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MARQUETTE -- On a summer day, Marquette's eleven miles of Lake Superior beaches can see up to 3,000 people.

If you've been a slave to the sun in Marquette in the past few weeks, you may have noticed new equipment at some of the more popular beaches.  And we're not talking inner tubes and rafts.  There are now three lifesaving stations located at hot spots around the city:  one at Picnic Rocks, one a little farther north, and another one at Middle Bay Beach on Presque Isle.

The are the problem areas targeted by the Waterfront Safety Task Force this winter for the public to use to help one another.

"It's immediate help when a person is drowning," says Marquette Fire Chief Tom Belt.  "What we've learned in the past is it doesn't take long for a person to die of drowning, and by the time police and fire and other rescue units can get on scene, oftentimes the person is submerged beyond being able to be revived."

It's first-aid to be used by a regular civilian.  Each lifesaving station contains two adult-size personal flotation devices, a rescue torpedo, and a life ring.  Different beaches also will feature additional safety equipment.

At Middle Bay Beach on Presque Isle, there are loaner personal flotation devices for kids up to eight years old.  There are also life rings posted at Mattson Lower Harbor and Founder's Landing.  But now one of the rings is missing.  Authorities have already replaced it, but are frustrated.

"We live in a great community, and you know sometimes these things happen, it makes you pause and reflect," Chief Belt adds.  "I'm sure that a person that does that's not thinking about the consequences, the consequences of not having that lifesaving article in place, there's the possibility somebody could lose their life."

The construction of the stations, as well as the equipment, didn't cost the city anything.  A local Boy Scout took it on as his Eagle Scout project, saving the city about a thousand dollars.

Replacing the equipment though will come out of the city's Parks and Rec Fund, and with each piece ranging from $78 to $92 each, it could add up.

If you see anything suspicious, you're asked to call the Marquette Police Department at 228-0400.