CLEVELAND — Summer is here, which means more people are heading to the water to keep cool. While enjoying water activities, it’s important to always have an extra set of eyes and ears out there to keep you safe. Argonaut recently received credentials from the U.S. Lifesaving Association, enabling them to be there when time matters most.
Jordan Kit is the lead captain for PHASTAR 2543. It’s the Argonauts’ Marine Safety open lifeguard vessel which patrols the waters to ensure people stay safe.
Kit says, “We really want to make sure that people are able to interact with the Cuyahoga River and some of these tight water waves. We also want to make sure they are knowledgeable how to operate around these large deep-draft vessels in a safe manner.”
Kit takes pride in selecting his team. They always have a four-man crew, with a trained medic, a professional swimmer and two students who are trained in CPR to assist the other members in case of an emergency.
In a given year, they average close to 10 to 15 rescues. A number they hope will drop as time goes on.
Phoenix Guerrero is a deckhand on PHASTAR 2543. He mentions one time they responded to a call about a boat sinking.
“We found a sinking boat one time that was taking on water. These people were terrified that we responded pretty quickly and assisted them. Making sure they were safe,” said Guerrero.
Their team says it’s always important to have a life jacket when you are out on a boat.
“If somebody has a form of medical episode. You could be the greatest swimmer ever, but a single heart attack can cause you to fall off the boat and start to drown. There are really no cons to having that extra set of protection with a life jacket.”
The crew typically operates out of Edgewater but will go out as far as Bay Village, Avon Point and East Lake.
Kit says, “We really try to emphasize prevention in addition to reaction. We don’t just want to show up to a scene. We want to interact with people; we want them to see us and go, ‘Hey, it’s PHASTER, we can go talk to them, they’ll give us good information.’ We also want to make sure we mitigate issues before they become severe issues.”
The program prides itself on being there when seconds matter most. Keeping our Cleveland waters safe this summer.
Eric J. Dockery
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