NYCkayaker safety in HRP

[Nancy Brous]

all good suggestions.

i want to add another element to the discussion:  safety signage.
it seems that many people who have jumped into the river for various reasons
(to retrieve various articles or in one case a dog) are not aware of the
fact that the Hudson in this area is a tidal estuary and that the currents
not only move fast but change directions.  they are also likely not aware of
just how cold the water gets (and stays later into the warm air season than
one might guess) and how fast a person can become hypothermic.

do you folks think safety signage is a good idea?  do you think people would
notice / read / benefit from such signs?

we are pushing for safety signage at access points (mooring fields, public
launches, and future marinas) with more extensive practical info
(suggestions for this are welcome), but i wonder if signs along the
esplanade would be worth investigating.  i've never seen them in other
cities.  theoretically they could be part of the estuarine sanctuary
management education program and have a little other info on the river (eg
where it starts, a bit of history, etc) and be interpretive / aesthetically
pleasing somehow.

but again, it may be a waste of space, time, and $ if they wont help.

any thoughts?

also, if anyone has photos of water safety methods used in other cities, we
are putting together a power-point presentation to show to HRP, so please
send them to me back channel, or if you can mail them please contact me back
channel and i'll give you the physical address.

thanks.
nb


Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:31:09 -0400
From: mike <mpidel at optonline.net>
Subject: Re: NYCkayaker safety in HRP
To: "'nyckayaker**'" <nyckayaker at rockandwater.net>
Message-ID: <02e201c80c34$e507b760$6701a8c0 at e510>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I think the best way to get input is to keep these discussion on the list,
since this is what the list is all about. The throw able gallon plastic jug
throw option sounds like a good one. I believe it was the life rings that
get stolen, therefore the plastic jug design. Chains dropped into the river
along bulkheads could be covered or laced with a with a bright material to
add to neck level water visibility may also be a cheap option. There are low
cost leds that could be waterproofed and attached to high water mark of
chains to aid in nighttime rescues. These chains would also help out first
responders, since they would know if they grab someone all they have to do
is get in closer to shore and wait till they drift by a chain to grab onto.
Iam sure that the despondent people that jump into the rifer think better of
it once the cold water brings them back to their senses. A exit strategy
sounds like a good idea.



-----Original Message-----
From: nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net
[mailto:nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net] On Behalf Of Nancy Brous
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 5:22 PM
To: nyckayaker**
Subject: NYCkayaker safety in HRP



thanks for the input and suggestions.  (feel free to send them to me
back-channel as i dont want this thread to  become burdensome to the rest of
the list)

keep 'em coming.  once we get this together for a recommendation to HRP, i'm
hoping to pass some of it on to the EDC in the hopes of guiding the
decisions they make about water safety in the planned park on the east river
at the southern end of manhattan.  no need to reinvent the wheel each time,
right?

bonnie, thanks for the link to that article.  unfortunately mr. kim is not
the only person who's drowned in our local  waterways recently.  i'll have
to do a greater search to find some of the other stories, but i'll include
them in our materials.

erik, HRP does have some safety phones, notably near public water-access
points, such as they are.  but they do not have enough of them.  the
assumption that "everyone" has a cel phone these days is erroneous, and as i
discovered the other night when i was inadvertently locked out of the pier
66 boathouse at dusk in wet clothes with no shoes, phone, housekeys, etc,
there are NO PAYPHONES in the park, either.  i agree they need more safety
phones, and this, too has been mentioned.

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