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GLADEWATER \u2014 For America\u2019s 250th birthday, East Texans are coming together for Independence Day festivities like no other. With fireworks popping across the night sky and boats launched on lakes, residents are finding any way they can to enjoy the holiday weekend.<\/p>\n
Texas Game Wardens, however, ask that you spend the Fourth of July safely, following all laws while out on the lake, according to our new partner, KETK. \u201cI want to stress: slow down. Just slow down. We\u2019re going to have an added crowd out here,\u201d Texas Game Warden Todd Long said. \u201cThe fireworks show tends to bring in lots of other boats, canoers, kayakers, people of different levels of experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst and foremost, lifejackets,\u201d Long said. \u201cWear those lifejackets, especially the kiddos under 13. It\u2019s state law. They have to have it on. Have a life jacket on or have it accessible, have it on board. Along with lifejackets, boats must have a fire extinguisher, throw cushion and a kill switch, which allows the operator to stop the motor in the case of an emergency.”<\/p>\n
According to the Texas Game Warden, there have already been 43 total water fatalities this year, with 25 of them being boat-related. Ensuring that a boat is equipped with all the necessary safety gear is one step in preventing a tragedy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s got be the worst part of the job is looking for a young person on the bottom of the lake,\u201d Long said. \u201cIf we can just save one tragic drowning. I talked to a lot of schools, a lot of scouting programs, a lot of civic groups. That\u2019s where we stress: watch those kids. Supervise, supervise, supervise. Wear those lifejackets and take swimming lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Operational regulations are another way to stay safe. Long reminds boat operators that they must be sober by state law and to manage their speed when driving within 50 feet of another boat, pier, object, or person. Turning boat lights on at night and staying within boat capacity limits are other common rules people forget, Long said. \u201cI encourage the public to slow down, have common courtesy and be familiar with their lake,\u201d Long added.<\/p>\n
If someone does happen to run into a problem this weekend, Long urges the public to call 911 or their local game warden:<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the East Texas lakes will be patrolled by game wardens and other water safety officials. Notify one of us. Call 911, etc. If you see something, say something. Let\u2019s all slow down, have fun, be courteous and get home safe this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information on how to stay safe on a boat this summer, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.<\/p>\n
Texas Parks and Wildlife Quick Tips:
\nAlways wear a life jacket,
\nAvoid alcohol,
\nBe especially careful on personal watercraft,
\nChildren younger than age 13 must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved PFD while underway,
\nEnroll in a boater education class,
\nDon\u2019t overload your boat,
\nOperate at a safe speed,
\nAlways have a passenger serve as a lookout in addition to the operator,
\nWatch out for low water areas or submerged objects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GLADEWATER \u2014 For America\u2019s 250th birthday, East Texans are coming together for Independence Day festivities like no other. With fireworks popping across the night sky and boats launched on lakes, residents are finding any way they can to enjoy the holiday weekend. Texas Game Wardens, however, ask that you spend the Fourth of July safely, … Continue reading Boating safety urged for Fourth<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8661,"featured_media":1520266,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1520256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-06 11:43:14","action":"change-status","newStatus":"trash","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8661"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1520256"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1520265,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1520256\/revisions\/1520265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1520256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1520256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ktbb.com\/post\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1520256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}