Life-jacket launchers for NWF

Deputies in the marine and beach units of the Okaloosa County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office have obtained four “life jacket launchers” to help swimmers in distress. The launchers shoot out a life jacket that inflates when it makes contact with the water on Destin and Okaloosa Island beaches in NW Florida. The launchers will give deputies another tool to secure public safety and ultimately help save lives, Sgt. Brian Parkton from the Sheriff’s Office’s Special Operations Division said in an email Feb. 18 to the NW Florida Daily News. Deputies in the marine/beach units will increase patrols during the upcoming spring break. County Beach Safety Division Chief Rich Huffnagle said while county lifeguards won’t be using the life-jacket launchers, the devices could offer help in situations where there is no lifeguard on hand. (Source: NW Fla. Daily News 02/19/20)