Boating safety officials continued the quest for water safety with the unveiling of two new PDF (life jacket) stations at Saguaro Lake on Friday, May 27.

The local debut is part of an overall effort on behalf of several agencies, including the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), to provide access to free life vests through the Life Jacket Loaner Program.

The Life Jacket Loaner Program was formed on behalf of The Ryan Thomas Foundation, which exists to honor Ryan Thomas, an ASU student who drowned on Saguaro Lake in 2009 when he was 21 years old.

Kim Jackson, AZGFD’s Boating and OHV Safety Education Manager, explained that anyone can take a vest from these stations, use it for the day, “or even for seasonal use if they find one that fits. Just return the jacket at the end of the season.”

The goal is to reduce and eliminate deaths by drowning and increase boating safety at Arizona’s busiest lakes.

The stations hold dozens of jackets, ranging in sizes from infant to adult, as well as directions to ensure a proper and safe fit.

There will be two Loaner Stations at Saguaro Lake; one at each paved boat ramp.

An officer for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Dept. noted there had been 75 deaths (from drowning) at Saguaro Lake in the past 10 years and “not one was wearing a life jacket.”

State Law requires youth 12 years of age and younger to wear a properly-fitted, U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while on a water vessel.

Additionally, the law stipulates each individual over the age of 12 must have access to a wearable life jacket while onboard a vessel.

New Loaner Stations will be coming soon to other lakes including Canyon Lake (Palo Verde and Laguna ramps) and Apache Lake (Marina and Burnt Corral ramps).

More information on The Ryan Thomas Foundation can be found at theryanthomasfoundation.com.