ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Memorial Day weekend is a great time to get outside and enjoy the weather at a local park or beach and local police are making sure everyone is staying safe in the process.

Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies will be out in large numbers this weekend patrolling both the waterways and the parks as people celebrate the unofficial start of summer.

“It’s a great weekend to have fun, but we want people to do it safely and responsibly,” said deputy sheriff Phil Fantanza.

He said deputies will be highly visible at local beaches this weekend but also waterways like the Irondequoit Bay, Lake Ontario, and the canal. He said boater safety is the biggest concern going into the weekend.

“A lot of people kick off this weekend they get their boats out, it’s hopefully gonna be great weather and there’s a lot of rules and regulations people should follow when they’re out here, it’s not like the roadways where you can walk away from your vehicle if you get stranded.”

He said boaters should have a float plan, which is telling somebody on land where you’re going to be in case you go missing. He also said personal flotation devices are a must.

“Everybody needs to have one on the boat. Don’t keep them in a locked compartment in the packages you buy them in, have them readily available in case there was an emergency on that boat and you can get one on. It’s very difficult to put one on in the water. Anybody under the age of 12 needs to have one on,” he said.

He also said if you plan to swim, do so in designated areas.

“There’s a lot of shorelines on the beach, there’s gonna be lifeguards out, use those areas, don’t swim in areas where there’s no lifeguards,” he said. “Swimming in a waterway like the beach is a lot different than swimming in a pool, so your strong swimmers in a pool might have difficulty on the shoreline.”

He also said he advises people to be aware of their surroundings, lock their cars, be safe, and have fun.