US SAILING Encourages Boaters to Wear Life Jackets

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Richard Jepsen, US SAILING

In the early 1980s, the United States Yacht Racing Union (now US SAILING) began a program of youth training and studied the statistics on the risks of boating.

It took seriously the statistical findings that pointed to enhanced safety for wearers of life jackets who found themselves unexpectedly in the water. As a result, the organization decided to start training youth to wear life jackets as part of sailing right from their first time away from the dock.

Put It On—US SAILING’s training program guidelines requires students, instructors, and instructor trainers to wear life jackets while aboard all boats while underway or on a mooring.

The common theme at US SAILING is that promoting life jacket wear from the beginning of an individual’s boating career creates better “buy-in” and dramatically increases the likelihood he or she will wear a life jacket while boating.

The Hanson Rescue Medal—the organization also maintains statistics on person-in-water rescue attempts and funds a rescue award called the Hanson Rescue Medal to encourage boaters to report rescue attempts in detail to help gather data on real-life incidents.

Not surprisingly, a brief perusal shows that successfully rescued sailors almost always were wearing a life jacket.

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

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What is the best life jacket on the market? The one you will wear.

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Ms. Dorothy Takashina, Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association

The Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association, comprised of life jacket and life jacket component manufacturers, continually works to improve standards and test methods by subsidizing independent studies and volunteering with industry work groups.

Wear It—Don’t Stow It!— Recreational boaters use life jackets classified by the Coast Guard as Type I, Type II, or Type III.

• Type I has a minimum of 22 lbs. buoyancy. The bulky Type I life jacket is classified as “offshore” and is designed for survival in rough, open water where quick rescue is unlikely.


• Type II has a minimum of 15.5 lbs. buoyancy and more stringent performance requirements than Type I, such as righting (turning many wearers face-up in the water). Type II is suitable for a wide variety of boating activities in calm inland waters where fast rescue is likely.


• Type III life jackets also have a minimum of 15.5 lbs. buoyancy but do not have the more stringent standards required of Type II jackets. Type III jackets are generally considered the most comfortable for continuous wear and the most suitable for active water sports.

Inflatable Life Jackets—The first inflatable life jackets were U.S. Coast Guard-approved in 1996 and are gaining in popularity. They come in several variations, but basically work the same way: A gas-tight bladder is folded into a durable cover until the life jacket inflates or is inflated by firing a CO2 cylinder.

Inflatable PFDs may also be classified as Type I, II, or III:

• Fully inflated Type I and Type II life jackets have a minimum of 34 lbs. buoyancy. Both types are suitable for off-shore use in open, rough waters, and for general boating and coastal cruising due to their slim design. Righting action is faster with the higher buoyancy of Types I and II. Type I inflatable PFDs have highly visible coloring, enhancing rescue.


• The Type III inflatable life jacket has a minimum of 22.5 lbs. of buoyancy and is required to have righting ability.

All inflatable life jackets require re-arming and periodic maintenance.

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

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

U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Safety Specialists—Part 2

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

Regional Emphasis

USCG First District

In the 1st District, paddlesport safety is a huge concern.

Many fatalities occur on whitewater or in colder coastal waters as paddlers take advantage of the seasonal changes. The RBS specialist works with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, outfitters, retailers, and other paddling organizations coordinating training seminars to enhance safety awareness and risk-based decision making.

USCG Fifth District

The 5th District specialist serves as Executive Secretary of the Virginia Recreational Vessel Subcommittee and manages the Coast Guard Outreach Innovation Center, which contains a variety of boating safety outreach materials and displays for RBS partners.

USCG Seventh District
Due to a year-round boating season and a high population of seasonal residents and tourists, the 7th District specialist travels around the district with a Boating Advisory Trailer Public Awareness Kit. Also known as the “Bat-Pak,” this rolling boating safety classroom provides hands-on recreational boating safety training.

USCG Eighth District
The 8th District specialist serves as the district boating under the influence and Boating Safety Strike Team program manager. The strike team supports state marine patrol efforts during annual high-profile marine events such as Cincinnati’s “Tall Stacks” and provides surge capability on waters popular with exuberant boaters, such as the Lake of the Ozarks.

USCG Ninth District
The 9th District’s specialist coordinates joint training for marine patrol officers, collaborates on annual district boarding and BUI guidance, and is a contributing writer for Mid-America Boating, a regional newspaper for Great Lakes boaters.

USCG Eleventh District
In the 11th District, the RBS specialist participates in the “Wear It California!” life jacket campaign. Supporting several booths at various marinas in “the Delta,” where the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers meet, inflatable life jackets are distributed to anyone who signs a pledge to wear it when on the water.

The RBS specialist also participates in the Tri-State Boating Safety Fair at Lake Havasu, Ariz., assisting officers from Arizona, California, and Nevada with life jacket trade-in.

USCG Thirteenth District
The 13th District’s specialist manages the district recreational boating policy. In addition, he or she is a member of the Washington State Drowning Prevention Coalition, the Washington State Parks Boating Safety Council, and is an advisory member to several boating advocacy groups.

USCG Fourteenth District
The 14th District recreational boating safety specialist oversees the CG-4100 report of boarding forms and coordinates a variety of safe boating events and activities related to the annual National Safe Boating Week observance.

USCG Seventeenth District

This specialist is perhaps the most unique. The 17th District RBS specialist deploys RBS teams to the Arctic to raise boating safety awareness and instill best practices among the regional Native American tribes. In addition, he or she employs boating education and safety teams around the state, oversees the CG-4100 report of boarding forms, and coordinates boarding officer and boarding team member training.

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

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

Visit Part 1 here for more information on U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Safety Specialists.

U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Safety Specialists—Part 1

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Frank Jennings, Jr., Recreational Boating Safety Specialist, Ninth Coast Guard District and Mr. Bruce R. Wright, Recreational Boating Safety Specialist, Seventh Coast Guard District

While the Coast Guard headquarters’ Boating Safety Division functions at a strategic level, recreational boating safety (RBS) specialists are assigned primarily to district prevention division staffs.

Myriad Duties
Recreational boating safety specialists each serve as the principal Coast Guard liaison to individual state boating law administrators and their staffs. This regular contact may involve discussions of unclassified Coast Guard operations within the state; emerging recreational boating issues, boating casualty investigations, or joint operations planning; or local boaters’ complaints.

Recreational boating safety specialists also coordinate and host workshops and professional training programs, serve as the Coast Guard’s “ambassadors” to RBS partners, such as municipal water safety agencies, local safe boating coalitions, the Red Cross, and the U.S. Power Squadrons, and hold active memberships in organizations including the National Safe Boating Council, National Water Safety Congress, and International Association of Marine Investigators.

Jurisdiction
In addition to liaison duties, these specialists are responsible for the district recreational boating safety cooperative agreements the Coast Guard maintains with each state and territory, which delineate the responsibilities shared by the state and Coast Guard on waters of concurrent jurisdiction.

Special Efforts
One overarching safety message continues to be the importance of wearing a life jacket when boating. However, because boating constituencies and activities vary from district to district, the message may require slight modification to reach localized user groups.

Stay tuned for U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Safety Specialists—Part 2.

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

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