Safety Equipment ‣ Some legally required ‣ Some good to have
Every vessel is required to carry safety equipment. Some is legally required and other equipment is just as important to have.
Visual Distress Signals ‣ Legally required
depending on vessel
‣ Must only be used in an emergency
River
Bay VDS NOT REQUIRED
VDS REQUIRED Less than 2 miles
Open Water
Pyrotechnic Devices / Flares ‣ Alert ‣ Locate All must be: • • • •
USCG Approved Good and serviceable Condition Right number and Type Readily accessible
Visual Distress Signals Hand-held Red Aerial
‣ For boaters who do not travel far from shore
‣ Suitable for both day and night use ‣ Deploy a single or multiple signals about 450 feet into the air with a burn time of up to 7 seconds
Visual Distress Signals Hand-held Red Parachute Flares
‣ Brightest of the family of flares, well suited for boating far from shore
‣ Suitable for both day and night use ‣ Sends a signal over 1000 feet into the sky, descends slowly under a parachute. Burns for 40 seconds
Visual Distress Signals Launchers for Aerial Red Flares
‣ 12 gauge aerial flare system is a perfect add-on or alternative
‣ Reaches a slightly higher altitude than the hand held type
‣ Burn with the same intensity and for the same length of time
Visual Distress Signals Hand-held Red Flares
‣ Use when searchers are nearby ‣ Will provide a bright light ‣ Burns for one to two minutes and has a sighting range in clear weather of over 3 miles
Visual Distress Signals
Orange Smoke Hand-held & Floating
‣ For day use only ‣ Either hand held or floating ‣ Designed to help searchers pinpoint your position
‣ Emit a dense cloud of orange smoke for 3 minutes
Flare Tips & Usage Who Requires Flares?
‣ Every powered recreational vessel 16 feet or over
‣ Required to carry 3-day time and 3 night approved flares
‣ Or - 3 flares that are approved for both day and night use
Flare Tips & Usage Choice
‣ Choose which type (or style) Signal flares are best for you ‣ The label on the flares will tell you how long each will be illuminated
Flare Tips & Usage Storage
‣ Store your flares in a cool dry place
‣ In a well labelled
watertight container
‣ Should be readily accessible
Flare Tips & Usage Deploying
‣ Use caution! & Never point them into the wind
‣ Deploying hand held or 12
gauge flares, hold at arms length and look away
‣ Hand held red flares drop hot
residue when burning, hold at arms over the water
Flare Tips & Usage Replace Every 42 months
‣ Your flares need to be
replaced every 42 months
‣ Expiration dates are on the sides of flares
‣ Keep your old ones as spares
Sound Signalling Device ‣ Legally required on larger vessels, over 39.4’
‣ Alert others of your location in poor visibility
‣ Boats under 65.6’, can be a
simple whistle or a portable compressed air horn
Distress Flag Good To Have
‣ A passive signal that is good for day use only
‣ Most visible to other boaters
when attached and waved on a paddle or boat hook
‣ Can also be placed flat on the deck to alert aircraft
Electric Distress Signals ‣ Electric distress signal is accepted for night use only
‣ Designed to automatically flash the international SOS Distress signal
‣ Approved distress signal if marked
that it meets coast guard standards
Fire Extinguishers FIRE EXTINGUISHER CLASSES
‣ Required on boats where a fire hazard can exist
‣ Hazards can include: • • • •
engines fuel system heating cooking devices
Foam (gals)
CO2 (lbs)
Dry Chemical (lbs)
B-I (Type B, Size I)
1.75
4
2
B-II (Type B, Size II)
2.5
15
10
Classes
MINIMUM NUMBER OF HAND-PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS REQUIRED
Vessel Length
No Fixed System
With Approved Fixed System
Less than 26’
1 B-I
0
26’ to less than 40’
2 B-I or 1 B-II
1 B-I
40’ to 65’
3 B-I or 1 B-II & 1 B-I
2 B-I or 1 B-II
USCG Requirements for Fire Extinguishers are: ‣ USCG Approved ‣ Right Size and Type ‣ Readily Accessible ‣ Good and Serviceable Condition
Fire Extinguishers PASS System
‣ Mount the extinguisher in a readily accessible location
P – pull the pin A – aim the extinguisher S - squeeze S - sweep
1
2 PULL
3
AIM
4 SQUEEZE
SIDE TO SIDE
VHF Radio
other safety equipment
‣ A VHF radio can be used to call for help ‣ Channel 16 is the emergency hailing channel only
‣ Alert others to situations like man overboard or fire on board by announcing a call to the USCG
Propelling Device other safety equipment
‣ Paddle or oars to maneuver in close to shore situations
‣ Incase your engine dies
Proper Anchor
other safety equipment
‣ Incase you need to wait for help ‣ Should hold your position
Bailing Bucket
other safety equipment
‣ Necessary to remove water from your boat
Buoyant Heaving Line other safety equipment
‣ Use to throw to someone in the water to bring them to the boat if they have fallen overboard
Tether Cord
other safety equipment
‣ Have a tether cord that attaches to you and an engine cut off switch