While many are relaxing and enjoying the long holiday weekend, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is hard at work spending Sunday afternoon teaching some simple, but important boating practices.
Javier Perez with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue says channel 16 is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by the U.S. Coast Guard and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews. Javier has 20 years of experience working local waterways.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue says this fourth of July weekend two of their boats are equipped with four divers, paramedics and firefighters. One diver is always in uniform.
"So we're going to be ready with medical equipment as well as dive gear for any kind of incident that could occur," says Perez.
This holiday weekend brings plenty of boaters eager to spend some time out on the water. Rescue crews say not paying attention leads to dangerous, even deadly emergency situations.
Perez says people under the influence of alcohol are just as dangerous as boaters using fireworks while aboard.
"We see a lot of boaters taking there stuff out and then shooting it out of there fiberglass boat. It's a very bad mix when you have fire and fiberglass," Perez added.
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Their goal is for everyone to abide by simple rules like having enough water everyone on the boat and to always strategize.
Perez urges boaters to have their information readily available: "Make sure that you leave your information along with the passengers' information, which boat ramp will you be launching out of, what type of vehicle are they using, and the phone numbers of the people that will be on the boat with you."
