South Haven Area Emergency Services has launched a new campaign to educate the public and visitors about the dangers of Lake Michigan. Director Brandon Hinz tells WSJM News they’re looking to get localized beach safety messages out.
“We’ve realized we have a lot of visitors from out of town, and maybe just a little bit more education might help,” Hinz said.
To that end, SHAES worked with Bronson Hospital in South Haven and a local artist and firm to print up 10,000 placemats with Lake Michigan safety information.
“It’s got some tips, to-dos and to-don’ts on the front. It’s a very nice illustration. You flip it over and there’s a kids portion on the back, like most placemats you’d see at a restaurant.”
Hinz says they’ve already got 42 restaurants signed on to use the placemats, and they’re also being delivered to real estate offices. He says for many who have lived in southwest Michigan their whole lives, dangers in the lake are well-known, but to someone who has never seen a Great Lake, they may not be so obvious. The announcement of the new campaign comes the same week a 20-year-old Lansing man presumably drowned off North Beach.
