Life Jacket Loaners 

GETTING MORE KIDS IN LIFE JACKETS EVERY DAY 

The Boat U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety has funded a Life Jacket Loaner Program for Kids to support the Lake Tapps waterfront area. East Pierce Fire and Rescue, Mary Bridge Center for Childhood Safety, and Lake Tapps Marine and Ski have been selected to partner with Boat U.S. in providing free children’s life jackets for short-term loan throughout boating and swimming season. 

The law requires recreational boats to have a wearable life jacket on board for each passenger, but life jackets suitable for children are not always carried. Children 12 and under are especially at risk on and near the water. The law requires every child 12 years old or younger must always wear a life jacket while in a boat or on a personal watercraft. 

“A properly sized life jacket can be the difference between life and death for a small child,” said Boat U.S. Foundation Director, Ruth Wood. In an effort to get more children in life jackets, the Boat U.S. Foundation has provided children’s life jackets, storage bins, and promotional material to help local organizations administer the program. The life jackets come in three sizes: infant, child, and youth. A boater merely signs out the life jacket(s) and returns it at the end of the day or weekend. 

Through our partnering efforts, we anticipate great success with the Life Jacket Loaner Program for Kids and hope that this effort will educate and reinforce the importance of children wearing the properly sized life jacket while near the water. 

If you would like to borrow a life jacket, stop by Lake Tapps Marine and Ski at the Pierce County Park during posted park hours. If you have questions about the program, contact Lake Tapps Marine and Ski at: (253) 862-4712 or East Pierce Fire and Rescue at (253) 863-1800.  

Life jacket loaners also available at Allen Yorke Parke at the boat launch. Loaners are available during park hours when the boat launch is open.