BARAGA — The waters of Lake Superior have been know to be dangerous at times, leading emergency responders to need to know all the safety precautions possible.

Van Riper DNR members along with the Marquette County Fire inspector gathered at the Baraga Marina to do just that. An Emily device training session was held to familiarize these workers with the device. This life saving mechanism is used as a remote controlled flotation device that can get help get to drowning victims as soon as possible.

“It’ll definitely increase our response time. Even with life jackets and things like that, you would still have to swim out or you would have to wait for a boat for the coast guard station in Marquette and this being on site will cut that time down to minutes or less,” said Van Riper Park Officer, Brian Krease.

This is the first time these DNR workers have used these devices, prior to the training they have only seen videos on how to operate them. Getting the hands on training helps them feel more comfortable using the device and understanding the proper maintenance.

“It’s just really getting used to the controls, if you played with these things as a kid it just kind of comes naturally, so it’s just really getting used to it,” said Krease.

These devices will now be used at more places across the U.P., such as Little Presque Isle.