Yea, sorry to say it does count. Wearing a PFD (life jacket) is not a guarantee you will not drown, become injured or suffer hypothermia. A PFD, like many survival items increase your chances of surviving an accident or stupid action, but does not eliminate the hazard.

In the last 4 days we have responded to 3 different potential rescues, all of which were preventable.

In the first we responded to an injured person, who was hiking around rocks, did not have the appropriate footwear and suffered an ankle injury. I realize even if he was wearing a sturdy hiking boot he may have become injured, but he increased his chances of becoming injured, by not preparing for his hike.

The second was for canoeist in distress. We have been receiving a fair amount of rainfall this spring and most of the streams and rivers are up considerably. Many of the waterways have small craft advisories, warning not to enter. A kyaker and canoeist (they did have on PFDs - thank God) decided they would test the warning, the canoeist ran into trouble, fortunately for him, he eventually made it to the river bank without injury. But, we ended up having a number of rescue boats, swiftwater technicians and firefighters in and around the water looking for him, all of which were at risk. He was lucky, as there was a considerable amount of debris (logs, branches, tires, etc.) and many strainers where he could have become trapped.

The third was last night, to assist the Sheriff's Department with an individual who was fleeing pursuit and ran up a ladder between two tanks to about 85 feet. Eventually, they talked him down, without further intervention.

In each case, the actions of the individuals put themselves and others in harm's way, not to say life is risk free or that we should nor pursue outdoor activities, but simply we should use common sense and be Equipped to Survive. Pete