Montauk, NY, June 4, 2012 – The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Coast Guard Auxiliary and New York Sea Grant (NYSG) program hosted a Safety-At-Sea training event in mid-May at the Coast Guard Station in Montauk, N.Y.
The event, conducted by Coast Guard, certified fishing vessel drill instructors and designed for vessel masters, operators and crews of uninspected passenger vessels and local charter vessels, featured an overview of safety standards and demonstrations throughout the day. Participants were educated on a variety of safety issues including firefighting, lifesaving, CPR/first aid, drug and alcohol testing requirements, licensing and the proper use, fit and function of marine survival equipment.
NYSG Fisheries Specialist Antoinette Clemtson worked with the U.S. Coast Guard on this, the third Safety-At-Sea workshop, though with a slightly different focus. "This year, the consensus was to target operators of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (UPVs), given the stated interest from the USCG to increase the agency’s outreach to this vessel category," she says. "For our partners in the health field, I should emphasize that these captains and crew face a unique and challenging work environment operating from a small craft."
Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Giunta, a machinery technician at Station Montauk, concurred with Clemtson, saying, “Our goal was reaching commercial fisherman and charter boat captains. By reviewing the safety equipment, they’ll be able to help themselves in the event of a search and rescue situation. The life raft will help keep them safe from the elements. The EPIRB will show us where to find them. If we can help them, it’ll help us."
“The training went great,” said Ted Williams, Sales and Marine Safety Coordinator with Hercules Securing Lifting and Rigging, whose survival gear demonstration included the discharge of a fire extinguisher, the deployment of a (dud) flare and the inflation of a six-person life raft on the station’s grounds. “If what we did will help save a life, it’s worth it. I’ll train one person if I have to. One or one hundred, it doesn’t matter.”
“We had a diverse group,” said Williams, “and I got some good feedback from them. It’s important to know what’s getting through and to bring them into the culture of safety. They’ll go back to their boatman’s association meetings and they’ll talk about what they saw today. It opens their eyes. The word will get out. One guy came up to me after the event and said he was going to go home and check the batteries on his lights.”
Last October, NYSG's Clemetson, who organized the 2010 and 2011 Safety-At-Sea training program, was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding outreach by Captain Joseph M. Vojvodich, U.S. Coast Guard regional commander for Sector LIS, during a 40th anniversary ceremony at Stony Brook University. The USCG was an important partner in this successful program.
"The lessons learned during the hands-on training with lifesaving gear, damage control measures, and firefighting equipment will not soon be forgotten by the participants," said Vojvodich.
For this project, Clemetson also received the Northeast Sea Grant Consortium Outstanding Outreach Achievement Award in November 2011.
New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 32 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.
Ted Williams, Sales and Marine Safety Coordinator with Hercules Securing Lifting and Rigging, demonstrates the proper use of a fire extinguisher during a passenger vessel safety event held at Coast Guard Station Montauk, N.Y., Wednesday, May 17, 2012. The event was designed to teach basic safety and survival at sea to the captains and crews of local charter fishing vessels. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas McKenzie.
Ted Williams, Sales and Marine Safety Coordinator with Hercules Securing Lifting and Rigging, demonstrates the proper use of an Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon during a passenger vessel safety event held at Coast Guard Station Montauk, N.Y., Wednesday, May 17, 2012. The event was designed to teach basic safety and survival at sea to the captains and crews of local charter fishing vessels. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas McKenzie.
Coast Guard Auxiliarist Michael Doherty reviews the procedures of a vessel safety inspection with the captains and crews of vessels during a passenger vessel safety event held at Coast Guard Station Montauk, N.Y., Wednesday, May 17, 2012. The event was designed to teach basic safety and survival at sea to the captains and crews of local charter fishing vessels. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas McKenzie.
A six-person life raft is inflated for demonstration on the grounds of Coast Guard Station Montauk, N.Y, Wednesday, May 17, 2012, during a passenger vessel safety event held to teach basic safety and survival at sea to the captains and crews of local charter fishing vessels. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas McKenzie.
Ted Williams, Sales and Marine Safety Coordinator with Hercules Securing Lifting and Rigging, demonstrates the life-saving capabilities of a six-person life raft inflated on the grounds of Coast Guard Station Montauk, N.Y, Wednesday, May 17, 2012. The demonstration was part of a passenger vessel safety event held to teach basic safety and survival at sea to the captains and crews of local charter fishing vessels. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas McKenzie.
