Marine Patrol Grant Spotlight: Five Rivers Metroparks

In April, the Division of Watercraft awarded a total of $539,276 in grants to 26 local marine patrol units located around Ohio to assist with waterway patrol duties this boating season. Among these local agencies is the Five Rivers MetroParks Marine Patrol Unit, which serves Montgomery County and the greater Dayton area in southwest Ohio.

Formed in the early 1990s, the Five Rivers MetroParks marine patrol today consists of four officers, a sergeant who serves as the unit commander, and a lieutenant who is the program administrator. MetroParks officers use a 1998 17-foot Crestliner boat specifically equipped for marine patrol duties on waterways within the park system’s jurisdiction, such as Eastwood Lake in Dayton. Occasionally, this unit also participates in special patrol details that occur on other waterways such as the Great Miami River in and near downtown Dayton.

Five Rivers MetroParks marine patrol officers contact an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 boaters each boating season. They also provide shared assistance with more than two dozen members of the Miami Valley Fire/EMS Alliance serving the needs of area residents.

In addition to providing emergency assistance to boaters on area waterways, MetroParks officers also enforce boating rules and maintain waterways safety through special enforcement projects that include a high profile weekend inspection checkpoint for operators of personal watercraft. Such a checkpoint was held June 6 and produced positive results that reduced the likelihood of a potential boating-related accident.

“Community leaders and area residents really do appreciate the job we do in patrolling our park system waterways and I know our boaters feel safe on our waterways,” said Five Rivers MetroParks Sgt. Terry Boshears.

The marine patrol typically operates from 8 a.m. to midnight Thursdays through Sundays during the summer boating season from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.