Explaining the danger

Saturday June 29, 2002, 10:25:04 PM

The number keeps changing, but the message remains the same.

Danger. Stay out. Stay alive.

The Kern County Sheriff's Department changed the tally Saturday morning on the sobering red-and-white sign on Highway 178 at the mouth of the Kern River Valley.

Instead of 215 deaths in the Kern River since 1968, the sign now says 216, with the recovery of a body from the river in January.

The Sheriff's Department took the opportunity of changing the sign to announce a more aggressive program for keeping river-goers safe.

"If we could just get people to think about the danger, I think the program is going to be a success," said Rocky Lacertoso, commander of the sheriff's volunteer search-and-rescue division.

The new program involves sending more search-and-rescue volunteers, who currently number about 300, at least one day each weekend into the Kern River Valley to educate campers, hikers, fishermen and swimmers about the dangers of the Kern River, where five drowned in 2001.

Another important aspect of the program is the distribution of a flier offering Kern River safety tips, information about life vests and what to do if you fall into the river.

The department also wants to reach the Hispanic community about the river's dangers through fliers printed in Spanish and public service announcements running on Spanish radio and television.

"We want to get the word out about river safety," Lacertoso said.

At Lower Richbar campsite on the lower Kern, search-and-rescue volunteers spoke with a number of families Saturday morning about the river's dangers.

Listening attentively was Jacinto Delgado, 28, who came to the river with his family and three daughters to picnic and fish.

"I appreciate it," said the Kern County resident as he munched on sunflower seeds.

"It lets you know that you can get hurt in there," he said, gesturing toward the swiftly moving water. "A lot of people don't respect the river."

A few minutes north on Highway 178 is Upper Richbar campground, where Lacertoso spoke with René and Helma Abarca, reclining in camping chairs at river's edge beneath a shady tree.

As the commander spoke with the Los Angeles parents, their little girls, wearing no life vests, played in a river shallow no more than 20 feet from a ripping current.

Rene, 35, interrupted his appreciation for the safety tips by calling twice to the girls to stay near the sandy bank.

"That really made my stomach turn," said Lacertoso as he drove out of the Upper Richbar. "I don't want to be back up here in a few hours.

"All you can do is talk to the parents," he said, quietly, "and hope they heed the warning."