AMSEA Winds Up An Active 1997 and Takes a Look Ahead to a Busy Year in 1998
AMSEA is gearing up for a full season in the new year. Many projects are just beginning. Others are near completion or in the works. A draft of the Alaska Aquaculture Safety Manual is at Alaska Sea Grant for final edit and printing. It should be available in Janaury, 1998.
A version of Beating the Odds on the North Pacific is being written with a national focus for recreational boaters. This is a cooperative project involving AMSEA, Educational Training Company of Sitka, U.S. Marine Safety Association and Alaska Sea Grant. The book is scheduled for publication in Fall 1998.
Marine safety classes and Marine Safety instructor training are going full speed. In October, an instructor class for adults was held in Sitka. Also, a select group of seniors from Mt. Edgecumbe High School, a state magnet school, is completing the first AMSEA Marine Safety Instructor class for high school students. These eight students will be qualified to teach or help teach classes in their home communities in rural Alaska.
In addition, AMSEA offered a Marine Safety Instructor class for school teachers. It was held in Sitka and included teachers from False Pass, Ninilchik, Ketchikan, Hoonah, Juneau and Sitka. As a result of completing this class, some of these educators are already incorporating more marine safety lessons in their classrooms. The success of this class has convinced us to offer it again in March in Seward.
AMSEA office staffing will soon see some significant changes. Dan Falvey will take over the reins as Acting Director for a year beginning January 16, 1998. Director Jerry Dzugan is taking a sabbatical. He will attend the World Maritime University in Malmoe, Sweden and obtain a Master in Science in Marine Education and Training.
Shawn Newell will step in as Training Coordinator/Office Manager. She is the former Director of SE Region EMS Council. Michael Jones, new to Sitka and formerly a sixth grade teacher in Angoon, will manage training equipment and work with school children. He will take the position held by Marian Allen. Marian is taking time to pursue her handweaving and other fiber art interests.
Despite so much happening, we anticipate very smooth staff transitions and continuted extensive marine safety training. Please keep in touch. Let us know your safety training needs. And, we are always available to answer questions.
WHAT IS COLD WATER? A Surprising Answer
Water temperature is critical to an immersed body's ability to stave off the effects of hypothermia. There is disagreement over at what temperature water is considered "cold". Water temperature near the ocean beaches of Hawaiian and most of the contiguous U.S. are considered by millions of people to be warm enough to swim in, even with little (or no) clothing. Yet, just offshore these same beaches, water temperatures may be debilitating enough to cause death in just a matter of hours. How cold does water need to be in order to be considered "cold" and thus life threatening?
First, it is important to consider that the naked human body was not designed to live in much of the world's ambient air temperatures. It can survive in almost none of the world's water temperatures. To make up for this poor design feature, humans devised clothing as insulation that gives the margin needed for survival. The human body will become hypothermic in any water temperature under 91° F (body at rest) and any air temperature under 80° F (body at rest).
Thus, much of the earth's climate is inherently inhospitable to humans. But again, we usually make up for it with our primary shelter-clothing. Another way we can compensate for the cold environment is by exercise. The body produces heat by exertion. Thus, if exercising in water, such as swimming or treading water, the human body will not get hypothermic unless the water temperature is less than 72° F (body exercising).
In water temperatures above 72° F, the body can generate enough heat to keep the body warm. The problem with exercise is that the body needs rest and food to keep going. Water will begin to zap the body of heat as soon as a person stops moving. However, swimming or movement can stave off hypothermia for awhile in waters between 91° F and 72° F.
Nearing the 70° F mark, water begins to have effects on the body that accelerate the risk. Cold water shock (sometimes referred to as the the mammalian diving reflex) occurs in any water temperature less than 70° F.
Trigeminal nerves in the face, when in contact with cold water, can have a profound effect on the body's metabolism. The resultcan be a lowering of the body's blood pressure and other physiological changes affecting competence in the water. This is why it is so important to keep the head out of cold water, if possible.
In water below 70° F, the use of heat conservation methods such as the HELP and HUDDLE positions become critical to extend survival time. Exercise, such as swimming, will hasten the hypothermia process at these temperatures.Unfortunately, regulatory agencies do not consider the above medically-defined temperatures of cold water when they apply them to survival equipment regulations. For example, the U.S. Coast Guard defines cold water as water at or below 59° F. There is no medical basis for this choice of temperature. However, by choosing a temperature of 59° F, the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico and in other parts of the U.S. is exempted from having to carry higher standards of survival equipment.
The definition of cold water may depend on what you are doing and who you are talking to. But, for the real emergency, consider the real risks poised by the temperature of the water you are operating on. Make decisions about the type of emergency and survival equipment you should carry accordingly! Remember, Factors such as body fat, what you are wearing, your activity level, will to survive, etc. can significantly influence survival time in the water.
FULLY-INFLATABLE PFDs WIN USCG APPROVAL
After a long wait, the U.S Coast Guard and U.S. manufacturers have finally agreed upon conditions for USCG approval for fully inflatable Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs). The slim fit and comfort of fully inflatable PFDs makes them attractive to those who will not wear a PFD because they are bulky or inconvenient. The price of these new PFDs is also moderate. Most retail for approximately $100.
Originally, the USCG intended not to approve any PFD that did not automatically inflate. Because of incompatibilities with auto-inflators and carbon dioxide cylinders from different manufacturers, approval for these devices has been delayed. Now the only fully-inflatable PFDs that are USCG approved in the U.S. are manually inflatable.
There are currently three types of USCG-approved manually inflatable PFDs with no inherent flotation. Type IIIs have a rip cord that when pulled manually inflates the PFD. They are available in suspenders and in other forms. They have a minimum of 22 pounds of buoyancy. Most have well over 30 pounds of buoyancy, however.
One company has a Type V life harness with an inflatable mechanism. This PFD qualifies as a Type III when worn. This is a classification status similar to flotation coveralls.
There are also some other Type V inflatables available. One example is the life harness. This is approved as a Type V, but is accepted as a Type III when worn. Thus, if a vessel is required to have a Type III, this PFD meets the requirement only if it is worn.
Other fully inflatable PFDs with approval still on the horizon include a Type II that will be a water-activated, automatically inflatable PFD. None are currently available, however, due to incompatibilities with inflation mechanisms. When an inflation mechanism is perfected that will show an indication of its function status, the approval process will move ahead for this Type II PFD.
An additional PFD still under development is a Type I that will have a double buoyancy chamber. This PFD will also have an automatic, water-activated inflator with an indicator identifing the operational status of the unit. No models are currently approved in this category.
Companies currently offering USCG-aaproved inflatable PFDs are Stearns, Sporting Lives, Mustang and Kent.
121.5 EPIRBs No Longer Meet FCC Requirements
As of February 1, 1998, Class A and B EPIRBs that transmit on frequency 121.5 will no longer meet the EPIRB carriage requirement for commercial fishing vessels operating beyond three miles from shore. When EPIRB regulations were published in 1993, owners of vessels carrying 121.5 EPIRBs were given five years to meet requirements. That grace period expires in February. Fortunately, for those who now must replace their EPIRB, the prices of the 406 EPIRBs are now almost one third of their original cost.
The following rules apply after February 1, 1998. Fishing Vessels 36 feet in length or greater must carry a Category 1 406 EPIRB. There is an exception if the vesel has a builder's certificate stating that it is constructed with sufficient inherently buoyant material to keep it afloat if flooded. Then, a Category 2 406 EPIRB will meet the requirement. Fishing vessels under 36 feet must carry a Category 1 or Category 2 406 EPIRB.
Category 1 EPIRBs are self-deploying and self-activating. Category 2 EPIRBs are manually deployed and activated. A Category 2 costs approximately $100 less than a Category 1 because it lacks a hydrostatic release mechanism.
406 EPIRBs have two primary advantages over 121.5 EPIRBs. One is the fact that they are registered. Owners can be contacted by phone if their coded distress signal is activated. This reduces time spent searching for false alarms. However, a registration form must be submitted for this to work. And, when a vessel changes ownership, the form must be re-submitted with a new number for the new owner.
Secondly, 406 signals give a more accurate location. Searchers can respond faster. Although 406s have not reduced the false alarm rate as hoped, they have definitely proven their value in faster response time and accuracy.
FREE SAFETY REG BOOKLET AVAILABLE
The U.S. Coast Guard has updated its fishing vessel safety regulations booklet. With its easy-to-use format, this new booklet includes all the regulation updates to the present time, including the updated survival craft regulations. Sure to be a "best seller," these booklets are available free by contacting the USCG Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator in Juneau at 1-800-478-7369. Leave your address on the message phone and they will get one out to you. Be the first in your harbor!
Thanks go to the Alaska Region U.S. Coast Guard Fishing Vessel Safety Office for updating the publication. This useful reference was scheduled to go out of print, but the efforts of Alaska's fishing vessel safety district resurrected it.
Voluntary fishing vessel safety dockside exams are still available. Make use of the slow winter season and get a new sticker before the Spring rush. Telephone 1-800-478-7369 to find out how to contact an examiner. The Coast Guard has voluntary, no-risk examiners in Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, Valdez, Kenai, Kodiak, Unalaska and Anchorage. And they love to travel!
BOAT/US is offering an on-line boating safety course. With access to the internet, anyone can now take a self-paced boating safety course. The course includes study materials and a test. When successfully completed, participants receive a certificate of completion that is recognized for a discount by many boat insurance companies.
The test has 55 questions, five of which are Alaska-specific. It takes two to eight hours to complete the course, depending on background. So, get some boating safety education while surfing the net! Contact BOAT/US at www.boatus.com.
This page was updated 6/30/00.