2023 Memorial Day Issue

New Initiative Focuses on Water Safety through Education
Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE
Photos by Karen Fucito
Lake Hopatcong can be a speedway, a
traffic jam, a noisy neighbor—sometimes
all at once.
At 2,600 acres, New Jersey’s largest freshwater
lake can also be a quiet place for fishing,
canoeing, dining or a slow trip on smooth water
into a vibrant setting sun.
Finding the balance can be tricky.
A new initiative launched this spring by the
New Jersey State Police Marine Division at Lake
Hopatcong—supported by the Hopatcong
Borough Police Department and the Morris
County Sheriff’s Office—is reaching out to
the next generation of adult boaters through
water safety assemblies in elementary schools
and boater certification classes for age-eligible
students.
“I got my first boat when I was 13,” recalled
Hopatcong Lt. Ryan Tracey. “I still own one.”
Tracey said he was also 13 when he took his
first boating safety course to receive his initial
operator certificate.
The goal of the initiative is to teach kids,
beginning at age 7, about the safe operation of
a watercraft, general water safety and how to be
respectful to other boaters and homeowners
along the lake, Tracey said.
The goal also is to teach year-round water
safety, said Trooper Anthony Buro, who is
assigned to the Lake Hopatcong State Police
Marine Division. In early May, Buro and Sgt.
Peter Petelicki led a water safety assembly at
Arthur Stanlick Elementary School in Jefferson.
Buro said the safety assemblies for elementary
school students ages 7 to 12 are broken down
by seasons: winter for ice safety and spring for
water safety. Running about 20 minutes, the
assemblies feature a boat and rescue equipment.
The assemblies have been presented in several
lake area schools and as far away as Denville.
The idea, he said, “is to present the training in
any community that has a body of water.”
Buro said winter lake safety is becoming an
increasingly important topic as warmer winters
are not creating the thick ice sheets that would
be the safest. Instead, the ice cover has been
spotty or nonexistent.
“That’s why the first rule of winter operation
is so important,” Buro said.
That rule?
“No ice is safe ice,” he said.
The other winter rules are: Never go onto the
ice alone, and always wear appropriate clothing
for the weather. In other words, wear a winter
coat and proper winter footwear.
Tracey said students attending the winter
safety assemblies are also given information
on how to spot dock bubblers, which are used
to prevent ice buildup around docks. The ice
would be weaker near areas with bubblers.
Buro said the spring safety assemblies focus on
general water and boating safety as presented in
the state police’s boating safety manual.
Also offered is a state boating safety course
to middle school and high school students
ages 12 to 18. The course is presented in one
8-hour session and is free to students. Upon
completion of this course and passing a test,
students are eligible for a state boating safety
certificate (boating license).
A recent class at Hopatcong Middle School
attracted 54 students, said Buro.
Supporting in-person certificate courses
for students, said Tracey, is a series of videos
created by the state police that target specific
boating safety issues.
Tracey said the videos will be made available
to the public through a QR code on posters and
signs distributed at key lake-entry points and
restaurants. At Lee’s County Park Marina, the QR
code will be printed on the receipt every time a
boat is launched, Tracey said.
“Our hope is that the marinas
and businesses on the lake will also
help us,” he added.
The videos will become available
Top to bottom: Trooper Anthony
Buro, center, instructs students
Devyn Parcelluzi and Frank Wilpert
on how to use a rescue throw bag.
Buro and Sgt. Peter Petelicki
presenting to students at Arthur
Stanlick Elementary School.
(Photos courtesy of Stanlick School)
by Memorial Day, Buro said.
“We’re using technology to our advantage,”
he added.
Buro said the six videos for 2023 offer
instruction on required equipment; anchoring
techniques; showing respect for others while
on the water and noise etiquette; operation of
a boat; operation of personal watercraft and
water sport safety.
But it’s not only about reaching the children,
Buro said. The initiative will zero in on educating
the public and marina operators about state
laws regarding boat rentals.
The key will be oversight on businesses that
rent boats, he said. State law allows the state
police to oversee boating-related business
operations.
Buro said boat rental businesses must apply
and register with the state to rent boats. The
marine division is authorized to conduct
periodic checks of such businesses, he said.
The initiative was spurred by the increasing
number of rental boat accidents, Buro said.
In 2019, a Mount Arlington man drowned
on Lake Hopatcong when he fell off a rented
pontoon boat. The driver of the boat was
sentenced to a year in jail for driving under the
influence.
Last year, a couple was on a pontoon boat just
after sunset when it was rammed by a speeding
boat.
And in 2015, 10-year-old Christopher D’Amico
died after he fell off the bow of a pontoon
boat and became trapped between the
pontoons. His death resulted in the passage of
Christopher’s Law. Signed by Gov. Chris Christie,
the law added new restrictions to pontoon
boat rentals, including an extended safety class
before the rental is completed.
Tracey said another key part of the initiative
is to educate the boating public about respect
and consideration of other boaters on the lake
and the lakeside homeowners.
Hopatcong’s Byram Cove has long been a hot
spot for noise complaints and assorted conflicts
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023