Coast Guard, DNR Urge Safe Boating This Summer

The U.S. Coast Guard is encouraging recreational boaters to take advantage of several practices and initiatives that, when applied, will greatly decrease the chance of death or injury when boating.

First, the Coast Guard recommends boaters take approved boating safety courses and take advantage of free vessel safety checks, which are offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the U.S. Power Squadrons, and other boating safety organizations.

In 2009, 86 percent of boating fatalities in the United States occurred on boats where the operator had not received formal boating safety training, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Coast Guard also recommends that boaters leave float plans with friends or family members before getting underway. A properly-filled-out float plan can provide valuable information if a boater gets in trouble and is unable to contact emergency responders. The float plan should include who to contact if the boater is overdue.

“A float plan gives responders vital information such as your intended course and destination, a description of your vessel, and type of safety and survival equipment you have with you," said Capt. Stephen Torpey, chief of the incident management branch for the Ninth Coast Guard District. "The additional information provided in a float plan helps us direct our search efforts and improves the chances of survival in an emergency."

Boaters are also urged to check the weather forecast before getting underway. Weather on the Great Lakes can change quickly and unexpectedly.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources adds that wearing a life jacket can mean the difference between life and death in the event a boating accident occurs.

“Thinking you’ll have time to grab the life jacket off the seat or from the side compartment as you are going overboard is more than a mental stretch – it’s unrealistic,” says Conservation Warden Todd Schaller, chief of the DNR's Recreation Enforcement and Education division. “Accidents happen too fast to allow for that kind of reaction, and the stats back up the recommendation to wear the jacket at all times on the water.”

Already this year, Wisconsin has recorded its first boating accident fatality – a 65-year-old male who fell overboard and drowned. He was not wearing a life jacket.

In 2010, Wisconsin had 18 boating-related deaths and 14 were not wearing life jackets. In 2009, none of the 16 boating fatalities were wearing life jackets. Nationally, the U.S. Coast Guard reported in 2009 there were 4,730 accidents that resulted in 736 deaths. Of those who drowned, 84 percent were not wearing life jackets.

“All too often, while we are investigating the boat accidents we find life jackets on board, but stored in compartments,” Schaller said. “The message and lesson to take away from these fatalities are the same: get a life jacket and wear it.”

Many boaters also rely on cell phones for emergency communications on the water, though VHF-FM radios are much more reliable in the marine environment and work in areas where cell phones sometimes don’t, the Coast Guard says. When a mayday is broadcast over channel FM Channel 16, the international hailing and distress frequency, multiple response agencies and other nearby boaters can hear the distress call and offer immediate assistance.

The Coast Guard also highly recommends all mariners equip their boats with Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons and/or their life jackets with Personal Locator Beacons.

“EPIRBs and PLBs are absolutely invaluable during emergencies because they instantly alert responders to your distress, provide a precise GPS location and give a description of your vessel when they’re properly registered,” said Lt. Cmdr. James Hedrick, chief of the Telecommunications Branch at the Ninth Coast Guard District. “If your boat capsizes or you fall overboard and can’t get to your radio, these small, relatively inexpensive pieces of equipment, along with your life jacket, really could be the difference between living and dying.”

EPIRBs and PLBs may be activated manually by the push of a button or automatically when they enter the water, depending on the model.

Additionally, in accordance with federal law, recreational boats 16 feet and longer are required to carry visual distress signals such as flares, smoke signals or non-pyrotechnic devices; vessels 12 meters or longer are required to carry sound-producing devices such as whistles, bells and gongs. State and local laws may require further safety equipment.

The Ninth Coast Guard District has also released the Great Lakes Recreational Boating and Water Safety Campaign Plan, which establishes the overall policy for the Coast Guard's recreational boating safety and water safety campaign within the Great Lakes region.

The plan is attached to the bottom of this article for those interested in reading the document.