January 6, 2009

Survival training for commercial fishermen offered in Kodiak

From a Coast Guard press release:

The Coast Guard and the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association are scheduled to provide survival training to mariners Thursday and Friday at Coast Guard Base Kodiak.

Winter fisheries in Alaska are some of the most dangerous in the world, where the difference between life and death can be traced back to training and preparedness. The Coast Guard and AMSEA have historically provided training to mariners each January, shortly before the start of the tanner crab season.

During the training, mariners have direct discussions with Coast Guard rescue swimmers on what to expect during a rescue. They also practice donning their survival suits in the base pool. The experience and understanding of how to don a survival suit has been shown to increase survivability of a maritime accident from minutes to hours. If a suit is in poor condition or does not fit, the AMSEA training can alert an individual to this potentially deadly problem before heading out to sea.

The course is free for licensed commercial fisherman and $175 for other boaters. There is a $50 discount for AMSEA members. The course meets U.S. Coast Guard requirements for fishing vessels.

The two day course will include instruction on:

Cold water survival skills

EPIRBS flares and maydays

Man overboard recovery

Fire Fighting

Flood Control

Immersion suits and PFD's

Life rafts

Helicopter evacuation

Emergency drills

Abandon ship procedures

The pool session is Thursday from 1-4 p.m. followed by classroom instruction and drills Friday.

For more information or to register contact AMSEA at 888-508-3287, 907-747-3287 in Sitka or 907-487-2269 in Kodiak. Individuals may also contact Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak at 907-486-5918.

Media interested in attending the training or receiving a photo and broadcast video package should contact Public Affairs Detachment Kodiak at 907-487-5700.

For more information about AMSEA and its programs, visit www.amsea.org.