U.S. Coast Guard Station hosts open house and safety fair
The U.S. Coast Guard station on Fort Myers Beach held an open house and safety fair on Saturday for National Safe Boating Week.
The event featured educational booths, tours of Coast Guard Response Boats and classes on boating safety. Eventgoers were able to meet rescue crew members, learn about Coast Guard missions, ways to protect the environment, as well as the proper safety equipment for their boats. The event focused heavily on the importance of lifejackets.
“The very first thing that I try to educate people on is wearing a lifejacket. Look at a lifejacket as a tool that might save your own life,” said Tom Bamford during a class on boating safety.
“We do this to highlight how important boating safety is,” said Josh Janney, the commanding officer of the Fort Myers USCG. “We do this to remind the boating community to always wear their lifejackets, to take boating safety courses, to file float plans and to always carry an EPIRB. This is an emergency position indicating radio beacon, these devices alert search and rescue in emergency situations.”
Float plans are free forms that can be printed from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s website. Before going on a boat, you can complete this form and leave it with a person you trust. The form includes radio information, vessel and vehicle information, trip expectations (expected return time), person(s) on board, and safety/survival equipment on board.
“Through education, we want to try and take the ‘search’ out of ‘search and rescue.’ It involves teaching people how to call for help, what to do when things go bad,” said Dan Eaton, the Public Affairs Staff Officer of the USCG Auxiliary. “The more we can do in terms of prevention, the safer boaters will be.”
“We’re all about boating safety,” said Keith Vanderbosch, the Staff Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Anytime we can get the public out to meet the Coast Guard and ourselves, to give them the idea that we’re not just here as law enforcement, we’re here to teach people how to be safe on the water.”