It is an unfortunate reality that every summer lives are lost on Lake Washington due to marine accidents or drownings. Sadly, many of these lives could have been saved if our first responders had the right tools to come to the rescue.

 

Currently, the Bellevue Fire Department relies on non-motorized paddle boards to assist those facing life-threatening emergencies on the water. As you can imagine, the response time is way too long to be effective. Despite major expansions of waterfront parks, and plans in the works to expand Meydenbauer Beach Park even further, the City of Bellevue has not allocated additional resources to assist with water rescue. This gap in funding leaves our first responders unable to reach many victims until it is too late.

 

Luckily, a group of concerned private citizens recognized that this public safety need was too important to ignore. Spearheaded by the Bacon Family Foundation, and hosted at the home of John & Debbie Bacon on Groat Point in Medina, a group of nearly 200 local residents gathered together to raise the funds needed to finance the purchase of lifesaving water craft for Bellevue Fire Department. “I’m forever grateful to the Bellevue Firemen who saved my life, and want to do everything we can to prevent drownings on our lakes. Things happen so fast on the water, our first responders need the ability to act quickly so they can be there when we need them the most,” said Tony Bacon of the Bacon Family Foundation, himself a near victim of drowning 40 years ago.

 

Over $700,000 was raised for Operation Water Rescue 425. The funds will be used to purchase state-of-the-art water rescue equipment and training for Bellevue Fire Department. Similar lifesaving water craft utilized by Kirkland Fire Department’s Water Rescue Team was on display at the event, as well as personnel sharing stories of successful rescues.

 

At the event, Bellevue Fire Department personnel shared firsthand stories of tragedies that could have been avoided if they had the ability to reach victims faster. These stories underscore the fact that our first responders are thoroughly trained for all the emergencies they face, but they are simply lacking the right tools when it comes to water safety. Thanks to the private citizens behind Operation Water Rescue 425, this situation is about to change. Now Bellevue Fire Department will be equipped with the same lifesaving tools Kirkland utilizes in order to prevent future drownings.

 

The stories of loss, coupled with the successful rescues Kirkland has experienced with their equipment, inspired our community to come together and raise the funds needed to keep the  citizens of Bellevue safe on the lake. The event was an exceptional display of generosity and goodwill - when private citizens in our community come together to fund a public safety need.

 

If you would like to be a part of Operation Water Rescue 425, support our first responders, and ensure public safety on the water in Bellevue, you can donate directly to the Bellevue Fire Foundation at www.bellevuefirefoundation.org/donate, and include a designation for Operation Water Rescue 425.