.Y. device has also been used by other organizations to investigate potential damage to bridges and other infrastructure in dangerous situations.
The Michigan Department of Transportation has one of the devices and used it in several instances following the massive flooding in 2020 in mid-Michigan.
“Even while water levels were still on the rise in the flooded areas, we were able to get EMILY in the water to determine if scour was getting worse in some locations,” an MDOT engineer told Fox 2 out of Detroit in 2021.
A study published in 2016 stated that E.M.I.L.Y. was safer, less costly and less labor-intensive than other methods for damage assessment.
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