[ve-l] Coast Guard to Emphasize Life Jacket Wear

[Robert Miller]

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Coast Guard to Emphasize Life Jacket Wear February 27 2008 

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A key outcome of the Coast Guard's Recreational Boating Safety program is to
reduce loss of life on the water.  A major component of that program is to
convince boaters to wear their life jackets while on the water. Various
media campaigns have been utilized in the past without a major shift in the
desired outcome.

 

A Vessel Safety Check (VSC) provides the vessel examiner an opportunity to
educate the boater on the value and importance of life jacket wear. During
the VSC, the criteria for selecting, sizing, and inspection of life jackets
is reviewed and demonstrated to the boater.

 

Public education courses are another venue to demonstrate the variety of
life jackets available. Of paramount interest is the inflatable life jacket
which offers the boater a comfortable and reliable life saving option.

 

Public affairs activities, such as safety exhibits at boat shows, provide
another venue to illustrate to the public the variety of life jackets
available in the market place.

 

The Coast Guard's Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety firmly believes
that our vessel examiners, public educators and public affairs
representatives should be role models for life jacket wear and are
encouraging them to wear their life jackets during vessel safety checks,
public education classes, and public affair events. As an incentive for
demonstrating the "right behavior" on and around the water, inflatable life
jackets branded with the "Wear It" logo will be made available (on a loner
basis) to each Flotilla and  Squadron. 

 

Inflatable life jackets will be distributed to local units which will be
responsible for the custody, maintenance, and utilization of this equipment
and annual reporting of the local inventory through respective chain of
command to the Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety, Program Operations
Branch (CG-54222). The expectation is that they will be leveraged to provide
the maximum possible exposure to support the wearing of life jackets. 

 

 

 

Peter Urgola,


USCG Auxiliary


Chief, Vessel Examination Dept.

 

Bob Miller

US Power Squadrons

Chairman, VSC Committee

 

 

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