The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary expands its safety-related courses.

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazineby Ms. Anne R. Lockwood, Director of Education,

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

For beginning boaters, “About Boating Safely” offers basic safety information and provides knowledge needed to obtain a state safety certificate.

Comprehensive Courses
The premier USCG Auxiliary public education courses are “Boating Skills and Seamanship” and “Sailing Skills and Seamanship.” These extensive safety courses provide up-to-date information on handling boats in all conditions.

Kayakers and Canoeists
Reaching out to one of the fastest- growing audiences in North America, the Auxiliary’s newest course is “Paddlesports America.” The target audience is novice kayakers and canoeists. This five-chapter, four-hour course addresses how to be safe on the water and return home safely.

What if … ?
“Suddenly in Command” is designed for a person who suddenly becomes the helmsman when the boat operator becomes incapacitated. The course is a two- to four-hour seminar, designed to educate a person who becomes suddenly in charge of returning the boat to shore. The target audience ranges from a child out fishing with Granddad to an adult out for a boat ride.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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Recreational Boating Mandatory Education Initiatives

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Harry Hogan, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety and Mr. Jeff Ludwig, Regulatory Development Manager, U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division

Executive Secretary, National Boating Safety Advisory Council

To reduce the number of recreational boating accidents, many states have mandated various types of education and licensing for motorized vessel operators. There are five general categories into which the recreational operator boating safety instruction requirements can be grouped.

Under a certain age: requires boat operators under a certain age to complete a boating safety course.

Born after a specified date: requires the boat operator to complete a class if he or she was born on or after a specific date.

Quick phase-in of all operators: several states have mandated boating safety instruction for their entire operator population, or at least up to a specified “grandfathered-in” age. This third group conducted a quick phase-in approach to getting their boaters educated, typically by requiring operators in younger age ranges to take courses first, then incrementally increasing the mandated age range.

Where no requirements exist: several states have no boating safety education requirements.

For personal watercraft operators only: some states have boating safety education requirements for personal watercraft operators only.

Advantages of the Quick Phase-In Policy
In 2006 the Coast Guard sponsored a study of operators involved in fatal accidents, finding that for the period of 1995 through 2005, the median age was 40, which means that in approximately 50 percent of the fatal motorized vessel accidents, the operator was over 40.

Therefore, the states with youth-based or “under a certain age” requirements are not reaching the majority of boaters involved in fatal accidents, and the states with a “born after” cut-off policy will typically have a long wait before they reach boaters who are 40.

Examining Trends

Currently, Alabama and Connecticut are the only states that have required all motorized vessel operators to obtain boating safety instruction for enough years that before/after comparisons are reasonable.

PICTURED: Mandatory boat operator safety instruction is often conducted as classroom-style sessions.

The study used the combined fatal accident rate (or FAR) of Alabama and Connecticut to show that future quick phase-in policy states should expect an approximately 25 percent decline in fatal accident rate. Using data from 2006 through 2008, Alabama and Connecticut have an average combined FAR of 3.9 fatal accidents per 100,000 registered motorized vessels.

This is 32 percent lower than the average fatal accident rate during what was considered their combined phase-in period from 1995 to 1999.

Further examination reveals that Alabama is driving the low fatal accident rate for this recent three-year period. Alabama has more than twice as many registered motorized vessels, at an average of 270,034, compared to Connecticut’s 108,875. Alabama’s average FAR was 3.8 fatal accidents per 100,000 registered motorized vessels during this three-year period, which is 45 percent lower than the average during phase-in.

Conversely, Connecticut had a FAR of 4.0, which was 66 percent higher than the average during phase-in. One possible explanation for Connecticut’s higher fatal accident rate in the past three years is its low number of total fatal accidents (averaging 4.3 per year for the past three years), which can result in major percentage changes with just a few accidents.

Confirming TrendsThe major assumption is that the quick phase-in policy is the primary factor in fatal accident rate reduction. Another assumption is that other states will follow trends that are similar to Alabama and Connecticut’s (or at least Alabama’s).

Full article is available athttp://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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PICTURED: The test crash demonstrates the severity of damage that can occur.

Proceedings Summer 2011 Issue Available Online

The current edition of Proceedings (Summer 2011 – The Marine Transportation System: Value to the nation) is available online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/.

This issue highlights how the Committee on the Marine Transportation System productively rallies interagency policy and activities to support the U.S. marine transportation system.

Additionally, it gives appropriate credit to the committee’s efforts with thousands of key individuals in the maritime industry, and raises awareness of how the marine transportation system directly impacts the nation.

The Boat U.S. Foundation educates boaters through game play

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Chris Edmonston, Vice President, BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water

In 1997, the foundation introduced one of the first NASBLA-approved online boating safety courses. This early foray into online education consisted entirely of text with a few static pictures. Unfortunately, slow download speeds left many users frustrated.

Flash Forward

Today, faster download speeds and improved computer capability allows the course to incorporate many interactive features such as animations and videos.

NavigateIt!

Advanced animations such as the “NavigateIt!” and “DockIt!” games allow students to take the “helm” of a boat and navigate through common boating scenarios. Rules and other boating standards are displayed and reinforced through game play.

Simulator

One recent development is a downloadable boating simulator based on the same technology used by the U.S. and Royal Navies for their training programs.

As with the online animations, a student is presented with numerous scenarios. Points are allotted at the start, and improper boat handling will quickly reduce the final score. Enter a naval restriction zone ... lose points.

Speed through a no-wake zone ... lose points.

While the simulator is a stand-alone product, the foundation is working to integrate it within the basic online boating course, making the online boating course as close as possible to on-the-water training.

For more information:

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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Modeling a day trip to “Walrus Island,” the BoatUs simulator challenges the student to navigate safely.

The Vessel Identification System

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. W. Vann Burgess, Senior Recreational Boating Safety Specialist and Ms. Kathleen Poole, Western States Grant Coordinator, U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division

Currently 32 states and territories have access to a secure database for all vessels documented by the Coast Guard. The data is accurate to within the last 30 days and can be used to verify ownership of a vessel while a law enforcement officer is on scene, as well as to identify abandoned vessels or vessels involved in an accident or search and rescue case.

Getting More States on Board
The advantages of this type of system are obvious, yet there are still states that are not participating. Some are facing barriers such as state privacy laws, or their system of numbering doesn’t provide a unique identifier for each record. Some states cannot provide the information in a format that can be translated into the system.

Making sure that states and the Coast Guard share as much timely information with each other as possible to protect our nation’s waterways and citizens is a top priority. The Coast Guard strongly encourages those states not yet participating to re-energize efforts to resolve any issues preventing participation and work with the Coast Guard to bring this system up to its full potential.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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Operation Dry Water

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Mike Baron, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division, Program Operations Branch

From June 26-29, 2009, “Operation Dry Water,” served to illustrate that BUI (boating under the influence) is a nationwide problem, and that law enforcement is taking it seriously. Coordinated activities occurred in 52 of 56 U.S. states and territories where federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies worked side by side to make the weekend a success.

One Sector’s Statistics
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads in Portsmouth, Va., has an area of responsibility that covers a large portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its adjacent coastal and state waters. Sector Hampton Roads’ Operation Dry Water stats:

• 1,079 dedicated hours
• 372 U.S. Coast Guard boardings
• 1,635 boardings by other government agencies
• 7 arrests for BUI
• 5 arrests for other crimes discovered during the boarding process
• 13 recreational vessel voyages terminated

Future Plans

Plans are in place to make Operation Dry Water an annual event. It’s imperative, however, that boaters are aware that law enforcement professionals are serious about BUI, and that the weekend of Operation Dry Water isn’t the only time the laws will be enforced.

For more information:Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010

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A boater’s blood alcohol content (BAC) registers above the .08 legal limit. Photo courtesy of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

For more information visit http://www.operationdrywater.org/

Safety at public lands and waterways

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Ms. Lynda Nutt, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Operations Center for Water Safety

Federal public land and water agencies have long focused on providing safe and secure recreational opportunities for the more than one billion who visit public lands and waterways every year. But despite educational and regulatory efforts, the growing numbers of recreation-related injuries and fatalities continue to present a challenge.

Who Does What
In an effort to enhance injury prevention and to better manage public risk on public lands and waters, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formed an Interagency Working Group on Visitor Safety in 2007.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention assists the group in identifying trends in unintentional injuries and understanding risk factors and prevention.

Common Ground
Despite differences among the missions of each agency, the members find great commonality in their risk management concerns. As part of the key objectives identified in discussions to date, the team will focus on aligning and standardizing policies, tools, data collection methods, and training to benefit visitor injury prevention strategies.

Information exchange and partnership opportunities will also be an important outcome among the agencies as the working group replaces the traditional “agency-by-agency” model with a collaborative approach to achieve a shared objective, improve existing services, or develop an entirely new initiative.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

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The USCG Marine Patrol Officer Course

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Mike Baron, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist, U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Division Program Operations Branch

To meet the requirements of the Federal Boating Safety Act of 1971, the Coast Guard established the National Boating Safety School. Although the course was originally focused on federal requirements and basic boating safety law enforcement techniques, over the years legislation was enacted that required states to take the primary role in their own recreational boating programs.

In support of these new requirements, the Coast Guard launched the National Safe Boating Instructor Course in 1983 with a curriculum focused on training law enforcement officers to conduct boating safety classes for the public while also training fellow marine patrol officers as instructors.

In 2000 the curriculum was updated to include practical field knowledge, training methodologies, and skills, and the course name was changed to the Marine Patrol Officer Course.

Curriculum
The course is two weeks long and is conducted four times each year.
During the first week, students alternate between training methodologies and skills development to develop a training session based on the federal carriage requirements for recreational boating safety. The officers present their training session at the end of the week to the other officers in class and the MPOC staff.

The second week is devoted to field skills. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Academy staff conduct training on boating under the influence regulations and detection, firearms laws, navigation rules scenarios, and water survival techniques. National Association of State Boating Law Administrator instructors conduct training on boating accident response and the reporting process. An instructor and certified marine investigator from the International Association of Marine Investigators conduct classroom training on stolen boat identification, followed by a practical field exercise.

Attendees also practice tactical procedures in “shoot houses.” These scenarios are performed in a mock-up building that resembles a ship as well as aboard a former break bulk freighter-turned-training-platform that is part of the FLETC’s training resource inventory.

Who Attends MPOC
The Marine Patrol Officer Course is open to all federal, state, and local marine patrol officers. As the course curriculum is not designed for senior boating safety officers, the preferred candidate possesses less than seven years of experience in boating safety. The ideal candidate demonstrates good potential to train fellow law enforcement officers or to teach boating safety to the public.

The student’s agency or department is responsible for transportation to and from Charleston, S.C. The Coast Guard provides all training materials, lodging, and meals. To date nearly 3,000 marine patrol officers have graduated.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

The Legislative Process

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by AUX Christopher Ware, Director, USCGAUX Government Affairs

The Coast Guard Auxiliary has more than 60 legislative liaison officers who track legislative actions on issues including life jacket wear, public education, boating under the influence, and personal watercraft operation.

The Coast Guard also allows Coast Guard Auxiliarists to testify on legislative matters such as life jacket wear, carbon monoxide detection, boating under the influence, and mandatory education for boaters.

Boat Operations and Training (BOAT)
Created in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the U.S. Navy Center for Asymmetric Warfare, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boat Forces, the BOAT program establishes a national standard for the training, qualification, credentialing, and typing of maritime law enforcement and rescue personnel.

Adapted from the U.S. Coast Guard’s boat forces training framework, the BOAT program is comprised of maritime training and management components, including:\

• system policy,
• the training and qualification process,
• boat crew qualification tasks,
• program manager roles and responsibilities,
• boat crew currency maintenance,
• documentation requirements.
  Other training modules, including search and rescue, are being developed.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Col. Terry West, Boating Law Administrator and Assistant Director, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
President, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) is a non-profit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. The association addresses its mission by:

• fostering partnerships among the states, the Coast Guard, and others;
• crafting model boating laws;
• maintaining national education and training standards;
• providing members with critical knowledge and skills;
• assisting in homeland security challenges on our waterways;
• advocating the needs of the state boating programs before Congress and federal agencies.

Partnering to Protect Boaters
One major task is to ensure that boating safety funds from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund are allocated for state boating safety programs.

Safety Standards and Reference Materials
In another effort to promote uniformity and reciprocity among the states, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators developed boating safety education standards in the 1970s. Working with Penn State University and boating safety partners such as the United States Power Squadrons, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and National Safe Boating Council, NASBLA adopted the National Boating Education Standards in 1999.

Law Enforcement, Investigation, and Detection Efforts
Through cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board, NASBLA conducts courses that teach officers how to conduct consistent, thorough accident investigations.

In 2004, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators began teaching boating under the influence (BUI) detection and enforcement courses that cover planning for BUI enforcement, arrest decisions, BUI suspect processing procedures, essential elements of the arrest report, note taking and report writing, pre-trial conferences and presentation of evidence, and proper administration of sobriety tests.

For more information:
Website: http://nasbla.org/.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

The United Safe Boating Institute

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Captain William Griswold, USCG (Ret.), President, United Safe Boating Institute

The United Safe Boating Institute (USBI) is an alliance of non-profit organizations united to provide a public service through preparation and distribution of focused boating educational information, funded by grants and/or public, private, and corporate contributions.

It was formed in the late 1980s by members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadrons, the American Red Cross, the U.S. Sailing Association, and the Canadian Power Squadrons. The American Canoe Association also joined the group a few years ago.

Targeted Initiatives
Safety Tips for Anglers, Hunters, and Campers is our most popular pamphlet. This 16-page publication outlines boating safety, first aid, aids to navigation, and navigation rules, with illustrations covering life jacket use, the dangers of alcohol and hypothermia, and equipment you should have on board.

Which Life Jacket for You? is a poster that displays pictures and brief descriptions of popular life jackets appropriate for use in various boating activities.

Five Tons and No Brakes is a short booklet aimed at houseboat operators. Normally, houseboat renters are not experienced boaters, and this sheet serves to acquaint them with issues they might encounter.

For more information:
Website: http://www.usbi.org/.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

United States Power Squadrons

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Vice Commander Robert Sweet, Senior Navigator, National Educational Officer, United States Power Squadrons

With grant funding provided by the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Safety Trust Fund, and administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, United States Power Squadrons (USPS) is refining a program that can be delivered across the country to a large number of boaters.

Training the Trainers
The principal challenge is training enough boaters to make a difference. USPS has established a system for training advanced certifiers who can instruct the program. More than 400 individuals have been certified by USPS trainers to administer this program in the past year, and this training continues. The initial program is being tailored to address key risk factors and areas of concern expressed by boaters.

Audience ParticipationThe program includes extensive classroom training to help boaters understand how boats behave in the water and why and how they respond to controls. Animations, videos, and graphics-based text help to explain boat actions and maneuvers.

By the time participants getto the helm on the water, they know what to expect, so their helm time is much more efficient and helps them to quickly ingrain proper techniques.

For more information:

Website: www.usps.org or www.americasboatingcourse.com.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010

The Recreational Boating Safety State Grant Program—Part 2

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine

Program Areas:

Administration. A major facet under this category would be states’ boating accident reporting systems, which help the Coast Guard understand the causes of accidents to more effectively address the issues that may prevent them.

Law Enforcement, including accident investigations, stolen vessel investigations, and boater assistance.

Education. In 2008 almost 43 percent of the boater safety certificates issued were the result of an Internet or home study course, while 57 percent of participants attended classroom courses taught by state education specialists, state RBS officers, state volunteers, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, or the U.S. Power Squadrons.

Registration and Titling. Since the Federal Boating Safety Act of 1958, states and territories have had the authority to register and require vessels to be numbered. Revenue from registration fees is used to fund state boating safety programs in many states, and is a source of matching dollars for federal RBS grants.

Navigation Aids. With the increased number of boats on the water, there is a growing need for buoys, signs, and other waterway markers. These “signposts of the water” mark restrictions implemented under marine traffic management and provide important information to boaters.

Public Access. Since the mid-1980s acquisition, development, and maintenance of public access facilities has been an allowable cost for RBS grant funds.

What Have We Accomplished?

Through our efforts and those of our partners, recreational boating fatalities have been reduced from a high of 1,754 in 1973 to 709 in 2008 even though the number of recreational boats nearly doubled (from about 6.3 million to about 12.3 million).

Our partners include:
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
the Coast Guard Auxiliary

U.S. Power Squadrons

the National Recreational Boating Safety Coalition

National Safe Kids Campaign

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

the American Medical Association
the American Academy of Pediatrics

the National Boating Federation

National Water Safety Congress

U.S. Sailing Association

Boat Owners Association of the United States

the American Canoe Association

For more information:Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.