The family of a man who died near Washington Island earlier this month is launching a campaign to help fund a new search-and-rescue boat for the island’s emergency responders.
David Thalman died Aug. 1 near Washington Island in Door County. In the days following his death, family members said they wanted to honor him in a way that could help protect others on the waters that have been part of their family’s history for four generations.
The family has now partnered with Washington Island Fire Rescue to launch the David Thalman Memorial Search & Rescue Boat Campaign. The effort is being held alongside the department’s existing “Float the Boat” fundraising campaign.
Organizers say the goal is to raise the remaining $30,000 needed to fully fund a new 28-foot search-and-rescue vessel designed for emergency response operations around the island.
According to campaign organizers, the proposed boat would include advanced sonar, radar and FLIR thermal imaging technology, shallow-water capability, a hydraulic bow door for rescue and diver operations, and a 1,500-gallon-per-minute fire pump.
“This is about more than purchasing a boat,” organizers said in a statement. “It is an opportunity to turn an unimaginable loss into something that could help save lives for generations to come.”
The family said the campaign is also a way to give back to the community members and first responders who searched for David after he went missing.
“When David needed help, an entire community answered the call,” the statement said. “Now his family hopes to help Washington Island Fire Rescue answer the next one.”
Donations to the campaign are being accepted online through GoFundMe and the campaign’s Facebook page.
