A drowning mitigation station, sometimes called a water rescue station, is a freestanding board held up by two 6-foot posts in the ground, 32 to 36 inches deep, with a small roof. It has a life ring buoy and throw rope, and signs indicating to call 911 if there is a water emergency. The ring buoys and rope are inside an unlocked cabinet, which are designed to protect and extend the life of the ring buoys.

The life ring buoy is for emergency use only. An alarm will go off if an individual removes it.

There are three lakes that make up Cassadaga Lakes – the upper, middle and the lower lakes. All three lakes are connected by water.

Finn Johnson, a Lily Dale resident and member of Troop 219, has installed three water rescue stations, one on each lake at a public access point: Cassadaga Beach, Lily Dale Beach, and the Cassadaga Department of Environmental Conservation Boat Launch.

Finn Johnson built three drowning mitigation stations that were installed around Cassadaga Lakes. This one pictured is installed at the Lily Dale Beach.

The stations are 8 feet high, 6 feet wide at the roof, and 4 feet deep.

Before building the stations, Finn had to get approval from the village of Cassadaga, Lily Dale Assembly, and the state DEC, since those organizations will officially own them.

He also had to get approval from officials with the Allegheny Highlands Council for the project to qualify for an Eagle Scout project. Johnson agreed it may have been possible for him to install just one drowning mitigation station for him to still get his Eagle Scout rank, but he didn’t feel right about putting in just one, which meant three times the work.

Although the DEC agreed to have a drowning mitigation station installed at the boat launch, the Cassadaga Lakes Association will officially manage that station. The Cassadaga Village Board and the Lily Dale Assembly will in turn manage their own stations. “It will be the beneficiary’s responsibility to change out the life ring, the rope, or the batteries in the alarm, whenever that’s needed,” Johnson said. The battery is expected to last five years.

Johnson noted that in Chautauqua County there isn’t a lot available on area lakes for water safety. “I’ve seen people struggling in the weeds or flip out of their kayak, so I thought, ‘Hey I bet a water rescue station would be a really good idea,’ so I decided to make them,” he said.

Submitted Photos Finn Johnson pours cement for one of the posts of the drowning mitigation station at the Cassadaga Lakes DEC boat launch.

Although he hasn’t seen any other ones locally, he has seen them done by other scouts in different states down south.

There’s a lot of ice fishing and other activities on Cassadaga Lakes in the winter, so Johnson designed the water rescue station to be available year round.

The stations cost around $1,000 each to construct. Johnson said he raised around $1,800 and a lot of materials were donated as well, which covered the cost to build them.

Johnson said along with many private individuals, various community organizations donated financially, including Cassadaga American Legion Post 1280, Cassadaga Sons of the American Legion, and Cassadaga Lakes Association. Businesses who donated materials for the project include: Home Depot in Dunkirk, S St. George Enterprises Inc., Chautauqua Brick, Frederickson’s Builder Supply Co., and Sherwin-Williams. The life rings and cabinets were donated by Aquatic Technology, Inc. at Poolweb.com.

Johnson was assisted by members of Troop 219 to construct the three stations, along with adult volunteers.

Mayor Bill Dorman is thankful for the stations. “It fits a niche that needed to be taken care of,” he said.

Peter George with the Cassadaga Lakes Association agreed. “We thought it’s a great idea and, to our surprise, one that no one thought of before,” he said.

Johnson, who is 14 years old, said he will continue to be involved in the Boy Scouts. He also is a member of the Civil Air Patrol in Jamestown and plays tennis.

Johnson is home schooled. His parents are Willa and Miles Johnson. He also has a younger brother who is active in Cub Scouts. Once he graduates, he doesn’t know if he’ll join the military, go to college, or find a trade. For now, he’s content to continue to learn and see where his path takes him.

Johnson isn’t the only Eagle Scout member in his family. His father is an Eagle Scout, as are two of his uncles, and other cousins.

And even though he has built the three stations, he hopes they’re never needed. But if they are, at least they’re available to save a life. “After all, the Scout motto is ‘Be prepared,'” Johnson said.