Health: Practice safety afloat

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Health: Practice safety afloat

Posted Monday, August 25, 2008

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Life jackets, or personal flotation devices, could prevent about two-thirds of all boating-related drownings of children ages 14 and under, according to the United States Coast Guard.

If you plan on boating, make sure you understand and practice the PFD rules.

All recreational boats must carry one wearable PFD (Type I, II, III or Type V PFD) for each person aboard. A Type V PFD provides performance of either a Type I, II, or III PFD (as marked on its label) and must be used according to the label requirements. Any boat 16 feet and longer (except canoes and kayaks) must also carry one throwable PFD (Type IV PFD).

PFDs must be Coast Guard approved, in good and serviceable condition, and the appropriate size for the intended user.

Wearable PFDs must be readily accessible. You must be able to put them on in a reasonable amount of time in an emergency (vessel sinking, on fire, etc). They should not be stowed in plastic bags, in locked or closed compartments or have other gear stowed on top of them.

The best PFD is the one you will wear. Though not required, a PFD should be worn at all times when the vessel is underway. A wearable PFD can save your life, but only if you wear it. Throwable devices must be immediately available for use.

Inflatable PFDs may be more comfortable to wear, but they require the user to pay careful attention to the condition of the device. Inflatable PFDs must have a full cylinder and all status indicators on the inflator must be green, or the device is NOT serviceable, and does NOT satisfy the requirement to carry PFDs. Coast Guard-approved inflatable PFDs are authorized for use on recreational boats by person at least 16 years of age.

Child PFD approvals are based on the child's weight. Check the "User Weight" on the label, or the approval statement that will read something like "Approved for use on recreational boats and uninspected commercial vessels not carrying passengers for hire, by persons weighing lbs". They can be marked "less than 30", "30 to 50", "less than 50", or "50 to 90".

The Coast Guard recommends and many states require wearing PFDs: