PEWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) – Though it’s hard to imagine thinking about summer during this week’s freezing temperatures, police near Pewaukee Lake are already starting to think about safety near the lake once it’s warmer.

In a post on Facebook, the Village of Pewaukee Police Department announced the new piece of rescue equipment placed on the lakefront near the village’s beach area.

Sergeant Lucas Twelmeyer, with the Village of Pewaukee Police Department, said the "Mobile Life Ring Cabinet" is the result of a collaborative effort between his department, the Pewaukee Lake Advisory Committee and the Pewaukee Fire Department.

“We really feel like it embodies our progressive approach to provide a safer recreation environment for Pewaukee Lake,” Twelmeyer said.

Twelmeyer said the rescue equipment is accessible for anyone in the event of a water emergency. By pulling a handle at the bottom of a bright orange container, people are able to access a life raft.

Last summer, Twelmeyer said, there were multiple drownings on Pewaukee Lake -- including 17-year-old Messiah Beamon-Perry, who drowned in 8 ft. of water in the early morning hours of June 29.

“After something like that happened, it changes everything,” Twelmeyer said “A loss of life is a catastrophic, generational issue for that family and surrounding families.”

Across from Pewaukee Beach, Artisan 179 has customers often come straight from the lake to the restaurant.

“The street’s always packed, the beach is always packed, it’s a beautiful area,” General Manager Katrina Harland said. “Being across the street from the lake, we have obviously a lot of beachgoers and such in the summer that keep us very busy.”

Harland says she remembers the drowning last summer. She believes this addition is important to make sure the area stays safe in every season.

“All the kids were worried,” Harland said. “It’s a good thing for everyone, safety wise, to have something like that out there.”