GRDA Update

June 28, 2022

Grand River Dam Authority Police Department

EMERGENCY 911 GRDA Police 918-256-0911

Behind the Scenes of the Grand Holiday

There is little doubt the Fourth of July is the busiest weekend for Grand Lake, Lake Hudson and the Illinois River as the population on Grand Lake alone will swell to the fourth largest population in the state of Oklahoma over the holiday period. This results in our police agency pulling in all available resources to maintain appropriate staffing levels to provide around the clock services for the extended holiday weekend.

Our staffing goals each year include Grand Lake with 2-4 police patrol boats operating from midnight to 6 A.M. each day and increased staffing with all ten patrol boats during the day and evening hours. Each boat is staffed with two officers, and we also include two certified EMTs or paramedics and life-support equipment for two boats in order to ensure rapid treatment for any injured.

In addition, GRDA Police will have 4-6 officers working in UTV’s below the Pensacola Dam in the off-road area, with up to four police officers assigned to Lake Hudson with two patrol boats operating. We will assign a full complement of 20-25 officers and support personnel working the Illinois River operating two patrol boats to include a jet drive boat and the air boat.

There are a number of organized activities planned at the lakes over the long holiday weekend to include six large public fireworks displays on or near the lakes for the public to enjoy, and GRDA Police have been working behind the scenes for weeks on each of these events to develop event plans for these fireworks shows. The special event plans for the holiday celebrations are necessary to ensure all resources that are needed to maintain a safe environment will be dedicated to the events. Police work closely with local fire and EMS services to coordinate assets and GRDA will ensure that officers are in place at each event to maintain order and provide assistance to the public.

While GRDA Police will be present at all the fireworks displays on or around the water at the lakes, the Duck Creek Fireworks show typically garners our largest presence since it is the biggest privately funded fireworks display in the state. This one event will be staffed with 3-4 boats and 6-8 officers on July 4th to keep all vessels at the mandated idle speed in Duck Creek, and police staffing will be increased before the show begins with ten patrol boats and twenty officers and support staff. GRDA Police will maintain a heavy presence in the Duck Creek area the entire night due to the thousands of spectators expected for the fireworks show.

The agency will also utilize our aircraft the entire weekend, day and night at Grand Lake, Lake Hudson and the Illinois River to assist in call responses and any other incidents that may require air support. The helicopter will be staffed with a pilot and a police officer observer. Officers will also be operating our Munson Landing Craft on Grand Lake this year to assist disabled boaters and to support the officers’ activities.

This year will be different than previous years since the air show is not being held in Duck Creek. In years in which there is a formal two-day air show, GRDA Police also commit additional officers to the air show with a rescue dive boat and two certified divers, and we will also assign an officer to coordinate all agency activities at a designated command post with the air boss and other emergency response agencies.

Police, Fire and Rescue personnel attend an event briefing for the 2021 Duck Creek airshow and fireworks.

Police divers and patrol officers ready vessels and equipment with fire and rescue personnel before the events begin.

Large scale events require a host of response assets to be staged on location in order to improve incident response.

GRDA Police will have 10 patrol boats operating on Grand Lake and 2 on Lake Hudson during the holiday period.

Police will be operating the air boat on the Illinois River during the extended holiday weekend in addition to a jet drive boat and a host of ground personnel.

The GRDA helicopter will be busy in the skies of northeast Oklahoma providing air support for police operations.

New Vessel Launched for Shoreline &

Lake Maintenance

The GRDA has had a full-time crew dedicated to the maintenance of our lakes since 2017, but the three-man crew has been using an old flat-deck pontoon boat to complete their duties, until now. The GRDA Shoreline Management Crew (SMC) recently launched a new 38-foot Munson PackCat Landing Craft that will be used for a variety of tasks on Grand Lake to ensure the quick, efficient and safe completion of their assignments. From the removal of dangerous debris in the water, large pieces of Styrofoam littering the shores, the deployment of special event buoys, the installation and maintenance of navigation buoys and lighthouses as well as the removal of dilapidated docks, there are a host of jobs the SMC must complete on a daily basis, and the new vessel will dramatically improve the efficiency of the process.

The 2022 Munson welded aluminum catamaran has a drop bow door gate and is large enough to carry small vehicles and motorized equipment. The boat is powered by two 300-HP outboard motors for quick responses, plus it is also built with an enclosed climate-controlled cabin with navigation electronics to allow for work to be performed in all types of weather. The work barge is equipped with a knuckle boom crane capable of lifting 2,000 pounds, generator, floodlights and has a firefighting system with monitor that delivers 500 gallons of water per minute for responses to lake-side fires to provide direct fire-suppression or to pump water from the lake to fire apparatus on land.

The landing-craft vessel was built specifically for GRDA in Washington state and will be used by the SMC as well as the GRDA Police Department for recovery assignments, special events, ecological incidents and diving operations.

Holiday Navigation Rules

GRDA Police remind boaters that special navigation rules will be in effect in the Duck Creek arm of Grand Lake on Monday, July 4th. Beginning at 12 AM on July 4, all vessels are required to adhere to No Wake regulations in Duck Creek the entire day, till sunrise on July 5th. GRDA Police will maintain a heavy presence in the area, so watch for the Special Event buoys and follow the regulations!

Enjoy the Shows on Us

As a non-appropriated state agency, GRDA is unique in the ability of being able to give back to our neighboring communities by sponsoring many of the local special events that we all enjoy. For years GRDA has committed funding to support our Independence Day holiday celebrations, and this year is no exception. Your friends at GRDA have provided over $14,000 in funds to sponsor the local fireworks shows in support of our local communities. This is in addition to the in-kind support we provide through police and navigation management for these shows to make sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable time celebrating our Independence holiday.

Visit this link for further details

What to do in the Event

of a Boating Collision

Knowing what to do right after a boating crash reduces the risk of further damage and injury and helps you collect essential information.

1. Safety first! Be prepared for the worst by wearing a life jacket. This can literally be the difference between life and death on a boat. Make sure your boat, motor, lights, communication and safety equipment are ready to go before you launch.

2. If it happens, stay calm and turn off the boat engine. Put on a life jacket if you aren’t already wearing one. You may not know that your boat is sinking till it is too late, plus there may be a risk of having to leave the boat if a fire occurs.

3. Check for any injuries and attend to them to the best of your abilities. Provide help for the other boat and its passengers if another boat is involved. If the boat is leaking, try to fix the leak and turn on your bilge pumping systems if equipped and get your bailing device to keep the craft afloat.

4. Call 911 using your cell phone, which should allow authorities to verify your location to get police, fire and EMS responding. You can also use the VHF radio or visual signals to summon help. When calling for help, provide all relevant information, including your location and what kind of vessel it is. GRDA Police will provide you with medical help, we will investigate the incident to determine the cause and file the reports needed to file a claim with your insurer.

5. Get medical help. Sometimes injuries aren’t apparent after a collision. You or anyone else involved may need to seek medical treatment for injuries. For those with severe pain and visible injuries, they need to be taken to the nearest hospital. Wait for responders to arrive to properly immobilize them if the vessel is stable, but if you are in danger of sinking or fire, take the injured to the nearest shore until help arrives. Remember that it is unlawful for you to leave the scene if there are victims that need medical help.

6. Gather Information. When you’re certain that everyone is out of danger, gather essential information from witnesses and those who were in the boat. Note the phone numbers, addresses, and names of the boat operators and passengers in both boats, as well as registration numbers for the boats involved. Get details of eyewitnesses who are willing to share their accounts of what they saw. If you have a camera, take photos of the boats, damage and the location.

7. Stay at the scene. Do not leave the scene till after GRDA Police have arrived and released you from the scene. By law, you can only leave the scene of a collision if you are severely injured and need immediate medical attention! Remaining at the scene will help officers complete an accurate account of the incident that helps improve the chances of getting the compensation you need to recover from the incident.

8. Call your Insurer and start a claim. Give them all the details of the incident. They will need as much information that you can provide to expedite the process of getting your boat repaired.

9. Keep copies of all documents related to the incident. Having these copies makes it convenient for you in the event of litigation. In addition, your documents may provide evidence to verify everything that you claim or state during your case.

TIME IS ALMOST UP!

Do You Need Current Lake Information?

Go to the GRDA Storm Ops web page to get current data including lake levels, lake parameters, storage details, flow conditions and much more.

stormops.grda.tech/riveroperations

Did You Know?

BWI (Boating While Intoxicated) is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents and is the leading factor in 17% of the deaths. Operators with a blood alcohol level of 0.10 percent (for most of us, that means just one to three beers) are 10 times as likely to be killed in a boating accident as a sober boater.

GRDA Buoy Guide

"Updates" on the Web

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NAV TIME

A Summary of Boating Laws, Navigation Regulations & Tips

That All Boat Operators Should Know

Have You Checked

Your Lights Lately?

Before you go out for the holiday fireworks excursions, make sure your vessel lights are working properly. They MUST be in good working order or your vessel could be lawfully removed from the lakes!

Also remember that Docking Lights are NOT headlights! Not only do they blind other boaters, but they can be mistaken as land lights or stern lights. They should only be used as intended, while docking your boat.

Docking lights are NOT headlights. Leave them off while underway.

Boating Tips From

Americas Boating Club

Grand Lake

If you’re planning to watch the holiday fireworks from your boat, it is important to understand how to interpret lights from other vessels at night to maneuver your boat safely. It is made more difficult because boat lights will blend into shore lights.

The “Rules of the road” as to the give way powerboat and the stand on (maintains course and speed) powerboat remain the same whether it is day or night. In a crossing situation, if you see a red bow light, think of it as a red traffic light signaling stop, slow down or change course to pass behind the other boat. You are the give way boat. If you see a green light, it means go, so you are the stand on boat maintaining course and speed. A white light (masthead or all-round) will also be seen in both situations.

In a head-on situation, both drivers will see a red and green light plus a white light (masthead or all-round light) between them. Both boats should alter course to starboard (right) passing on the port side.

When overtaking a boat only a white light will be seen until you move to either side when the red/green side lights will be visible. The boat being overtaken will see both the red and green lights, as well as the white light between them.

Remember, not all boaters know the rules so be prepared to take evasive action to avoid a collision. The danger sound signal is 5 short blasts with a horn or whistle.

Consider yourself invited to join the local boating club to have fun, plus the opportunity to take courses online or in the classroom to improve your boating skills and knowledge. Visit us online at usps.org/grandlake and send us an email with your contact information. Also visit us at Facebook: America’s boating club-grand lake for more information.