Safety First on the River: The “Borrow A Life Jacket” Program is Back for Summer 2025

Summer is heating up in the Inland Northwest and the Spokane River is the perfect place to cool off!  Visit spokanewatertrail.org to locate access points for a variety of activities where you can enjoy the river: swimming, kayaking, camping – the list goes on.

Before you get into the river, be sure to wear a life jacket, or personal flotation device (PFD). No matter what time of year, currents can be unpredictable and safety on the river is always the number one priority. Don’t have a PFD of your own? Not to worry. The Spokane River Forum has you covered.

With support from the Washington State Parks “Borrow a Life Jacket” program, the Forum has distributed over 70 “loaner” jackets to kiosks at 8 water access points: Stateline, Harvard Road, Barker, Islands Trailhead, Boulder Beach, Division Street Bridge, Redband Park and People’s Park. A range of jacket sizes are available, from infant to extra-large.

The loaner program is simple: if you find yourself at the river without a life jacket, borrow one from the kiosk and be sure to return it when you are done.

The Forum’s distribution of PFDs is meant to prevent unnecessary tragedies along the river during high recreation season. On average, one or more preventable drownings occur each year. No matter how strong a swimmer you are, all rivers are unpredictable. Using a life jacket is always the smartest option.

At the end of the season, the Forum will collect the jackets and put them out again next year with the help of our partners.

Please report any damaged PFDs to the Forum and we will work to replace them promptly.

Happy swimming!