Lake area emergency responders urge parents to call 911 immediately if a child is missing

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (KY3) - Firefighters and other emergency responders at the Lake of the Ozarks have seen six child drownings this summer.

These agencies have banded together to remind parents to call 911 immediately if a child is missing. Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District Chief Joseph LaPlant said this joint effort aims to effectively spread the word in the community.

“Every fire, EMS, and law enforcement agency signed off on this to get the message out to call 911, and the tagline with it is: it’s not embarrassment, it’s being proactive,” LaPlant said.

The Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District released this message this morning in response to the deadly incidents they responded to this summer.

“We’ve seen some delays not just with those incidents but with some other ones