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Sebago Lake Boat Patrol Has Successful Season

September 16, 2010 - RAYMOND -- Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, in its first full summer patrolling Sebago Lake, are buoyed by the pilot program's relative success.

With the summer boating season coming to an unofficial end on Labor Day weekend, the sheriff's office is considering this year's lack of serious boating accidents as a sign its new presence is working as planned.

"It's been a lot quieter this year," said Sgt. Paul Thorpe, who oversees the boat program, which is a partnership between the Sheriff's Office and the town of Raymond, which owns and stores the patrol boat. "I don't know if you can put that on the fact that we're out there patrolling every weekend or not. We weren't last year and there were accidents and things happening. There aren't this year."

Deputies worked side-by-side with volunteers from the Raymond Fire/Rescue Department for this summer's pilot program. County commissioners will decide over the winter whether to continue the program.

While Maine game wardens have been a police presence on Sebago Lake for years and have jurisdiction if an emergency occurs on the lake, their influence on Maine's second-largest lake is limited, mainly due to numbers. Two full-time wardens are stationed on the lake in the summer. As a result, towns around the lake, most notably Windham and Naples, have purchased boats that can be used in emergencies.

Only Raymond, however, has a boat docked on Sebago Lake and is able to quickly respond to fires and rescue calls. With this summer's pilot program, Cumberland County deputies help to bolster the presence of public safety on the lake.

Robert Gosselin, a volunteer day pilot for the patrol boat, said the partnership between the deputies and the town is working out well.

"The first mission of this unit is to have a visual presence on the lake, and that visual presence will tone down the activity we see on the lake," Gosselin said. "A lot of Raymond residents in the past, especially on the Cape, talk about reckless operation, and with the presence of this unit that has diminished significantly."

Sgt. Thorpe, who has served on the boat this summer, agrees the pilot program has had an impact this season.

"We went into this partnership with the Raymond Fire Department, helped them with the grant process to get the boat and we've been training with them the last two-and-a-half, three years," he said. "We've been working well with them, but this is the first year we've put patrols out on the lake, in 10-hour shifts, safety patrols where there are sheriff's deputies on board."

Should an incident arise, the sheriff's deputies' role is to assist wardens. In non-emergency situations, the deputies perform public safety-oriented checks according to Maine statutes governing boat operation. Sgt. Thorpe said the deputies will check for fishing licenses, issue warnings and tickets for reckless boating, make sure children wear lifejackets, that there is a lifejacket for every passenger, and check boats for running lights and noisemakers for nighttime operation or fog.

According to Deputy Howard Brown, one of the boat's pilots, the partnership between the town and sheriff's office primarily allows a quicker response should something happen.

"We're a presence on the lake, but we're also there for rescue calls if needed. Whether it's a waterskiing accident or a lost boater, we're here to assist the wardens. Because we're on the lake already, we're usually on scene first," Brown said.

Last year, the crew saved seven people from a sinking boat of Raymond. This year, they rescued three teenagers who were stranded on jet skis in the lake. Other missions have included searching for drowning victims and aiding boaters who have run aground.

The highly visible red and orange former Coast Guard boat is equipped with advanced sonar and radar that allow operators to pilot the boat in darkness or fog and search underwater for sunken objects.

While the town of Raymond owns and originally procured the boat from federal surplus with help from Sen. Susan Collins, Brown said the boat has been used in all parts of Sebago Lake as well as up the Songo River to the Songo Lock. The boat's primary area of operation is near Raymond, however, and especially near the end of Raymond Cape, which can become congested in summertime.

"One of the biggest things we key in on is The Gut between Frye Island and Raymond Cape because people tend to go too fast, and Frye's Leap is just a dangerous area," Brown said.

Volunteers

While deputies are paid, most of the Raymond staff that work to maintain and operate the boat are volunteers.

"I do it because I like being on the lake, and I feel I have the abilities to assist someone who is in trouble out there. I do fire-police and this is another way I feel like I can help out the town," said Gosselin, whose wife, Cathy, is also on the boat patrol.

George Tanguay, an engineer by trade, helps to keep the engines in tip-top shape. "I was a Merchant Marine for years, and this is just my way of helping out," he said. "And if anybody needs help out there, I'll be the first one down here."

Despite their volunteer status, the Raymond boat patrol members have witnessed a change in behavior from recreational boaters.

"You can see them slow down when they observe us," said Cathy Gosselin.

The added police presence is welcomed by the warden's service, according to warden Sgt. Tim Place.

"I think it's a good thing," Place said.

Currently, wardens have two boats in Sebago, one based in Standish and another in Casco. Place welcomes the added help with checking boaters for safety-related violations, plus the added manpower should an emergency occur.

"We work well with Cumberland County (Sheriff's Office). It's always good to have more enforcement on the lake. And this year we had very few incidents considering how hot it was," Place said.

by John Balentine, Lake Region Weekly, September 16, 2010

Lakes: Sebago Lake
Regions: Sebago


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