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Alaska Marine Safety Education Association |
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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. See AMSEA's calendar of upcoming courses and events NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS:
September 1, 2010Marine Safety Instructor Training On Tap For Sitka, AlaskaAMSEA's next session of Marine Safety Instructor Training (MSIT) will take place in Sitka, Alaska beginning September 14 and running through September 20. This is a premier train-the-trainer course designed to train individuals to effectively teach cold water survival procedures, marine safety equipment and onboard safety drills. The Marine Safety Instructor Training sessions are designed for persons wanting to teach cold-water safety and survival in a variety of settings – for private businesses or government agencies, for recreational boaters, in schools, etc. Learn more about the upcoming course in in Sitka here. August 10, 2010A MESSAGE FOR AMSEA-TRAINED MARINE SAFETY INSTRUCTORS:Several false MAYDAYs have been given out during training, which resulted in Search And Rescue aircraft being launched. Therefore, we request that all instructors use the following guidelines during training to prevent false alarms that can divert SAR resources from real emergencies, potential fines and risk to rescuers. 1. Never, ever use any kind of operational radio to give a Mayday message for practice - period! VHF, CB, SSB, walkie talkies, "family radios", radios used by construction contractors, any radio which broadcasts on public frequencies will, and have resulted in false messages of distress. Even radios which have a short range of 100 or 200 yards have resulted in USCG SAR helicopter launches. A live radio should simply never be activated to practice emergency calls. AMSEA will not be responsible for instructors who cannot follow this basic procedure. 2. When using "dead" radios, the instructor should ensure that the power to the radio is deactivated and secure. This can be done by removing the battery pack from a handheld radio, turning a radio off at the breaker panel or, even better, just giving the student a microphone with a disconnected cord. Even speaking into a fist with a thumb for the "mic" will suffice. If using a supposedly "dead" microphone, the instructor should monitor the radio to make sure it has not accidentally been repowered. A simplified "lock out/tag out" practice should be used so someone does not accidentally activate the power source. 3. When giving practice demo Maydays, a statement that "this is just a drill" or words which signify that this is not a real emergency, will help prevent a SAR from being initiated if there is still a problem and is a good practice. 4. Children present special concerns. It is acknowledged that teaching children how to use a radio to ask for help can potentially be a valuable exercise. However children have also been known to "practice" distress calling on operational radios and the frequency of this happening has been documented to occur more often after such training has occurred. Since children cannot be expected to follow directions as well as adults, often lack good judgment and are often unable to contemplate the consequences of their actions, AMSEA instructors are encouraged to use their best judgment when training children and to keep these points in mind. Sincerely,
Updated August 10, 2010
FREE Marine Safety Videos!A couple hundred copies of our AMSEA-produced videos, on a variety of marine safety topics, are availalble FREE for the asking. We'll even pay shipping to anywhere in the U.S. So, what's the catch? They are all VHS format. The following titles are still available:
Please visit the AMSEA store to read about the content of many of these videos. We have a lot of copies of some titles, and only a few copies of others. All are available on a first come, first served basis. We will ship both single copies or larger quantities. To request VHS tapes or for more information, contact AMSEA's Gear manager by email or by phone at 907-747-3287.
July 14, 2010Download the Summer 2010 Issue of Marine Safety Update
Get your copy here: Marine Safety Update – Summer 2010
July 8, 2010DROWNING IN ALASKA: Article Highlights Progress and Persistent ProblemsA recent article in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health discusses a study that evaluates and describes the current problem of drowning in Alaska, measures changes in the rates since earlier studies have been done and compares occupational and non-occupational drowning characteristics. The study looks at drowning fatality data collected from death certificates, law-enforcement reports The article was written by written by Hilary Strayer of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Deborah Hull-Jilly of the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Injury Prevention and Emergency Medical Services, and Jennifer Lincoln and Devin Lucas of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Alaska Pacific Regional Office. Download an abstract or the full text of the article.
July 2, 2010HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY: Boat Safely This Holiday Weekend
As thousands of boaters celebrate the nation's birthday on the water, please remember to watch the weather, celebrate responsibly, understand the hazards of boating under the influence of alcohol and do not use safety flares as fireworks. Members of the boating public are encouraged to always wear a life jacket, have a working VHF-FM radio and electronic position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) on board and let someone know where they plan to be boating. These simple things could save your life or the life of your passengers and increase the effectiveness of Coast Guard response in the event of an emergency. Monitor the weather forecast and be aware of surrounding conditions that can change quickly, especially during the summer months. The National Weather Service broadcasts marine weather forecasts regularly on VHF marine radio and on the NWS website. Be aware of the dangers of drinking and boating. Along with decreasing the operator's ability to make good judgments, alcohol consumption also negatively affects the ability of the passengers to respond in the case of an emergency on the water. The effects of the sun, wind, waves and a boat's motion in the water add to an operator's impairment. Intoxicated boaters can face both federal and state charges with penalties of up to one year in prison and $100,000 in fines. Each year during this time, the Coast Guard receives and responds to numerous calls of boaters firing emergency flares from their vessels. While the possession of flares on your vessel is required, flares should only be fired to indicate distress. With the increase of maritime traffic, the firing of a flare in a non-emergency situation could result in a delayed response to a legitimate maritime emergency. Firing a flare when not experiencing an actual emergency could also result in a felony, punishable by up to six years in prison, $250,000 in fines and reimbursement of all costs that the Coast Guard incurs as a result of the false distress. Flares are NOT holiday fireworks! Have a wonderful time on the water this holiday weekend, but please remember to boat responsibly!
June 17, 2010Join AMSEA on Facebook!
May 4, 2010Spring 2010 Issue of Marine Safety Update Newsletter Available For Download
Find articles on the following topics and much more in AMSEA's latest newsletter:
Download your copy here: Marine Safety Update – Spring 2010
updated May 19, 2010
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Last updated Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Copyright 2000-2007, AMSEA |
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