Dozens of people drown in the Great Lakes every year. The vast waters have killed 640 since 2010, according to according to data gathered by the Surf Rescue Project, a nonprofit trying to prevent drownings on the Great Lakes.
But Michigan’s cash-strapped governments in recent years are employing fewer and fewer lifeguards, despite research showing extra eyes on the water save lives and can even cut long term medical costs.
Bridge reporter Jim Malewitz wrote about the trend last month and about a small but growing effort to reverse it. He discussed the issues ast week with Gordon Evans of WMUK in Kalamazoo.
Original stories:
- Great Lakes drownings an ‘epidemic.’ Meet a Michigan man obsessed with ending them.
- Swim at your own risk. Most Michigan beaches lack lifeguards
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