Need a life jacket? McHenry Twp. Fire District has them available for short-term loan

Residents who come looking to borrow a life jacket from the McHenry Township Fire Protection District seem to have one commonality: not owning a life vest for a small child, Public Education Coordinator Gwynne Finfrock said.

“The few I have lent out, it is for that reason – friends and family are coming to visit and they don’t have one that is sized appropriately for the one time that it is being used,” Finfrock said.

Fox River boaters or families planning to swim at a beach or kayak on the river – or any situation that necessitates a life vest – can borrow a size-appropriate one from the fire protection district for a day or a weekend.

The fire district has eight life vests available, in sizes ranging from infant to adult. They were provided via a grant from the BoatUS Foundation three summer ago.

Just a few people each year have taken advantage of the program, but the district does want to do more to let residents know the life vests are available, she said.

“We have had posts on Facebook, flyers around town and places like Petersen Park where people go to swim,” as well as having fliers available when the fire district has a booth at events, she said.

Programs like the life jacket loans offer options to families, said Joe Keller, executive director of the Fox Waterway Agency of Lake and McHenry Counties.

“Nobody has ever regretted bringing a child home” after an outing on the water and having put a life jacket on, he said, adding that “90% of fatal drownings could have been avoided by having a life jacket on.”

He personally knows of two recent incidents were children drowned or nearly drowned in pools who were not wearing a flotation device.

“Life preservers save lives,” Keller said.

Borrowing a life vest from the fire district is pretty straightforward. Residents can come to the fire station at 3610 W. Elm St., McHenry, and look for the “Borrow Life Jackets Here” poster, according to the district’s website.

“Ring the doorbell and someone will assist you. If you arrive at station outside of business hours ... please be aware that we may be on a call and not available to assist,” according to the site.

Those in need of a vest can also fill out a request online first to ensure the sizes they need are available.

The district has two life vests each for infants, rated for up to 50 pounds; children from 33 to 55 pounds; youth from 55 to 88 pounds; and adults 90 pounds and up.

There is also an extra youth life vest that was donated to the fire district, Finfrock said.

Information on the program can be found at the McHenry Township Fire Protection District website, mtfpd.org/public-ed/page/life-jacket-loaner-program.

The request for can be found at: https://www.mtfpd.org/public-ed/webform/life-jacket-request-form.