Life jacket loaner station opening at Madison County’s Lake Reba

Kiosk built in memory of Emanuel “Manny” Prewitt

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ/PRESS RELEASE) — A program that connects community groups and other public agencies with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to help build and maintain life jacket kiosks adjacent to public waterways is adding a new location.

A ceremony to mark the opening of a life jacket loaner station built in memory of Emanuel “Manny” Prewitt, a 17-year-old Madison Central High School student who drowned in June 2020 at Herrington Lake, will be held at 7 p.m. (EDT) on June 10 at Lake Reba in Madison County.

Prewitt’s mother, Kelly, and supporters of the Swim Smart Manny Prewitt Legacy project will be in attendance. They have led the charge to build the kiosk, which will provide boaters with free access to borrowable life jackets.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife started the life jacket loaner station program in June 2021 in an effort to make Kentucky waterways safer.

The department supplies the necessary signage, life jackets and building plans for the life jacket loaner stations. Citizen groups or other public agencies obtain the necessary materials and build the informational kiosks to meet the specifications developed and provided by the department.

Donors are recognized with a sticker placed beside the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife logo on the front of the station’s sign.

Including the new kiosk at Lake Reba, the program has grown to seven locations across the state with more planned in Webster, Allen, and Jefferson Counties.

State law requires each occupant of a boat to have ready access to a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket that has the proper weight rating. The department recommends that everyone wear a life jacket while boating. Children younger than 12 must wear a life jacket while in the open portion of a boat that is underway.

The life jacket loaner stations are stocked with assorted sizes of U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets provided by the Sea Tow Foundation, and display signage with instructions on how to properly fit and wear a life jacket. Boaters may borrow the life jackets at no cost. The stations are monitored and inspected regularly.

Coast Guard-approved lifejackets come in a variety of forms, from compact inflatable types that expand when wet to more economical, rigid types that maintain their full buoyancy all the time. More than 85 percent of drowning victims in recreational boating accidents were not wearing a life jacket, according to national statistics from the Coast Guard.

As part of their jobs, conservation officers with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife work to ensure that the state’s waterways are a safe place for all to enjoy by utilizing a two-pronged approach consisting of education and enforcement. The summer boating season keeps them busy.

Lakes, rivers and streams remain popular destinations used by recreational motor-boaters, paddlers and swimmers. Tragically, dozens of people have lost their lives in Kentucky waterways in recent years, and the overwhelming majority of the victims was not wearing a life jacket. So far this year, there have been deaths on Kentucky waters.

Individuals or groups interested in partnering with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife on a new life jacket loaner station may complete an application form available on fw.ky.gov. If you have questions about the form, contact Marcus Bowling at marcus.bowling@ky.gov or 1-800-858-1549.

Lake Reba is an 81-acre lake in Madison County. In the 2022 Fishing Forecast for Kentucky’s major fisheries, a publication produced annually by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife and available online at fw.ky.gov, Lake Reba rates excellent for largemouth bass and redear sunfish and good for bluegill and channel catfish. Anglers also can catch smallmouth bass and flathead and blue catfish. Boats used on Lake Reba may be manually powered or may use an electric motor, but gas-powered engines are not allowed.