As the temperatures begin to drop, so do calls for service to the Amherstburg Coast Guard, which is why the patrol is now closed until March.
Superintendent of search and rescue for the central and arctic region Peter Garapick says there's been a reduction in calls this season. "What's happening uniquely in the Detroit-Windsor area is more and more tow boat operators are coming in to help people," says Garapick. "If someone calls for assistance, it may not be not be a distress, it's not threat to life. So those calls we don't respond to anymore unless there's no one else."
Many of the coast guard employees are seasonal and take the winter off.
Garapick adds before heading out onto the water, check the conditions and always wear a flotation device.
