Coast Guard stresses safety after recent water rescues

MARQUETTE –The United States Coast Guard Marquette Station assisted in the rescue Tuesday night on Lake Superior.

Two men were rescued by the Coast Guard and the Marquette City Fire Department. In that incident, both people that were rescued were not wearing life jackets, which is against the law.

“You need to have a life jacket on. It’s not an option. You need to have it with you at all times. You need to let people know where you’re going, have a float plan, tell someone where you’re going, what time you’re going to lunch and what time you’ll be back. Give them a phone number to contact you,” said Jordan Clarke of the United States Coast Guard – Marquette.

If you’re able to have a marine radio with you, a handheld one, make sure its charged and you have it on. Channel 16 is our international distress channel. We can get to you a lot quicker if you have a radio or a cell phone that’s charged. Remember with a cell phone, they’re good out of the water. But in the water, they’re not so good,” he added.

You can check on the Lake Superior’s water temperature before going out on the water, thanks to a new weather buoy that’s been installed near Granite Island.

That information is available by clicking here.