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Boat Burn Drill With Boater Safety Information
By frhayes | June 5, 2009
On June 4, 2009 at 10:30 a.m., the Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) Marine Safety Division conducted a live fire training drill involving a 35-foot powerboat. The purpose of this exercise was to ensure that our men and women maintain a high level of proficiency when it comes to the management of shipboard emergencies. The location for this training was held on the ocean, at the swim line in front of the Beach Maintenance Facility located at 4320 Olympic Plaza.
With the beginning of summer upon us, The LBFD would like to re-emphasize the need to be diligent in exercising proper safety measures. In 2007 there were 685 boating fatalities with the top five contributing factors being: operator inattention, reckless operations, skier behavior, excessive speed, and the use of alcohol. The causes of death associated with these contributing factors were in rank order: drowning (69%), trauma, hypothermia, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
In research studies it was determined that following some basic boating safety tips could have prevented some of these deaths. Wearing a life jacket was shown to drastically improve the changes of survival in some circumstances. It is the law in California that any children under the age of 12 wear a life jacket while “under way” on vessels 26 feet or less in length. Additional safety tips include: taking a boating safety course, have a first aid kit on board, staying away from moving propellers, have communication devices on board, such as a VHF radio, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) is useful for reporting to emergency responders your specific location.
Additional precautions include checking for weather warnings and forecasts, developing a float plan (giving a responsible person information on where you will be and for how long). All boaters should also understand that in over 50% of drowning alcohol was a contributing factor, as in the case of driving a car under the influence being dangerous, driving a boat while drinking alcohol should be avoided.
The LBFD hopes that this information will be helpful in ensuring that all boaters have a safe and enjoyable boating season. For more information on boating safety please go to: www.safeboatingcampaign.com
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