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Safe Kids presents life-jacket loaner board plan for Surfside Beach pier; council to consider at a future meeting
Summary
A Safe Kids representative described a grant-funded personal flotation-device loaner board—18 jackets, QR-code fitment guidance and grant-funded maintenance—to be placed under the Surfside Beach Fishing Pier; council treated the request as a communication item and will schedule it as a business item for formal approval.
Safe Kids PD and the Coastal Coalition told Surfside Beach Town Council they have a grant-funded program to place a personal flotation-device (PFD) loaner board beneath the Surfside Beach Fishing Pier that would provide 18 life jackets in three sizes, QR-coded fitting instructions and no maintenance cost to the town.
The presenter said the board would be installed in the sand under the pier near the concrete wall by the elevator and the bike racks have been moved to make space. Signage would display the town and fire-department logos, a QR code that links to short fitment videos and a brief usage survey to capture minimal data (age, ethnicity and county of residence) to support grant renewal. The presenter said a Honda grant funds the equipment and Safe Kids will handle upkeep; a release-of-liability form reviewed by McLeod’s legal team would be used for data collection.
Council members asked implementation questions, including whether the jackets would be retrieved nightly (the presenter said jackets would remain out and staff will evaluate loss or misuse; Safe Kids will rent weekly or biweekly and can retrieve jackets after storms), whether signage could be linked from the town’s visitor page, and whether the program would be seasonal (it would be year-round). The mayor and administration clarified that the item was a communication tonight and could not be approved this meeting; the presenter and administration said they will bring the item back as a business item for formal action at a future meeting.
Supporters on council described the program as aligned with the town’s family-beach branding and autism-friendly outreach; staff noted the PD coastal region has experienced higher drowning rates among children and the grant aims to improve waterfront safety with minimal town expense.
If the council places the item on a future agenda, the expected next steps are formal review of placement specifics, signage, and a motion and vote to accept the grant-funded installation and memorandum of understanding with Safe Kids.
