Poets Beach in downtown Portland was literally awash in activity on June 8 during the annual Rose Festival Dragon Boat Races. Spectators cheered the colorful boats, paddlers strolled the grounds between races, and a continual stream of visitors gathered at a table staffed by Metro Parks and Nature.
Almost every visitor had the same question: “I hear you have free life jackets?”
For the past three years, Metro Parks and Nature has handed out hundreds of free life jackets at summer events throughout the region. Staff distribute hundreds more through community-based organizations like Verde and Water Strong, who in turn provide them to people they serve.
The goal is simple: to prevent drownings. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Oregon has the 10th highest rate of drowning fatalities in the country. In 2022, the most recent year that Oregon Health Authority has statistics for, 33 people died in Oregon by drowning in natural water (a term that includes rivers, lakes and ocean).
People often think that if they know how to swim, they will be safe in any body of water. But natural water can have hidden hazards: temperature fluctuations, currents, underwater snags and more. Even experienced swimmers can get into trouble in open water.
That’s why every summer Metro stocks life jackets that visitors can borrow at all its boat ramps and parks with water access. The agency also conducts a public outreach campaign encouraging life jacket use through a variety of outlets including local publications, Spanish- and English-language radio, sporting events and social media.
Handing out life jackets at events is part of that larger work. The weekend after the dragon boat races, staff were at the Impalas Father’s Day BBQ and Car Show at Blue Lake Regional Park. This Saturday, they’ll be at the PDX Parent Family Festival on Sauvie Island. The next week, they’ll be back at Blue Lake for a Metro-organized event called Aquafest. Each time, they hand out more than 100 life jackets to members of the public, as well as providing information on sizing and fit.
“I’m sure we could distribute more if we brought them,” says Metro Parks and Nature community involvement specialist Jasiel Lopez. “Our biggest limitation is probably space: how many we can transport at one time, how many we can fit around a table. Life jackets are necessarily kind of bulky.”
Despite these challenges, Parks and Nature staff are on track to distribute more than 4,000 jackets this summer. Follow Metro on Facebook or Instagram at @oregonmetro for updates on where they’ll be tabling next.
Learn more
Learn about water safety on Metro’s website
Watch a video in English on how to properly fit a life jacket
Watch a video in Spanish on how to properly fit a life jacket
Watch a video on how to properly fit a life jacket while wearing a hijab and/or abaya