BOATING AND WATER SAFETY SUBJECTS & TALKING POINTS

Lifejackets

• Donning a life jacket is much harder once you are in the water, especially if you are
injured.
• Adult-sized life jackets will not work for children. A life jacket must be worn, fit snugly,
and not allow the child’s chin or ears to slip through.
• U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in three-
fourths (76%) of recreational boating fatalities in 2017, and that 84.5 percent of those
who drowned were not wearing life jackets.
• In the eight Great Lakes states for 2016, where life jacket use was known, 97% of those
who drowned were not wearing lifejackets, only three (3) were known to be wearing their
life jackets.

Safe Boat Operation

• Boaters should be familiar with the areas in which they operate, especially at night and
during times of reduced visibility, and should rely on navigational charts and aids to
navigation.
• Operator inattention, operator inexperience and improper lookout have been the top three
contributing factors since 2010.

• A float plan is a lifesaving tool that provides emergency responders with valuable
information they need to search for a missing boater or a boater in distress. It is as simple
as telling a loved one where you are going; make sure you stick to the plan.

Cold Water

• Cold water is lethal. Understanding the risks and taking steps to reduce those risks could
save your life.
• Dress for the water temperature not the air; cold water lowers body heat dramatically fast
even in warm air.
• Even superb swimmers have been known to drown within just a few minutes in cold
water due to loss of performance or swim failure.

Paddle craft

• Paddlers should expect to get wet. Dress in adequate thermal protection that is effective
while immersed in cold water.
• Paddlers don’t just need to wear the proper gear, but also need to equip their boats with
required and recommended safety gear, such as a hand-held VHF-FM radio, a Personal
Locator Beacon (PLB) and flares.
When interacting with the public please emphasize the following three points and
two recent success stories.
Drowning – There have been more than 70 drowning deaths across the Great Lakes this year.
Cold-water temperatures, rip currents, and boating without a lifejacket are direct contributing
factors to those deaths.

High water – Water levels remain at a record high across the Great Lakes, which can cause rip
currents and submerge structures that are normally visible. Boaters and swimmers should be extra
vigilant while out on the water.

Lifejackets – A life jacket must be worn, fit well, and be Coast Guard approved for it to work.
Boaters should consider bright colors or reflective tape to assist search and rescue efforts in case
of an emergency.

Success Stories –

• A 57-year-old woman survived 14 hours in the water after falling off her personal
watercraft at night near Port Clinton, Ohio, (Lake Erie) because she was wearing a
lifejacket.

• Two men survived 16 hours on top of their capsized boat near Port Sanilac, Michigan,
(Lake Huron) because they stayed with their capsized vessel, wore their lifejackets, and
had a flashlight to signal to the helicopter crew searching for them.