Orange County Sheriff Carl Dubois, left, and DA David Hoovler
say put safety first this weekend and for the rest of summer
PORT JERVIS – Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, local law enforcement officers and local business owners, are reminding residents to be safe during the July 4th weekend, which officially begins this afternoon, as well as for the duration of the summer.
According to local law enforcement, Memorial Day, each year, begins the 100 most dangerous days of the year, in terms of emergency response statistics.
Hoovler said officials aren’t trying to scare anyone, but they want them to be safe and smart about how they celebrate this holiday weekend, then to continue prudent behaviors, even after the holiday.
“We want our public just to be safe in everything that they do,” The DA said. “The summer, traditionally, is very dangerous, and as one of our speakers is going to point out: it becomes very dangerous. So, we want everyone to have fun in the summer. We want them to go out and spend money, go to our restaurants, go to our parks, barbeque, have fun; at the same time, they have to act responsibly, they have to drink responsibly, and they have to be responsible.”
At the top of the list, for things the public should be conscious about, is drinking and boating while driving. Law enforcement throughout the county, and elsewhere, will be heightened. Travelers should be prepared for DWI checkpoints this weekend. The public is urged, if they are going to drink, to have a designated driver because police will be giving DWIs. If something happens, where a designated driver cannot be reached, Dana Distributors is running their “Give a Damn” campaign. Anyone who does not have a ride can go on the internet, or inquire at the establishment where they are drinking if they are a participating establishment, and Dana Distributors will find you a ride home for $10 to any reasonable distance.
Also, law enforcement officers and national park officers, ask the public to mindful of their use of fireworks and public waterways.
When using fireworks, if in doubt as to whether they are legal or not, the general rule is, in New York, anything that is a sparkler, or stationary ground display, is legal. Anything that is explosive, or has a projectile, is not. Fireworks should not be used in conjunction with alcohol, spent fireworks should be wetted down then stored separately from other trash materials in a metal receptacle, and emergency water should always be close by.
In regards to water recreation, especially on the rivers, people are encouraged to know their limits and wear life-jackets, even though they are not mandatory for adult usage.
Kevin Reich, National Park Service Water Safety Program Director for the New York, had a message to share with the public about river recreation this weekend and summer.
“The river is not a swimming pool,” Reich said. “The conditions vary from place to place. The water depth and obstacles on the bottom of the river are different everywhere you go. There’s strong currents: don’t attempt to swim across the river. It’s much wider than it may appear. The strong currents can wear down even strong swimmers. There’s drop-offs. You could wade halfway out across the river and be in only waist deep water, but the next step you take could be deep, swift moving water, and it creates a lot of problems for people.”
Orange County Sheriff Carl Dubois put it bluntly and asked the public to please give the first responders a break this year, he said he doesn’t want to see any new statistics.
“One thing I don’t want to read on Tuesday morning is how many more statistics that we’ve had over the weekend,” said Dubois. “This should be a weekend for good memories. It shouldn’t be a weekend for bad memories, or something that’s going to affect us life-long, that we’re going to say, ‘Gee wiz, remember that Fourth of July when so and so blew his hand off, or got his eye blown out by something, or somebody was arrested for a DWI, or a boating accident’, I mean, it can go on and on and on. So, let’s make this a great weekend. Let’s make it so we can have good memories.”
