HOLLAND, Mich.– Last month, there was an announcement that two new emergency call boxes were coming to South Haven Beach as part of a proposed term of a settlement between the city and the family of Martin Jordan, who drowned in 2009.
The two boxes, around $48,000 dollars each, will sit around 9 feet tall. They’re weather resistant and have an emergency speakerphone.
Code Blue has been making emergency call boxes for more than 20 years, pumping out hundreds every month. They already have five ‘help points’ installed at Grand Haven beaches and three in St. Joseph, but Chief Operating Officer David Cook says the ones coming to South Haven are a bit different.
“As soon as they press that button that camera becomes alert and will start getting footage around the beach. That’s really important for when you need to start addressing what the concern is; it kind of gives you a quick perspective.”
A 360 degree perspective through a camera will allow Van Buren County Dispatch to see any danger in the water.
“From that location that’s where they’ll have a computer screen and a monitor that shows them all the different camera feeds. They’ll know what unit they’re talking to so if there’s a unit on the north side or the south side,” said Cook.
The boxes are expected to be installed by the end of July on the South Pier and North Beach.
