*Feature Story Release* Operation Safety Net is cast over First Coast

DATE: April 8, 2009 3:54:00 PM EDT

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Feature Story Release

Date:
April 8, 2009

Contact:
Michael Hulme
(904) 564-7624

Operation Safety Net is cast over First Coast
Story and photos by Petty Officer 1st Class Bobby Nash

Guardians from Station Mayport, Fla., were out in full force in the Jacksonville, Fla., area in late March for Operation Safety Net.

Boarding team members from Coast Guard Station Mayport, Fla., stop a vessel in the St. Johns River, Fla., for a safety inspection and check to ensure there is a life jacket for everyone aboard and that the fire extinguisher isn't expired Friday evening March 27, 2009. Coast Guard photo/ PA1 Bobby Nash.

Operation Safety Net’s aim was to ensure that the boating public of the First Coast were boating safely and responsibly. Coast Guard boarding teams were on the lookout for lifejackets, sound producing devices and other required safety gear.

Boaters are typically bringing their boats out for the first time after winter during this time of year. We want to make sure they have the proper gear on board their vessel while they are out on the water, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Taylor, a boarding officer participating in operation safety net.

Guardians patrolled the waters of the St. Johns River, Intracoastal Waterway, and connecting waterways to ensure boaters had the proper safety gear on board.

In addition to checking for the required safety gear on board vessels, Guardians also questioned boaters on whether they had properly registered emergency positioning indicating radio beacons, VHF-marine radios or had filed a float plan before leaving shore. The importance of having some or all of these items were stressed to the boaters they encountered.

Having one or all of these devices can greatly increase the chances of survival in case of emergency. These devices can buy you extra minutes or hours when every second counts.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Taylor, a Coast Guard boarding officer aboard the Dancing Bears, talks with Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Dewitt about the best route back to a local marina Friday evening March 27, 2009 in the St. Johns River, Fla. Coast Guard photo/ PA1 Bobby Nash.

Having a VHF marine radio or E.P.I.R.B. can help notify the Coast Guard where you are in case of emergency, and a float plan can give search and rescue coordinators a starting point in case you go missing while out on the water.

In 2007 there were 685 boating fatalities nationwide, and the number one contributing factor of boating fatalities in the same year was operator inattention, according to the North American Safe Boating Campaign website. More than 80 percent of the 685 boating fatalities were not wearing a lifejacket.

To view video of a vessel being stopped during Operation Safety Net, click here.

To view video of life jackets being inspected during Operation Safety Net, click here.

To view video of a Coast Guard boarding team inspecting a vessel at night during Operation Safety Net click here.

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