Boating Safety Professionals Host 'Ready, Set, Inflate!'
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Tue, 05/10/2011 - 1:03pm
By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
Boating safety officials, volunteers and members of the boating public will hold the second annual “Ready, Set, Inflate!” event at the Reno Cabela’s store Saturday at 10:30 a.m. as part of a nationwide effort to set a world record for the most life jackets inflated in one day.
Last year’s total was 1,154 participants.
Cabela’s is again hosting the event as part of a National Safe Boating weekend, along with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Nevada Department of Wildlife and the National Safe Boating Council as kickoff to National Safe Boating Week that runs from May 21-27.
Before and after the mass inflation, boating experts will be on hand all day to give out safety information, demonstrate traditional, inherently buoyant life jackets and answer questions from the boating public.
Representatives from these organizations will also be on hand all day Sunday for a series of safe boating seminars.
“This is a great family event that introduces people to the innovative and comfortable life jackets available today,” said Fred Messmann, deputy director of the National Safe Boating Council from his office in Sparks. “So many people think life jackets are the same ones they saw twenty years ago, but the technology has advanced far beyond those old designs. As a bonus, boaters can ask experts from many organizations about where to boat and fish or even about what type of boat might be right for them.”
This world record attempt will help to usher in National Safe Boating Week. The yearly safety campaign seeks to educate and inform the boating public about many different boating safety issues, from the dangers of drunken boating to the need for boating education, but the central theme of this year’s safety week is life jacket wear.
For the past several years, the campaign has focused on educating the public about the importance of wearing life jackets—the single most important piece of safety equipment for boaters.
“Wearing a life jacket increases a boater’s chance of surviving a boating accident by upwards of eighty percent,” said Edwin Lyngar, boating educator with the Nevada Department of Wildlife in Reno. “There are still too many fatal accidents where a boater simply drowned. I hope every Nevada boater learns about and wears one of these devices.”
To ensure that this event is a success, the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) and Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) have been working nationally with boating safety educators and organizations, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and Cabela’s, that is once again serving as the national sponsor in the U.S.
“This safety event and partnership has helped raise awareness for safe boating and life jackets, and we are excited to participate again,” said James Kremsner, Auxiliary Flotilla Commander for U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary 11-03 here in Reno. “Boaters that want to get a jump on safety and the boating season should come by Cabela’s this weekend.”
In preparation for this year’s event, a Web site is available to address questions and concerns surrounding this day.
Visit www.ReadySetInflate.com for more information.
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