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FRESNO, Calif. — Over the weekend, the Fresno County Sheriff's Office gave away free life jackets, in part, as a way to raise awareness about recent drownings.
Standing in front of tables full of newly donated life jackets on Friday, Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni’s message was clear.
“Stay out of the water if you're not an experienced swimmer," he said.
This year so far, just in Fresno County, nine people have died in natural waterways. That includes three young people in June.
The drownings have had one thing in common: the person didn’t know how to swim.
“In one of the instances we had the individual had a life jacket on but it did not fit him properly and was not properly secured, and it came off of him," Zanoni said. "And unfortunately, he did not know how to swim, and it had a very tragic result.”
The jackets given out over the weekend were donated by local community members.
The Sheriff's office says anyone is welcome to donate more at their offices or through the county fire department.
