Alaska Marine Safety

Education Association

See AMSEA's calendar of upcoming courses and events
(updated often!)

HERE'S WHAT'S NEW!

updated January 22, 2010

It's Not Too Early To Get Ready For the 2010 Fishing Season!

AMSEA is now scheduling Commercial Fishing Vessel Drill Conductor courses to make sure fishermen have the safety training they need before heading out to the fishing grounds this year.

Currently, the following classes are scheduled:

• Jan. 30 – Homer, AK
• Jan. 31-Feb. 1 – Eagle River, AK
• Feb. 1 – Petersburg, AK
• Feb. 5 – Kodiak, AK
• Feb. 9-10 – Petersburg, AK
• Feb. 13 – Homer, AK
• Feb. 26-27 – Kake, AK
• Week of March 1 – Kodiak, AK
• Mar. 30-31 – Crescent City, CA
• Apr. 5-6 – Eureka, CA

This training is FREE to commercial fishermen thanks to funding provided by CDC/NIOSH and the USCG.

Learn more about this valuable training or sign up to attend any of the classes listed above.

December 29, 2009

Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Instructor Training To Be Held in Galveston, February 22 - 27

This session of AMSEA's premier train-the trainer course is an intensive 48-hour, five-day program designed to train individuals to effectively teach safety and survival skills, as well as emergency onboard safety drills, to commercial fishermen. The course is U.S. Coast Guard approved.

The course will be held at the Campus Library of the NOAA Fisheries Service Galveston Laboratory in Galveston, Texas.

Download a printable copy of the flyer pictured above or learn more and register to attend online. More information is also available by email or by calling AMSEA at 907- 747-3287.

December 16, 2009

Holiday Gift Ideas: This Year Give a Gift of Safety!

Everyone who spends time on the water should plan for and expect to encounter unpredictable weather and other dangers. The holidays are a perfect opportunity to provide the fishermen and other boaters on your list with gifts that will be valuable to them all year long.

And, the winter months are a great time to plan ahead for your own boating season and prepare for it to be enjoyable and safe.

Nautical gifts ideas:

• Books and DVDs from the AMSEA Store
• Marine GPS navigation system
• 406 Mhz EPIRB (Make sure it is registered after purchase, or rescuers may be delayed in providing help! In remote areas, this may be the ONLY way to call for help.)
• Vessel damage control kit - put one together yourself or purchase from the AMSEA Store
• Coast Guard-approved life jacket (because they float, you don't...)
• Three or five gallon abandon ship bucket containing shelter aids, signaling devices, fire starter, personal health needs, etc.
• Pocket-sized personal survival kit - put one together yourself or purchase from the AMSEA Store
  
• Handheld VHF marine radio
  
• Boating safety course (Boater education saves lives - it's a fact)
  
• Coast Guard-approved fire extinguishers
• First aid kit in a watertight container
• Seamanship book
• Nautical charts of favorite boating areas
• Signaling kit (mirror, whistle and day/ night flares)
• Clothing that is warm and water resistant and appropriate for the boating environment
• Immersion suit with a strobe light
• Life raft
• And, a valuable gift that doesn't cost anything - scheduling a free vessel safety check with your local Coast Guard Auxiliary

Best Wishes For a Happy Holiday Season
From the entire staff at
Alaska Marine Safety Education Association

December 15, 2009

Mini-Grant Award Winners Announced

For the eighth consecutive year has AMSEA awarded mini-grants to help fund cold-water and boating safety training and education projects in Alaska.

These grants are intended to increase or enhance safety training and education for high-risk groups such as commercial fishermen or children. The funds are available to AMSEA-trained educators and instructors who are actively teaching or supporting boating or cold-water safety.

See the eight 2010 grantees and their proposed projects.

November 25, 2009

Become An AMSEA Member For 2010!

AMSEA membership can help make a difference in your life and the lives of others who work or play on the water. Your support is what makes AMSEA's work possible.

Membership is not only an important source of direct funding; it is an indication to the agencies and foundations that also help finance AMSEA that what we do is important.

We invite you to join or renew your membership in AMSEA for 2010 now so that we can continue to offer quality boating and cold-water safety training and educational materials.

And, if you join at the $100 level or greater, we'll send you the great thank-you gift pictured here!

Learn more and download a 2010 membership form here.

November 3, 2009

Your Input Wanted: AMSEA's Newsletter

AMSEA staff would like to know what you think about the content, frequency and format of AMSEA's newsletter.

If you receive or regularly take a look at our quarterly Marine Safety Update, please take a few minutes to complete our short, online survey. Your input will help us make the right decisions about AMSEA communications in the future.

Click the button below to begin the survey:

November 2, 2009

Navigation Rules Revised

On October 19, 2009 the U. S. Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard issued slightly revised Navigation Rules, International – Inland. You may download a complete copy of the new 227-page rule book here:

U. S. Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard Navigation Rules, International – Inland, revised Oct. 19, 2009

October 21, 2009

Safety Chain

October 13, 2009

Autumn 2009 Issue of Marine Safety Update Available Now

The latest issue of AMSEA's Marine Safety Update is now available to download.

Download the Autumn 2009 issue as a PDF here (1 MB).

Or, find this new edition as well as past issues on our Newsletters page.

October 1, 2009

Proposals Now Being Accepted For 2010 AMSEA Mini-Grant Funding

For the eighth consecutive year, AMSEA will award mini-grants to help fund cold-water and boating safety training and education projects in Alaska.

These grants are intended to increase or enhance safety training and education for high-risk groups such as commercial fishermen or children (especially teen-age males).

The funds are available only to AMSEA-trained educators and instructors who are actively teaching or supporting boating or cold-water safety in Alaska.

Applications are now being accepted for 2010 projects. Proposals must be received by AMSEA via email no later than 4:00 PM, Alaska Time, Friday November 13, 2009.

Please see the AMSEA's 2010 Request for Proposal with detailed information about the 2010 mini-grant program and links to an application and application instructions.

September 24, 2009

AMSEA Undertakes Boating Safety Survey

In order to better serve the needs of non-commercial boaters in rural Alaska, AMSEA is requesting input from those boaters. We are especially interested in hearing from boaters in western Alaska and other rural areas with populations of fewer than 9,000 people.

The specific objectives of this survey are:

• To assess rural Alaska boaters' perceptions regarding boating risks
• To determine rural boaters' education and training delivery preferences
• To measure PFD use rates in Alaska
• To uncover the obstacles to PFD use

UPDATE as of December 1, 2009

The boating safety survey is now closed. Thank you to all who participated.

September 4, 2009

Please Boat Safely And Responsibly This Labor Day Weekend

Last month USCG released the above map, revealing Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Texas, Louisiana and Vermont the deadliest states for recreational boaters. Fatality rates were calculated using the number of deaths in each state and the number of registered boats in each state. The Coast Guard notes that fatality rates include deaths associated with vessels that are not registered.

September 3, 2009

Marine Safety Instructor Training In Sitka September 22-28

There are now a few more spaces available in the September 2009 session of AMSEA's premier train-the-trainer course. As soon as it is full, any additional registration received will be placed on a waiting list and applicants will be notified if space becomes available.

Marine Safety Instructor Training is designed for persons wanting to teach cold-water safety and survival in a variety of settings – to commercial fishermen, for private businesses or government agencies, for recreational boaters, in schools, etc. The next course will be held March 30 – April 5, 2010 in Seward, Alaska.

Click here to learn more!

August 20, 2009

New In the AMSEA Store –
Quick Reference: Abbreviated Guide to Navigation Rules of the Road

This 4-page laminated card provides a simplified overview of navigation rules of the road. It is not intended to substitute for the complete Navigation Rules International – Inland, but to serve as a handy reference to refresh one's memory. The water-resistant format is perfect to keep aboard a vessel for quick reference.

Visit the AMSEA Store to learn how to order a copy for YOUR vessel!

August 18, 2009

Photos From AMSEA Marine Safety Instructor Training Held In Tampa, Florida During July

Above, AMSEA's Jerry Dzugan discusses the use of emergency signalling flares with (l. to r.) David Schaeffer, Bruce Morris and Vincent Porsella.

Below, Dzugan leads a classroom exercise during the Florida MSIT class.

Above, Edward Cordova and Alma Sola practice man overboard retrieval with Jerry Dzugan in the water as a "victim."

Below, Andrew Diggs and Jose Orcadiz look over various types of onboard safety equipment.

June 24, 2009

Read the Summer 2009 Edition of AMSEA's Newsletter

The latest issue of AMSEA's Marine Safety Update is now available to download. Download the Summer 2009 issue as a PDF here (1.03 MB).

Or, find this new edition as well as past issues on our Newsletters page.

June 10, 2009

Immersion Suit Exemption Available For Infants Aboard Commercial Fishing Vessels in Alaska

The U.S Coast Guard requires an appropriate sized immersion (survival) suit for each person onboard most commercial fishing vessels. Unfortunately, there are no USCG-approved immersion suits on the market sized appropriately for infants. However, fishing families often do fish with their infants onboard.

While determining how best to remedy this problem, the USCG is temporarily allowing families fishing in Alaskan waters with infants onboard to apply for an exemption from carrying immersion suits for infants less than 35 inches tall.

Read more and learn what you need to do to receive this exemption.

Updated June 25, 2009

Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Instructor Training To Be Held in Tampa, Florida

This session of AMSEA's premier train-the trainer course is an intensive 48-hour, six-day program designed to train individuals to effectively teach safety and survival skills, as well as emergency onboard safety drills, to commercial fishermen. The course is U.S. Coast Guard approved.

The course will be held at:

Sailport Resort
2506 N Rocky Point Dr
Tampa, FL 33607
813-281-9599 or 800-255-9599

Learn more or register to attend online. More information is also available by email or by calling AMSEA at 907- 747-3287.

Download the printable flyer pictured below.

March 25, 2009

Spring Edition of AMSEA Newsletter Now Available To Download

The Spring 2009 issue of AMSEA's Marine Safety Update is now available to download. Download it as a PDF here (1.2 MB).

Or, find this new edition as well as past issues on our Newsletters page.

March 20, 2009

AMSEA Training Offered In Barrow, AK

AMSEA staffers Jaquette Carroll and Mike Morris, pictured above under Barrow's famous whalebone arch, recently offered a variety of cold-water safety and survival training in that far north community.

They worked with Barrow schoolteachers, children and fishermen during the week of March 7 – 14.

Pictured at left is Dessie Rexford of Barrow learning how to wax the zipper of an immersion suit.

March 17, 2009

How To Fit a Child's Lifejacket

Spring and summer boating will soon be underway, and new PFDs may be needed for growing children. In the short video below, BoatU.S. explains how to insure that children's lifejackets fit properly.

To learn more about children's lifejackets, visit the BoatU.S. website.

Updated March 5, 2009

NEW! Small Boat Safety Film Released On DVD

It Could Have Been Prevented is dramatic video about small boat safety in rural Alaska. It has been a favorite in AMSEA's collection since it was first issued in 1990. It was recently released on DVD.

The 17-minute video touches on issues such as alcohol use, weather, and personal flotation devices. The fictional story about a family traveling upriver to a fish camp illustrates how the tragedy befalling the boaters could have been prevented.

Price is $20.00. Visit the AMSEA store for ordering information.

AMSEA'S mission:

Reduce injury and death in the marine and freshwater environment through education and training provided by a network of qualified marine safety instructors.