HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – Eight Holland agencies have come together to create a public service announcement to teens about water safety and why it is not safe to swim when red flags are flying.
Red flag = Stop. Stay Out. Stay Alive – That is the message behind the “Red Flag” PSA.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Project, there were a record number of Great Lakes drownings in 2016,
The City of Holland, Holland Aquatic Center, United States Coast Guard, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Park Township Fire Department, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, American Medical Response and Ottawa County Central Dispatch 911 – all saw a need for education about safe swimming along the Great Lakes and illustrate the tremendous effort involved to these 911 calls.
These first responders wanted to do something impactful that would resonate with teens, to try and diminish this tragic occurrence. Their goal was to work together as a team to create the PSA, depicting: the possible tragic outcomes when a red flag is disregarded; the tremendous effort of multiple how agencies involved in a rescue, have as many people see it as possible, with hope that teens make sure of safe swimming conditions when they head out to swim.
The PSA is a story of 3 teens with intentions of having fun and swimming at the beach, it soon unfolds with an all too common theme: peer pressure and taking risks. The fun quickly turns for the worse when one of the teens runs into trouble swimming. A frantic call is made to 911 and the mass of first responders show up to the scene. A United States Coast Guard helicopter flies in, 3 boats, a dive team, fire trucks and ambulances and the sheriff responding to the 911 call.
In Holland alone there were three drownings in the Summer of 2016. 16-year-old Riley Hoeksema of Holland near Holland State Park on June 19th. Christopher Mimis, 17, and Vincent Green, 14, drowned near the north pier at Holland State Park near sunset on Wednesday, Aug. 31.
The Red Flag PSA was produced by the City of Holland Television Department.
