OSWEGO -- As fishermen and women begin arriving at river banks near Lake Ontario for the fall salmon run, Bobby Rauch remembers the time he fell into the Oswego River without a life jacket.

"I slipped off the edge of the wall over there. I went right in. I probably went 50 to 60 feet down the river, when a guy grabbed my hand and pulled me out," says Rauch.

Rauch says now he always wears a life jacket when he fishes on the rapids of the Oswego River and Oswego County wants all fishermen to follow his example.

The county is part of the nationwide "Wear It" campaign which is intended to convince fishermen and boaters to wear personal flotation devices.

The City of Oswego is taking the "Wear It" campaign a step further. It has an ordinance which mandates life jackets near the Varick Dam.

In 2010, two fishermen drowned when the hydro-electric dam discharged a large volume of water into the Oswego River which runs through the center of the city. Though the drowning victims were not wearing life vests, their families were recently awarded $1.8 million to settle a lawsuit.

Under the new law, if you're caught in certain designated zones of the Oswego River without a life vest, you could be charged with trespassing. Since May, Oswego Police have charged 14 people with violating the ordinance.

Fire Chief Jeff McCrobie says the law improves safety for both the fishermen and the fire rescue crews who would have to risk their lives to save them.

"We're not trying to discourage it (fishing) in any way," McCrobie told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon. "We want them to come here. We want them to come to the city for business and everything. We just want them to do what we feel is right from a safety standpoint."

McCrobie says the fire department is offering free loaner life vests to those who need it. Brandon Sherman took advantage of the free offer. "It can be dangerous. That water gets really rapid, got to always look where you're stepping."

Thanks to the loaner life jacket, Sherman was able to legally fish the Oswego River Thursday. Now he has a huge king salmon to show for it.