By Elizabeth Mount
You expect to find life jackets in the water, maybe even on a beach or a dock. But year after year, our crews pick up perfectly usable lifejackets from the side of the road, too. This year, Brandon Harding, one of our assistant maintenance superintendents, was tired of seeing those life jackets go unused.
"We pick up dozens of life jackets that fly out of vehicles and boats being towed down our highways due to not being properly secured and end up as trash on our roadside shoulders," Harding said.
Typically, when belongings are found on the side of the road, we hold on to the items for 30 days before disposing. Harding reached out to Alyssa Smith, the boating education and life jacket loaner station specialist with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, to find out if there was a way to repurpose the life jackets.
The Parks Commission provides loaner life preservers at various locations around the state where boaters and swimmers may not have one available, including public swimming areas and boat launches.
The requirements for life jackets to be eligible for the program are:
- Free of tears or holes
- Buckles and/or zippers are attached and working
- Straps are attached properly
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| Brandon Harding (left) with members of South County Fire Station 21 show off some of the life jackets Brandon and his team gathered from the sides of highways to donate to programs that loan life jackets out |
Harding stored the life jackets that met the condition requirements indoors in a 55-gallon plastic drum with each of the preservers labeled with the location and date they were found. After 30 days if they remained unclaimed, they were eligible to be donated.
"This effort was a pilot program, but we believe it could be a continued success with support from our maintenance crews," Harding said.
Once the barrel was full, Smith was able to set up a drop off with the South County Fire Station 21 in Lynnwood, which partners with the Parks Commission to collect and distribute the life jackets.
"Their dedication to saving lives and sharing life jackets with community members has made them one of our strongest partners statewide," Smith said. "So, we were so glad this initiative might support them in their work."
While we don't love seeing any litter and unsecured loads end up on the side of the highway – besides being an eyesore it's also unsafe – we are thankful that Harding came up with an idea to salvage some of the items and make them useful for people who need them!
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