Fairfield Police to Participate in Operation Dry Water Campaign

FAIRFIELD — Chief Robert Kalamaras is pleased to share that the Fairfield Police Department will be participating in the Operation Dry Water campaign this summer.

In an effort to keep the waterways safe and promote boating safety practices, the Fairfield Police Department is joining DEEP Environmental Conservation Police and police departments nationwide in the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) Operation Dry Water campaign during the weekend of July 1-3.

As part of the campaign, the department is looking to spread awareness about the dangers of boating under the influence (BUI) with the goal of removing impaired operators from waterways. During the weekend of July 1-3, the department’s marine units will be conducting heightened patrols.

Since the inception of the Operation Dry Water Campaign in 2009, law enforcement officers have removed 6,152 BUI operators from the nation’s waterways and made contact with over 2.5 million boaters during the annual three-day weekend.

According to NASBLA, 630 local, state, and federal agencies contacted 350,472 boaters, made 794 BUI arrests, and issued 45,067 citations and warnings for safety violations in 2022.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating incidents, accounting for 16% of deaths in 2021.

Boating Safety

Ahead of Operation Dry Water, the Fairfield Police Department would like to share these safe boating tips with residents, courtesy the National Weather Service (NWS):

• Start each trip in your boat by going through a checklist of equipment and operation procedures, just like an airline pilot.
• When you take your family for a boat ride, tell a friend or neighbor where you are going and when you expect to return. If you change plans, let them know.
• Know the rules of the water and practice safe boating. Contact your local Coast Guard auxiliary, power squadron, or Red Cross for details about taking a boating safety course.
• Boating is safer and more fun when your boat is properly outfitted. Check with your nearest Coast Guard auxiliary for a free examination. Also check your boat’s capacity plate. It tells you how many people can safely be on board. Overloading is not only against the law, it’s dangerous.
• Before you set sail, check the forecast and keep your weather radio with you for updated reports.
• The wind can play tricks on a novice sailor in a small sailboat. The easiest way out of trouble is to let go of the main sheet. This will cock your bow into the wind almost immediately.
• The “man overboard” drill is as important on a small boat as it is on an ocean liner. Learn and practice the proper procedure for retrieving someone who has fallen overboard.
• Inspect your boat trailer thoroughly before heading to the lake or ocean. Tires, brakes, and safety chains should all be checked. Don’t be the victim of a dry land boating accident.

If you are being approached by a law enforcement or rescue vessel using flashing blue lights or alternating flashing red and yellow lights or an audible signal, you are required to:

1. Immediately slow to a speed just sufficient to maintain steerage only
2. Alter course within your ability to not inhibit or interfere with the law enforcement or fire rescue vessel
3. Unless otherwise directed by an officer, proceed at a reduced speed until beyond the area of operation of the law enforcement or fire rescue vessel

If you willfully or negligently obstruct or delay a law enforcement or fire rescue vessel answering an emergency call or pursuing a fleeing law violator, you may be fined up to $200.

If a vessel operator passes within 200 feet of a stationary law enforcement vessel using its lights and audible signal or a fire rescue vessel using its lights, the vessel operator is required to slow the operator’s vessel to Slow-No-Wake speed until it is more than 200 feet away from the law enforcement or fire rescue vessel. If someone fails to slow down as required, the offender shall be subject to a fine of between $50 to $200.

To view the State of Connecticut’s Boating regulations, click here.

About Operation Dry Water

Launched in 2009 by NASBLA in partnership with the United States Coast Guard, Operation Dry Water has been a highly successful campaign, drawing public attention to the dangers of boating under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

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