How the ‘Camp and Canoe Capital of Ohio’ is making the Mohican River safer

Today from the Ohio Newsroom, Improving River Safety. Support comes from Ohio CASA. Ohio CASA's mission is to ensure children experiencing abuse and neglect, have a caring, trained adult in their corner. Information about CASA volunteer work is at Ohio's C-A-S-A.org. Today from the Ohio Newsroom takes you around the state, connecting you with news and neighbors from all over Ohio. I'm Erin Gottsacker. Nicknamed the Camp and Canoe Capital of Ohio, the small town of Loudonville in north-central Ohio, is home to just around 3,000 people. But it brings in a million visitors a year, lured by scenic campgrounds, hiking trails, and floats down the Mohican River. Miranda Burrell is the executive director of Discover Mohican, the local visitors bureau. She says sometimes those river adventures turn into emergencies, and she's working on a solution to keep people... safer. Hi, Miranda. Hi. So how often do emergencies happen along the Mohican River and what kinds of incidents are we talking about here? There are almost weekly, if not every week, some sort of emergency on the river. And they can vary from fights to medical emergencies to... You know, people may be having a little bit too much to drink. There's been people kicked off some buses or fights on the river. And then a couple years ago, we had a family go on the river when it was a little bit too high. And they actually had to be rescued by the local fire department. That is very scary. Of course, incidents like this are happening on the water in other parts of the state, too. Just recently, five people died in the Sayoto River, where the water was running really high and fast. When emergencies happen on the Mohican River, how easy is it for first responders to help? What kind of challenges do they run into? So there are a few issues in the area. Cell phone service. tends to be either non-existent or very slim down in the Wally Road, Mohican River area. And when people call in, not only is it hard for dispatch to accurately locate them via GPS, but if they ask them, you know, where are you? People don't always have a great way to identify where they're at. Most people will just say, oh, I'm passing a campground, but that is. A huge part of Wally Road and the river is campgrounds of some sort. Yeah, yeah. I imagine if people are visiting it, they're not familiar with the area. They don't know exactly where they are. And so tell us more about the idea you have to help law enforcement. What is this sign project you've been working on? So last year, we created a...

River and Wally Road Safety Committee. I asked them, you know, what are some things that would assist you in keeping the river as family friendly as possible? And one big thing that they brought up was that it's hard to find people. And so the intentions with these signs is they are going to be put up every half mile. to help identify and it will also list what county they are in. Got it. So they're not exact measurements, but the goal is to kind of facilitate communication between people experiencing an emergency and with first responders. Absolutely. What other tips do you have for people to stay safe on the water? I always recommend using a personal flotation device. I would also recommend not having too much to drink or, you know, adding additional substances to that. And definitely stay in the river. Don't be venturing on to properties. Miranda Burrell with Discover Mohican. Thank you so much, Miranda. Thank you for having me today. Support comes from the James at Ohio State. Cancer. For some, it's one of life's fiercest foes, but not at the James. where a team of nearly 300 specialists and over 1,500 researchers are working together to create a cancer-free world. That's all today from the Ohio Newsroom. We'll talk with you tomorrow.