{"id":38951,"date":"2023-07-14T08:13:44","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T12:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=38951"},"modified":"2023-07-17T14:03:57","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T18:03:57","slug":"maryland-natural-resources-police-remind-marylanders-to-practice-water-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2023\/07\/14\/maryland-natural-resources-police-remind-marylanders-to-practice-water-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Natural Resources Police Remind Marylanders to Practice Water Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo

Maryland Department of Natural Resources photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Maryland\u2019s boating and swimming season is in full swing and the Maryland Natural Resources Police is urging Marylanders to take proper precautions to ensure safe enjoyment of <\/span>Maryland\u2019s waterways<\/span><\/a> this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

So far this year, Maryland Natural Resources Police have responded to more than five boating-related deaths and eight non-boating related drownings, including four fatal incidents during the July 4 holiday weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaryland is one of the nation\u2019s leading destinations for summertime water recreation,\u201d Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz said. \u201cWith the increased enjoyment of our waterways, state parks, rivers, and streams, it is essential that residents and visitors adhere to safety protocols and regulations that keep our recreational waterways safe and enjoyable for everyone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Department of Natural Resources offers a number of online safety resources, including online <\/span>Boating Safety Courses<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>State Regulations for Recreational <\/span>Vessels<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>Swimming Safety<\/span><\/a> tips. Natural Resources Police and Park Rangers urge boaters and swimmers to adhere to state and local boating laws, follow water safety protocols, be cautious, and use common sense when enjoying recreational activities on Maryland\u2019s waterways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Boaters can be safer on the water by wearing life jackets that fit properly, not drinking alcohol, and by following speed and navigation rules. Swimmers in and visitors to lakes, rivers, and streams should avoid fast-moving water, take extreme caution when stepping on wet and slippery rocks, avoid swimming alone, swim sober, and stay far away from hazards such as dams or waterfalls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Visitors to our state parks and other recreational facilities are reminded to avoid areas where swimming or boating is strictly prohibited.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPublic safety remains our agency\u2019s main priority, and to ensure safety, officers will be conducting boating safety patrols in addition to engaging waterway users in conversations and education,\u201d said Maryland Natural Resources Police Captain Catherine Medellin.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maryland\u2019s boating and swimming season is in full swing and the Maryland Natural Resources Police is urging Marylanders to take proper precautions to ensure safe enjoyment of Maryland\u2019s waterways this summer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,3171],"tags":[3736,4975,4981],"class_list":["post-38951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-boating","tag-boating-safety","tag-maryland-natural-resources-police","tag-maryland-state-parks"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38951"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38958,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38951\/revisions\/38958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}