River claims another life

NPS superintendent calls for new life-jacket policy

By SANDY LONG

TOWN OF LUMBERLAND, NY — Risking his own life, Robert Hare, a National Park Service volunteer, entered the roiling waters of the Delaware River on August 23 in an attempt to save 36-year-old Hin Siu, who was plunged into the swollen river when his rented raft flipped in the Staircase Rapids near Pond Eddy.

Siu's body was recovered from the river in the Town of Sparrowbush on August 26.

Siu is the second man to drown on the river this year. During 2008, five people lost their lives in the Delaware River; 56 have drowned in the Upper Delaware since 1980. Of those, all but three were men.

In addition, only three of those drowning victims were wearing life jackets, and those were improperly fastened. With overwhelming evidence that life jackets save lives, the National Park Service (NPS) is moving to implement a new rule requiring all river users—boaters, swimmers, anglers and others— to wear life jackets whenever the river level rises to six feet or above.

“Three of the four individuals on the raft were not wearing life jackets,” said Vidal Martinez, superintendent of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. “Given the number of such incidents, we need to take stronger measures to avoid these tragedies.”

Martinez plans to draw upon special authority established by the Superintendent’s Compendium of Designations, Closures, Permit Requirements and Other Restrictions Imposed Under Discretionary Authority to implement the order.

Martinez has already addressed several committees of the Upper Delaware Council to discuss this move and plans to address the full council membership at its monthly meeting on September 3. He has begun consulting with the local businesses renting rafts, kayaks and canoes, and said that he has already received supportive responses from livery owners Rick Landers and Dmitri Zaimes.

But much as they might want it to, the policy change can’t happen overnight. There are still specifics which need to be addressed, such as differences in gage readings and determining the span of river to be affected by the new rule. Then there is the need to receive public feedback on the changes.

Even so, the effort is underway. “Given this most recent tragedy, we think enough is enough,” said Sandra Schultz, assistant park superintendent. “It’s time for people to come together on this issue.”

Such rescue attempts come at extremely high costs. Boats, dive teams, helicopters and multiple land-based emergency vehicles are typically called to the scene. In addition to the potential loss of life to victims, rescue personnel, volunteers and bystanders who get involved are all put in jeopardy and often traumatized by the outcome.

From the NPS’ perspective, the costs are simply too great. “The young man who lost his life was almost within arm’s reach, but unable to be saved,” said Martinez. “Can you imagine the emotional impact on that volunteer who will remember that for the rest of his life? It’s time to act. These victims could be alive today if they had been wearing life jackets.”