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| Public Act 102-1036 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning water safety.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Lake | ||||
Michigan Rescue Equipment Act. | ||||
Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act: | ||||
"Drop-off" means an area of a lake's shoreline that is | ||||
intended to facilitate direct public access to the water. | ||||
"High-incident drowning area" means an area within 100 | ||||
feet of a pier or drop-off where more than one fatal drowning | ||||
incident has occurred in the span of 5 years. | ||||
"Pier" means a man-made, raised structure (such as a | ||||
breakwater) extending into navigable water for use as a | ||||
landing place or promenade or to protect or form a harbor. | ||||
"Public rescue equipment" includes a range of water rescue | ||||
devices available for public use in case of emergency, such as | ||||
ring life buoys, throw bags, rescue tubes, and rescue poles. | ||||
Section 10. Public rescue equipment on piers and | ||||
drop-offs. | ||||
(a) The owner of a pier or drop-off on Lake Michigan shall | ||||
install public rescue equipment, including, at a minimum, ring | ||||
life buoys, on each of the owner's piers or drop-offs along the | ||||
Lake Michigan coast. The ring life buoy must not be | ||
permanently secured in any way to the station, rack, or pier. | ||
Each ring life buoy must be stowed inside a station to protect | ||
it from constant weather exposure. The station must be a | ||
bright orange or yellow color for high visibility and to allow | ||
for quick access to the ring. | ||
To reduce vandalism and theft, the station shall have | ||
signage that warns lakefront patrons that tampering with or | ||
misuse of public rescue equipment is strictly prohibited. | ||
(b) The owner of the pier or drop-off on Lake Michigan | ||
shall oversee the installation and maintenance of the public | ||
rescue equipment. The State or unit of local government owning | ||
a pier or drop-off shall also provide public education | ||
regarding public rescue equipment. | ||
Section 15. Ring life buoy requirements. Ring life buoys | ||
installed under Section 10 must meet the following: | ||
(1) The ring life buoy shall meet the requirements of | ||
46 CFR Part 160 Subpart 160.050 or 46 CFR Part 160 Subpart | ||
160.150 for SOLAS-approved equipment or successor | ||
standards issued by the United States Coast Guard. | ||
(2) There shall be attached to each ring life buoy a | ||
buoyant line of at least 100 feet in length with a breaking | ||
strength of at least 5 kilonewtons. The end of the line | ||
must not be secured to the shore. | ||
(3) Each ring life buoy shall be marked with type II | ||
retroreflective material meeting the requirements of 46 | ||
CFR Part 160, Subpart 164.018. | ||
(4) Each ring life buoy shall be placed at a distance | ||
not to exceed 200 feet from the shoreline of the lake and | ||
be available for emergency rescue operations. | ||
(5) Each pier shall have a ring life buoy installed | ||
with appropriate signage. | ||
Section 20. Tracking, reporting, and analyzing drownings. | ||
Each unit of local government owning a pier or drop-off on Lake | ||
Michigan shall track and, at a minimum of twice per year, | ||
publish on the unit's website a report on lakefront drownings | ||
of which the unit is aware that have occurred within 100 feet | ||
of the unit's piers and drop-offs. The report shall include, | ||
at a minimum, a description of access to and use of public | ||
rescue equipment, location, temperature, time of day, | ||
conditions, demographics, and type of entry into the water. If | ||
there have been drownings during the reporting period, each | ||
unit of local government must also publish a water safety plan | ||
on the unit's website. | ||
Section 25. High-incident drowning area plans. Within one | ||
year after an owner's property becoming a high-incident | ||
drowning area, the owner shall update and disseminate a water | ||
safety plan as well as upgrade installed safety equipment as | ||
needed, which may include, but is not limited to, installing | ||
equipment that automatically contacts 9-1-1 or other safety | ||
improvements.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect one year | ||
after becoming law.
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