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Personal Safety Equipment

I think boaties are pretty aware that they need safety equipment on board – PFDs, flares and EPRIRBs if you go that bit further afield. Having them on board, though, is not enough. Do you and your crew know where they are and how to use them, in case you need them in a hurry? One of the first things we train on our Rescue vessels is where all of our safety gear is; our crew have to be able to get the equipment straight away, without having to think where it is. The next thing is: do you know how to use the safety equipment? Because virtually noone actually sets off flares, would you know how to, in an emergency? Sitting down and reading the instructions over a cuppa is far better than trying to work out what you need to do if your life depends on it. Flares: Every year at Stanmore bay Beach we hold a demonstration, where we let off real flares, and you get to let them off too. They get very hot, so it’s good to see them in action. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page (Coastguard Hibiscus) and come along. PFDs: Again, hopefully, you’ll never need them in anger, but if you do it’s good to know that they’ll work. It’s a good idea at the start of every season to check each PFD. Undo the case, manually inflate the PFD and check that it’s not leaking. If it’s an inflatable one, check the cylinder is in one piece and you can weigh it to check that it’s full (the weights are stamped on the side). Finally, if you have an EPIRB, push the test button every month or so, just to check that all is well.

Keith Roberts President Coastguard Hibiscus Inc. president@coastguardhibiscus.org.nz

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