Colorado’s parks department unveiled two lifejacket loaner stations on Wednesday at Lake Pueblo State Park, where four people have drowned so far this year.
The self-service kiosks — at Sailboard Beach and South Fishing Beach — allow people to borrow lifejackets for the day if they don’t have one or forgot to bring one. They come in adult, youth and infant sizes, and are routinely stocked and organized by park rangers. The jackets are meant to be returned after they have been used. The two stations were originally installed in May.
Related: Lifejacket loaner stations, donated by parents of drowning victims, aim to save lives on Colorado lakes, rivers
The stations are part of a larger effort by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to add lifejacket loaner stations to multiple state parks and other state-managed public areas. More than 40 have been built at places like Chatfield, Cherry Creek and Boyd Lake state parks.
They’re also a way for family members to honor loved ones who have drowned, and to help prevent other drownings. At Lake Pueblo State Park, money was donated by the Cole Mika Fund and the Drennen’s Dreams Foundation (with support from Children’s Hospital Colorado).
More than 30 people have died in each of the past two years in lakes and reservoirs, and on the state’s waterways, according to the parks department. There were a record 42 deaths in 2022.
The number has been trending lower this year so far, but there have been at least 11 deaths or drownings, according to press releases from the department. Four of those took place at Lake Pueblo State Park, “with a commonality that the victims were not wearing life jackets.”
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