Over the past year, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Natural Resources Police Boating Safety Education and Outreach Unit, have conducted many Vessel Safety Checks (VSCs) at marinas across Maryland. The purpose of the vessel safety check is to provide the boat owner/operator with an independent assessment of their vessel. This helps ensure the following: (1) Preventing citations and helps ensure that your vessel meets federal, state, and local safety equipment requirements, (2) Identifies possible equipment defects and costly breakdowns, (3) Increases safe boating practices to help you avoid accidents and injuries, (4) Provides a better understanding for the use and care of your marine safety equipment, (5) Helps ensure environmental compliance, and (6) Increases the boat owner/operator’s level of confidence for them and their passengers safety and survivability.
To date, some of the issues identified include: severely outdated fire extinguishers, outdated flares, outdated and yellowed First Aid Kit components, inoperable navigation lights, no registration onboard or on the person, non-secured CHT-Y valve, no emergency day orange distress flag, engine room exhaust blower inoperative, defective and inoperable bilge pumps, no sound producing device or horn, missing MARPOL environmental placards (required for vessels over 26 feet), improper display of vessel numbers, and significant corrosion of personnel flotation device (PFD) auto-air inflation cylinders, which were mainly found on PFDs left on sailboats.
For vessels not in compliance, there is no citation issued. This gives the boat owner/operator the opportunity to correct any deficiencies, without penalty. Another follow-up re-inspection, once deficiencies are corrected, is also free.
Upon successful completion of the safety check, boaters will be provided a VSC safety sticker that will be displayed on the helm window, alerting DNR, the U.S. Coast Guard, and local police maritime units that you have taken the time and effort to go through this process, and that you comply with federal, state, and local safety equipment requirements. While this does not mean that you will not be stopped by a maritime police agency, it ensures them that you were previously in compliance the day of your check.
Another consideration is for the rapid identification and deployment of emergency medical gear. On land, a call to 911 is usually responded to in minimal time. Once out at sea, emergent medical care could be significantly longer, and an emergency First Aid Trauma (FAT) kit should be readily accessible, identifiable, and effective. It is highly recommended that boaters complete in-person medical training, such as CPR, Choking Hazard, Stop the Bleed, and potential use of multiple tourniquets, in addition to the ability to treat burns. The objective is to have the capability to address emergent medical care and achieve the first 15-minute stabilization medical care, until proper treatment can be obtained.
It is recommended that medical supplies be obtained from reputable distributors, not from eBay, Etsy, or Temu, or other non-medical suppliers. There have been reports of counterfeit medical equipment, such as counterfeit tourniquets, that are not fit for their intended purpose.
Please schedule a free VSC at your marina’s front office or contact your nearest U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla or U.S. Power Squadrons for more information.
By Steve Gershman, Natural Resources Police Reserve Officer
Boating Safety Gear
By Staff
When it comes to boating safety gear, there is a difference between what is required by law versus recommended for added peace of mind.
Common required equipment items (though this will depend on the size and type of vessel) include: wearable PFDs; a throwable PFD; fire extinguisher; navigation lights; horn, whistle, or bell; daytime visual distress signal; nighttime visual distress signal; and a boating safety education certificate, among others. To find the full required equipment list for Maryland and Virginia boaters, visit dnr.maryland.gov and dwr.virginia.gov respectively. You can also plug “required boating equipment for Maryland” and/or “required boating equipment Virginia” into your search bar.
There are many other items that, while not required, could certainly come in handy on the water, including:
- EPIRB: Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons, known as EPIRBs, are designed to send a satellite signal to rescue responders with your GPS location. This can be a game changer for boats that are out of VHF or cell range. Depending on the individual unit, EPIRBs will activate either manually or with water immersion. Such devices generally have about 48 hours of transmission power. Category One EPIRBs mount outside the vessel and are activated by water with a hydrostatic release of the cover. Category Two devices mount inside the vessel and require manual activation. It’s extremely important to register your EPIRB (free at noaa.gov) to link your device with your vessel information.
- PLB: A Personal Locater Beacon, called a PLB, is made for individual use. Like an EPIRB, it sends a signal directly to rescue agencies. Key differences from an EPIRB are that PLBs require manual activation and transmit for approximately 24 hours, about half the time of an EPIRB. A PLB can be attached to a lifejacket. Be sure to register your PLB for free at noaa.gov.
- VHF Radio: A VHF (Very High Frequency) radio is the most reliable way to communicate with other boats and emergency responders on most waterways. New Digital Selective Calling (DSC) radios with a red distress button can even send an emergency call and other important information such as your location to authorities automatically when properly installed and registered. BoatUS Foundation offers a reasonably priced course titled “All About Marine Radio” which teaches how to select and use a VHF radio on your boat. Find it at boatus.org/marine-radio.
Boating Safety Education Requirement: In Maryland, the law states that anyone born on or after July 1, 1972, must possess a certificate of boating safety education in order to operate any motorized vessel. In Virginia, all PWC operators age 14 and older and all operators (regardless of age) of motorboats with a 10 hp or greater engine need to take a boating safety course.
Don’t Forget To…
File a Float Plan – This can be as simple as telling a responsible person where you will be going and when you’ll be back. This might be a text, phone message, or note. It’s best to state your intended destination, planned route, and expected timing. Adding a description of your vessel and the number of people onboard is even better. Even leaving a note under your vehicle’s windshield wiper at the launch ramp can help trigger an alarm if you don’t return in a timely manner. If you’d like a pre-made form to fill out, a very thorough fill-in-the-blank float plan can be found at floatplancentral.cgaux.org.
Complete a Pre-Departure Checklist – You know what they say about assumptions… And you should never assume that everything on your boat is in working order and/or that you have all of your necessary equipment. Maybe you took your PFDs off to clean them (and forgot to bring them back to the boat). Perhaps your fire extinguisher expired (unbeknownst to you). Or, you left the drain plug out… yikes! Getting into the habit of completing a pre-departure checklist will really come in handy. You can find sample checklists from BoatUS and U.S. Power Squadrons online with a quick internet search. Over time, it will be even more handy if you can adapt sample checklists to your specific boat and/or trailer.