After last Sunday’s rescue of two swimmers struggling at Porter Beach, the National Park Service is weighing whether to install more life rings at other beaches. Indiana Dunes National Park spokesperson Bruce Rowe said life rings in weatherproof cases were placed at Porter Beach and Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk last year. A new law taking effect July 1 requires the life rings to be located at entrances to public beaches along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
State Sen. Rodney Pol, D-Chesterton, authored the legislation. Last year, the bill easily sailed through the Senate but was blocked in the House.
This year, he was able to get it past the House and signed into law. Pol is very familiar with Porter Beach. “I grew up out on that beach,” he said.
“I always hear about those drownings, and it was always a serious concern of mine,” Pol said. During Pol’s first Senate session, Beverly Shores resident Carmen Hernandez approached him about getting life rings on Indiana’s Lake Michigan beaches. Illinois had just required them.
Hernandez’s sister nearly drowned, but her boyfriend wasn’t as lucky. Since then, the sister has become a huge advocate of beach safety and a volunteer with the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. Pol’s sister-in-law pushed him to try again this year to get the legislation passed.
She’s a Portage police officer and dive team member. An emergency life ring can be seen at Porter Beach on Wednesday. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune) “She h.
