First responders calling for more funding for water rescue efforts in north Chicago suburbs

Water safety remains ongoing issue amid dangerous heat

North suburban Chicago rescue crews will hold a press conference on Monday morning to demand more funding for water rescue efforts.

In the northern suburbs, fire departments, like Winthrop Harbor and Zion, say they are responding to water rescues but lack the resources to do so properly. Officials say large rocks placed on the lake in 2023 to help break waves and erosion attract swimmers, and are extremely hazardous.

Last week, a 20-year-old man drowned at Illinois Beach State Park.

Safety on the lake is a major concern across the Chicago area, with another blistering hot day ahead. 

At least three people were sent to hospitals after being pulled out of Lake Michigan, and another was missing late Saturday night.

At 63rd Street Beach, rescue crews urgently searched high and below the surface for a man the Chicago Fire Department said fell off a boat and is still missing. One other person who went into the water was rescued, but their condition was not immediately available.

At The Playpen, just north of Ohio Street Beach, sources said a man was sent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition after he hurt his foot in the water. 

And at Navy Pier, police said a 27-year-old woman was pulled from the water around 5:30 p.m., and taken to Northwestern, where she died.

On Sunday, a boat caught fire near The Playpen in Chicago. At least 20 people were on the boat at the time and no one was injured.

First responders will address the lack of funding at 9 a.m.