Shyann Lloyd, 5, buried her head in her father’s side as a young fireman tried to persuade her to learn how to give CPR chest compressions.
“You can do it,” said Joshua Daugherty, a firefighter and emergency medical technician with the Bowleys Quarters Volunteer Fire Rescue & Marine, as he demonstrated how. “I will help you.”
Shyann finally got her confidence up and timidly made her way to the ground. She placed her small hands on the chest of a mannequin and then pushed down rapidly with all her might, her hair falling in her face as she worked.
“You did it,” Daughtery said, making Shyann grin.
Daughtery was one of many firefighters, paramedics, police officers and boaters at Wilson Point Park in Middle River on Saturday teaching the public water and boating safety skills. They were there for the third annual Sgt. Marvin T. Haw IV Boating Safety Day, which was started in 2016 after a record number of boating accidents in the state the year before.
There were 21 fatalities statewide related to boating accidents in 2015, a 20-year high, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police, one of the sponsors. That dropped to nine fatalities last year.
The theme of Saturday’s event was “sober boater, safe boater,” because many of the deaths were related to alcohol use.
“A boat is not on the road and there are no lanes, but it is still moving,” said Sgt. Bob Bouder, with the Baltimore County Police Marine Unit, one of the sponsors of the safety day.
Most of the people involved in accidents in the last five years also were not wearing life jackets, said Candy Thomson, a spokeswoman for the natural resources police.
Life jackets have gotten lighter and less bulky, Thomson said. Some also automatically inflate when wearers hit the water. Part of what the natural resources police were doing Saturday was hammering people with the message about the importance of wearing life jackets.
“We’re all about reminding people,” she said. “Because no one is invincible.”
Fire officials want people to learn CPR so they can help others if a boating accident occurs.
“All you have to do is keep the blood circulating until we get there,” said Capt. Jerome Rosenberger with the Baltimore County Fire Department. “That helps keep the brain alive.
Those who came to Wilson Point Park could also sign up to take boat rides where instructors also taught safe techniques, such as how to maneuver around other boats or how to switch gears and slow down properly. Many people get excited about buying a boat for recreation, but don’t take the time to learn how to safely use them, some instructors said.
“We think there is a huge gap in the United States in hands-on learning,” said Alan Dennison, education coordinator with the BoatUS Foundation, which is starting a driver’s education-like program for boaters.
Angel Newman of Middle River brought her two children, two nieces and a family friend to West Point Park to learn about boat safety.
“You never can be too careful when it comes to drowning,” she said.
Shyann Lloyd’s mom, Pamela, said she wanted her two young girls to learn about boating safety while they were young, so it would stick with them forever. The family goes boating regularly in the summer.
“If there is an emergency, I want to make sure they know what to do to get back to shore safely,” she said.
Officers also laid a wreath in the water in honor of Amy Caprio, the officer killed last month while responding to a call in a Perry Hall neighborhood.
