Water Safety

The Sacramento Fire Department advises everyone to be very cautious around open waterways, swimming pools, and other standing water. Sadly, the Sacramento Fire Department responds to numerous incidents each year involving victims of drowning or near drowning. Life jackets are proven to help prevent drowning, therefore, the Sacramento Fire Department encourages anyone that enters the water to wear a life jacket. As a reminder, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 13 to enter a public waterway without a life preserver in Sacramento (City Code 12.72.250; County Code 13.08.301).

To support this effort, many fire stations in the Sacramento region offer life jackets to the public on a loan basis. Life jackets are available for children and adults and can be borrowed for the day or weekend simply by completing a loan form. Following are the participating Sacramento Fire Department locations:

Station 1                    324 Q Street

Station 5                    731 Broadway

Station 8                    5990 H Street

Station 11                  785 Florin Road

Station 15                 1640 W. El Camino Ave.

Station 60                  3301 Julliard Drive

Map of Life Jacket Program Stations (PDF)

Life Jacket Loan Program Flyer (PDF)

The Sacramento Fire Department offers the following safety tips:  

• Always wear a life jacket.
• Never swim alone and never go in the water after drinking alcohol.
• Stay within arm’s length of inexperienced swimmers.
• Always watch children in and around water. Assign a water watcher. Don't assume someone else is watching. Drowning is quick and silent, it can happen in seconds.
• Drain inflatable pools and coolers after each use. A toddler can drown in just one inch of water.
• Call 911 right away if someone is in trouble.
• Learn CPR.
• Wear sunscreen.