Emergency dispatchers use the lighthouses as reference points when attempting to locate travelers who find themselves in trouble while traversing Havasu’s coastline. Such people will often be asked by dispatchers if they can see a lighthouse in their vicinity, and to describe it. Such a description will be used, if possible, to locate victims.

“They’re there for boaters,” said Lake Havasu City Fire Chief James Whitt. “But they have helped us in the past when people call in. A lot of people have gone hiking in places like SARA Park. Unless you know the trails well, it’s easy to get lost in the daytime. At night, it can be dangerous to be out there without equipment. If they’re down by the water, the lighthouses really help out.”

The lighthouses have helped the Lake Havasu City Police Department in locating people in need of assistance, as well. “Many of our officers know the locations of these lighthouses just in case a citizen refers to a lighthouse location during an emergency call,” said Sgt. Kirk Cesena.

“The lighthouses are not only a unique and interesting feature of our lake, but they provide direction and reference points for emergency personnel and citizens reporting emergencies.”

Lyndia LeCours is treasurer to the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, and is glad that the area’s lighthouses have found a use aside from the navigation of boats on the lake’s waters.

“I think it’s excellent,” LeCours said. “I spent over four months trying to convince the IRS that the Lighthouse Club should be a 501c3 nonprofit organization – that we provide navigation and services, even in the middle of the desert.”

The Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club has built and maintained the region’s lighthouses since 2000, without financial backing from city or county governments. The lighthouses, including bulbs that cost about $1,100 apiece, are maintained through donations from area visitors and residents.

To learn more about the Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, visit the organization’s website at lh-lighthouseclub.org.