Donation funds water rescue kits for Humboldt County deputies

Ten water rescue kits are headed into Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicles after a $5,000 donation from Ginger Weber and Mike Weber, giving deputies equipment they can use the moment they reach a water emergency anywhere in the county. The sheriff’s office said the kits are meant to speed up first response when deputies are first on scene, a practical change for a county where rivers, beaches and surf zones can turn dangerous fast.

The donation was presented on May 18, 2026 and announced the next day by the sheriff’s office. Officials said the money will buy 10 kits to be placed in patrol vehicles across Humboldt County, extending rescue gear beyond specialized teams and into the hands of the first deputies to arrive. The presentation also included Bob and Monica Marinez and their granddaughter, Jalyssa. The sheriff’s office said the Marinez family was affected by the death of their son, Kaden Marinez, in a boating accident in September 2025, underscoring how quickly a day on the water can become a tragedy.

The timing matters in Humboldt County, where warmer weather draws more people to the water but the risks remain severe. The county warns that local water stays dangerously cold even when the air warms, and that cold-water shock, swift currents, changing tides and hidden hazards can overwhelm swimmers, boaters and beachgoers in minutes. Life jackets, CPR training and checking conditions before entering the water remain the county’s most basic defenses.

Humboldt County’s Water Safety Program says its job is to reduce injury and loss of life through public education, community outreach, life jacket loan stations and work with the Water Safety Coalition of Northwestern California. That outreach is paired with emergency response across a county that Humboldt County Search and Rescue says spans about 2.3 million acres and 110 miles of coastline. The volunteer team, established in 1950, can organize land and water rescues, including support from a marine unit.

Recent rescues show why the new kits matter. On March 10, 2021, deputies responded at King Salmon after finding a 21-year-old man alive but in distress and stuck in rocks along the shore. On April 2, 2021, three swimmers were pulled to safety at Big Rock in Willow Creek after becoming stranded on a rock in the Trinity River. On Oct. 21, 2025, a 74-year-old man was struck by a sneaker wave at North Jetty in Fairhaven. With 10 more rescue kits now slated for patrol cars, deputies will have better tools at the county’s rivers, surf breaks and shoreline access points, where every minute can shape the outcome.