HONOLULU (AP) - Maui County is moving forward with a life-saving initiative that will bring rescue tubes to several beaches on the island.
The initiative first launched on Kauai and Hawaii Island. Maui County approved the rescue tubes earlier this year and beachgoers can expect to see them placed on beaches along the island’s south shore by the end of the month, KHON-TV reported (https://bit.ly/2nTT5IN).
The tubes can be thrown out to a person in distress or used by a rescuer to swim to the victim.
State Department of Health statistics show there were 114 drownings on Maui between 2005 and 2014. Nearly 30 percent of those happened on the south side of the island.
“There is a well-known rip current that it takes so much people out into the ocean unexpectedly,” said Colin Yamamoto, battalion chief for Maui Ocean Safety.
Members of the Rotary Club of Kihei-Wailea have been behind the rescue tube effort and are hoping they will serve to cut down on the number of drownings.
“Even if (the beaches) do have lifeguards, we’re putting them out because what the statistics have shown that the majority of drownings occur after lifeguards go,” said Mary Margaret Baker, with the club. “Right now we have 28 and we’re ordering more.”
Yamamoto said the other two islands have had success in using the safety devices.
“There is over 30 known cases of deployments and saves on Kauai and we also know of several on the Big Island,” he said.
The Rotary Club is still seeking state approval to get the rescue tubes placed at state parks on Maui.
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Information from: KHON-TV, https://khon.com
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