Dock owners required to post address

by Nancy Hogland

A new law will affect boat dock owners at the Lake of the Ozarks in 2010 thanks to HB 657 sponsored by lake resident Representative Dr. Wayne Cooper (R – Camden County).
Beginning next summer all dock owners will be required by law to post the recognized 911 street address of the adjacent land. According to the bill, the 911 address must be displayed on the lake side of the dock in the area most visible from the channel or cove. The address must be at at least three-inch block style lettering and should be in a contrasting color to the background on which it is displayed. The penalty for not posting this information is a $25 fine for each time the delinquency is cited.
The AmerenUE Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) official guidelines as offered to the Federal Regulatory Commission in 2008 provides for this same information to be displayed along with the dock permit number, but HB 657 makes it a law. The same requirements for display (3” letters in a contrasting color) are required for the permit and 911 address as does the placement requirements.
A 2006 report from the US Coast Guard accident reports, the Lake of the Ozarks has the third highest number of accidents involving fatalities, personal injuries or property damage. Further, the report states that the Lake has the highest number of accidents for freshwater lakes in the US.
With a total of 1,324 serious accidents occurring between the years of 1995 and 2004,
and 39 fatalities between 1995 to 2005. The Coast Guard report concludes there are several contributing factors to the accident rate at the lake including the Lake topography; high boat densities and use levels, particularly on peak weekends. The report specifically notes the trend for bigger and faster boats on our waters, increased numbers of personal watercrafts, and alcohol consumption and an overall party atmosphere. It’s not your father’s Lake anymore.
While in-water activities on the Lake of the Ozarks is regulated and managed and enforced by about ¼ of the state’s Water Patrol officer staff, they are aided and supported by the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District’s Marine Division and this is the main reason for the on-dock posting of 911 information.
Everyone in the United States now knows that 911 is the number for emergencies. This is the case whether on a cell phone or a land line; on water or off. But, when you make a 911 call on a landline – the operator gets immediate location information on their computer, but cell phones are different – and just about everyone everywhere has a cell phone these days, especially away from home.
When you make a 911 call on a cell phone, you are sending a signal through the air looking for a nearby antenna tower to complete the connection. The tower that picks up your phone’s signal may be nearby, but it isn’t quite enough to tell the dispatcher your exact location. It’s kind of like playing “Marco Polo” in the pool - you sort of know where the person is, but there’s still a lot of trial and error before you find them.
It is for this reason that in 2008 the FCC began requiring that all wireless carriers be able to pinpoint your location for the 911 dispatchers, but the rule is still coming in phases and it really doesn’t help a lot on the water. Giving the operator a clear location and circumstance report makes the whole process run smoothly, and you could save a life in the process.
In the case of any emergency on the water, a fast response time is absolutely key to a successful outcome and can make the difference between a simple bad day and a tragedy. Observant boaters, land owners and others are often the first contact emergency staff have when dealing with an on-water emergency. Being able to quickly and correctly identify the location of the incident is paramount. After all, with over 1300 miles of shoreline it’s all too easy to lose track of your actual location while enjoying a day in the sun.
In the end it’s not just that posting your location and permit number is a smart idea as well as a convenient locator for directions for friends and responders alike…it’s the law. So while you’re enjoying your dock throughout the upcoming summer months, you might want to take a few minutes to make sure that your permit and 911 street address are correctly posted on your property. It might just save someone from having a very bad day.