Rotary Volunteers Needed for Statewide Rescue Tube Project - Drowning remains one of Hawaiʻi’s most serious and heartbreaking public safety issues. According to the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 15 in Hawaiʻi. From 2013 to 2022, an average of 80.4 drowning deaths occurred each year statewide. That means more than 800 families lost a loved one during that 10-year period, leaving lasting emotional and financial impacts across countless ʻohana.
The Rescue Tube Foundation is working to change that. Started in 2010, the Rescue Tube Foundation grew out of the Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay’s efforts to prevent drownings on Kauaʻi, where more people have died in the ocean than on the highway. Public Rescue Tubes are flotation devices placed at beaches and other water-access areas so bystanders can help stabilize a swimmer in distress while protecting themselves until lifeguards or emergency responders arrive.
Since the first Rescue Tube was installed more than 15 years ago, hundreds of reported rescues have involved Rescue Tubes, and it is estimated that more than 30 drownings may have been prevented.
Today, Rescue Tubes are installed on Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, and Oʻahu, as well as in North Carolina, Florida, South Dakota, California, and the Sunshine Coast of Canada. Rotary clubs have been an important part of this work from the beginning.
With support from a State of Hawaiʻi Grant-in-Aid, the Rescue Tube Foundation will install 400 new Rescue Tube Stations statewide and replace aging units where needed. Rotary Clubs are needed to help with some installations and assist with ongoing bimonthly inspections to identify stations that need repair, replacement, or follow-up.
Mahalo to the Rotary Clubs that have supported this lifesaving work, including Hanalei Bay, Poʻipū Beach, Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi, West Kauaʻi, Kīhei-Wailea, Lahaina Sunset, South Hilo, Kona Sunrise, Hilo, Pāhoa Sunset, Windward Oʻahu Sunrise, Waikīkī, and Honolulu.
Although the Grant-in-Aid covers much of the project cost, additional donations are needed for supplies not covered by the grant. To donate, please visit:
https://www.rescuetubefoundation.org/donate
https://www.rescuetubefoundation.org/donate
To volunteer, contact Branch Lotspeich, Executive Director of the Rescue Tube Foundation. cell: 808-639-7458
