With the New Year upon us, many boaters take to the water to enjoy festivities, which can involve shooting off fireworks.
It may seem obvious, but doing fireworks on boats is never a good idea. The Florida Times-Union reported that the Consumer Product Safety Commission stated that on average, 280 people go to the emergency room every day with fireworks-related injuries in the month around the July 4th holiday. This is an important fact to be mindful of if you are planning to shoot off any fireworks this New Year’s Eve.
As disused in an article found in The Log, boaters often look at civic fireworks festivities as an opportunity to discharge expired marine flares. And, while this may be done without any intent to commit a hoax, the firing of a red marine flare in a non-emergency is still a false distress message. It is a federal crime and can be treated as such.
As we head into the holiday weekend, one of the leading causes for accidents is boating while intoxicated. Remember to drink responsibly and designate a driver. Boaters 21 years of age or older are considered to be under the influence, and may not operate a boat or PWC, if their blood alcohol level is 0.08 or more or if drugs are detected.
Additionally, many boaters with limited or no experience on the water are out in heavier than usual traffic. When accidents do happen, the Coast Guard will often broad cast out of channel 16 a series of messages.
Thanks to Sherrie, we will always remember safe boating is no accident!
If you would like to learn more about vessel safety checks, please contact Steve Hults, Staff Officer for Vessel Examinations at steve.hults@uscgaux.net.
Please contact us for more information about our safe boating classes or learning more about getting involved in the Auxiliary, check out our website at www.uscgaux.net follow us on FaceBook @ Apalachee Bay Flotilla 12 or contact our Flotilla Commander Phil Hill at pnkkhill2000@yahoo.com.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard and supports the Coast Guard in nearly all mission areas. The Auxiliary was created by Congress in 1939. For more information, please visit www.cgaux.org.
