Sheriff's Office Offering Free Boater Safety Course

Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol has announced that the department's Marine Patrol will be offering the "New York State Boater Safety Course" free of charge.

Even though most of the lakes are still frozen, spring is right around the corner. Maciol has announced that his office has already scheduled the first series of free courses beginning next month. According to Sheriff Maciol,

In New York State, you must hold a safety certificate if:

If you were born after May 1st 1996 and wish to operate a motorboat.
You operate a personal watercraft (PWC) and are at least 14 years of age and older (as of 1/1/09 you must be 14 yrs. old to operate a PWC alone).
If you are less than 10 years old you may operate a motorboat (non-PWC) only if someone over 18 or someone between the ages of 10 and 18 who holds a safety certificate is on board with you.

This years eight-hour classes will be held at the Oneida County Department of Public Works in their conference room located at 5999 Judd Road in Oriskany. The scheduled dates for the courses will be on three separate Saturdays. They are:

March 18th, 2017 @ 9 a.m.
March 25th, 2017 @ 9 a.m.
April 8th, 2017 @ 9 a.m.

To register for the course, you must call Sheriff’s Office at 315-765-2222 and speak with Sue Goding. Each of the classes will be limited to the first 20 people who sign up. Everyone is encouraged to bring a lunch or snacks as there will be some breaks throughout the day.

Don't Forget To Register Your Sled

MORE: Oneida County Sheriff's Office Shows Off New Equipment