'Operation Get Home Safe' Helps Boaters Enjoy Allatoona Fireworks Show

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- The 4th of July is right around the corner, which means most of you are getting ready to enjoy Allatoona Lake and other recreational spots around North Georgia.

While we will fire up the grill and enjoy the company and friends and family on Independence Day, the men and women charged with maintaining these popular spots want you to keep some precautions in mind.

"As we near the Independence Day holiday, I’m sure most of you are looking forward to a day off to spend with family and friends," said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District Commander, Col. James DeLapp. "But, such outings are not without an increased risk of accidents."

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District is responsible for 27 lakes that includes 429 recreation sites in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi that receive approximately 28 million visits each year.

Any of them are wonderful destinations to visit on the 4th of July or any other day, weekend or week. And, at most of those recreation sites, you’ll find park rangers hard at work, DeLapp said. These rangers have two areas of responsibility: practicing good stewardship of the public lands in their care and promoting and protecting public safety.

The Mobile District’s park rangers take pride in their efforts to provide visitors with safe outing opportunities. For example, again this year, Allatoona Lake in Cartersville will host Operation Get Home Safe on July 3-4. The campaign helps boaters navigate the crowded lake after enjoying the celebratory fireworks shows.

The Allatoona Yacht Club will host the annual show around 9:30 p.m. July 3. In the event of rain, the fireworks show will be rescheduled to July 8, its website states.

“Our slogan is ‘Watch the show and go slow’,” said Allatoona Lake Operations Project Manager Jerry Fulton. “We encourage boaters to keep their speed below 20 miles per hour after the fireworks shows to reduce wake and allow for more reaction time. And, of course, we strongly encourage all boaters to wear life jackets.”

Boaters should always wear their life jackets, file a float plan with a friend or family member, have and know how to use their safety equipment, and have a designated boater, DeLapp said.

“Just to put things in perspective, more than 150 Americans drown each year at Corps parks," the USACE commander said. "On average, about 89 percent of those who drown were not wearing a life jacket, and, more than half of those drowning deaths at the Corps parks are swimming related.”

It takes only 60 seconds for an adult to drown and only 20 seconds for a child to drown, according to the USACE Water Safety website. To help with water safety, some Mobile District recreation sites offer free boating safety courses and all of the sites offer free loaner life jackets on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, visit the Mobile District’s Water Safety site at and PleaseWearIt.com.

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