Safe Boating Campaign Message Board

Association of Marina Industries (AMI) Endorses the "Wear It!" Campaign

Outreach — Thur, 19 Nov 2009 14:17:41 GMT

AMI Endorses "WEAR IT" Campaign

Washington DC- The Association of Marina Industries (AMI) recently joined a number of recreational marine organizations in endorsing the "Wear It" campaign, a product of the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC).

Jim Frye, Chairman of the Association of Marina Industries (AMI) executed the agreement at a meeting of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council (NBSAC). "Wear It" is one part of the National Strategic Plan drafted by NBSAC to assist the United States Coast Guard in reducing recreational boating deaths and injuries.

The objective of the "Wear It" campaign is to increase life jacket wear since the majority of fatalities on the water are due to drowning, not trauma from collisions. To implement this plan, the Coast Guard provided a grant to the National Safe Boating Council to carry out these objectives and strategies.

Frye told the group in attendance "AMI is committed to safe boating and we will be asking member marinas to help encourage boaters to wear life jackets and to keep life jackets in stock in their stores."

The "Wear It" campaign is currently housed in 48 states, each having their own campaign with the overall mission to educate boaters on the importance of lifejacket wear, and also teach them about the new inflatable lifejackets which are less cumbersome than former lifejacket models and can be more comfortably worn.

The "Wear It" campaign is currently conducting a survey of boaters to assess the impact and awareness of the North American Safe Boating Campaign's "Wear It!" message and help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the annual campaign. AMI is asking marinas to tell their boaters about the survey and request that they take a minute to complete it. NSBC plans to offer three levels of gift certificate awards based on drawings of survey participants. First prize will be a $1,000 gift certificate. In addition, 10 second prizes of $100 gift certificates and 20 third prizes of $25 gift certificates. The survey will conclude in mid-December. The survey can be found here http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/09survey.htm

About AMI: Association of Marina Industries is a non-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of the marina industry.

About NSBC: The NSBC is the foremost coalition for the advancement and promotion of safer boating through education.

About NBSAC: NBSAC provides advice and recommendations to the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard on matters relating to recreational boating safety.

Jim Frye, Chairman of AMI and James Muldoon, Chairman of NBSAC

2009 "Be a Survivor: Wear It!" Winner Announced

Outreach — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:54:51 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Contact: Rachel Burkholder, National Safe Boating Council

Phone: (703) 361-4294

E-Mail: outreach@safeboatingcouncil.org

Contact: Laurie Fried, West marine

Phone: (831) 761-6944

E-Mail: LaurieF@westmarine.com

2009 Be a Survivor: Wear It! Contest Winner Announced

Survivor Story Stresses Importance of Always Wearing a Life Jacket

Washington, DC (October 31, 2009) The National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) has officially announced the highly anticipated winning entry to this years Be a Survivor: Wear It! Contest. The contest, first introduced in 2006, seeks testimonials from individuals that have been saved by their life jacket.

This years winner is Brandon Duffey from DeWitt, Iowa. Brandon tells the story of a day of kayaking on the water that quickly turns to a tale of survival. Brandon was kayaking alone one afternoon when the weather got bad and capsized his kayak. The waves were over 3 high and the water was only 40* F. Because Brandon was wearing his life jacket, he was able to stay with his boat and call 911 from his cell phone. Without his life jacket, Brandon may have not been able to share his truly remarkable story.

The National Safe Boating Council is happy that we could once again partner with West Marine to recognize people out there that make the responsible decision to always wear their life jacket, remarks Virgil Chambers, Executive Director of the NSBC. Each year, over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drown, and of those, ninety (90) percent are not wearing a life jacket. Brandons story is an excellent example to others of how we can fight this sobering statistic.

Brandon will receive a $1,000 shopping spree courtesy of West Marine, the worlds largest boating supply and accessory store. This is the fourth year that the NSBC has partnered with West Marine for the Be a Survivor! contest.

We commend this years winner and are pleased to have the opportunity to recognize Brandon Duffey for his responsible boating efforts, comments Laurie Fried, Director of Community Relations for West Marine. This contest, along with the efforts of the NSBC, are extremely important in promoting safer boating.

The winning story, as well as other entries submitted through the contest, have the opportunity to be published in a future version of NSBCs popular publication, Saved by the Jacket. Each year, the winner is chosen based on their survivors attitude and their story illustrating the importance of always wearing a life jacket. Please visit http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/survivor09.htm to read this year's winning entry.

ABOUT WEST MARINE

West Marine, the largest specialty retailer of boating supplies and accessories, has more than 330 company-operated stores located in 38 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and two franchised stores located in Turkey. Our call center and Internet channels offer customers approximately 50,000 products and the convenience of exchanging catalog and Internet purchases at our store locations. Our Port Supply division is one of the largest wholesale distributors of marine equipment serving boat manufacturers, marine services, commercial vessel operators and government agencies. For more information on West Marine's products and store locations, or to start shopping, visit westmarine.com or call 1-800-BOATING (1-800-262-8464).

ABOUT NATIONAL SAFE BOATING COUNCIL

Formed in 1958, the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC), a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, is the foremost coalition for the advancement and promotion of safer boating through education and outreach. The NSBC is comprised of over 330 national, regional, and local boating and water safety agencies, organizations and corporations that are all committed to boating safety.

"Wear It!" Survivor Story

Outreach — Thur, 10 Sep 2009 14:36:20 GMT

Good morning, all. Below is an e-mail that was received by Ohio DNR from an individual that had received an inflatable life jacket during this summer's "Wear It Ohio!" program. I just wanted to share this great story with all of you.

I thought I'd share an experience I had last Wednesday on Lake Michigan. We were kayaking. I was wearing my inflatable pfd that you offered me in the "Wear It Ohio" program. We were six miles north from our launch point heading into a steady northerly breeze on a day that was crystal clear. We were somewhat protected from the winds as a point of land extended into the lake north of us.

At 1 o'clock we were eating a sandwich and my sister said let's not tarry. I noticed increasing whitecaps 300 yds off shore. Heading back south, the protection of the point diminished and it was rough. I capsized and had little choice in the matter. I'm wearing a long sleeve baggy shirt, swimming trunks, cockpit skirt, Tilley hat with chin strap, and your pfd. I'm in 3 to 4 ft waves under the boat trying to self rescue. The third member of the party is nowhere to be seen and my sister is about 30 yds away battling waves herself.

I get to the surface, the hat chin strap is around my neck, the waves are coming so fast I hardly have time to get a breath, and I'm groping for the pull cord to inflate the vest. I yank on it and it inflates so tightly that I'm nearly choking. My sister gets to me, my kayak is long gone, blowing quickly to shore, I grab the tail end of her kayak and she pulls me in on my back.

A couple of points can be made: The vest was essential, the Tilley hat was a bad idea (as the cord was partially choking me), we should have turned back sooner, and it was a lovely day for a paddle and I needed an experience like this. I also had the inherently buoyant vest on the kayak, but it would not be of value as the kayak was being blown by the wind. I'm 64 and a strong swimmer. My sister is 57. The third member of the party showed up later having had his own difficulties. I ended up going back the next day for my boat.

I wanted to share this with you as I know how safety minded you are and also to offer my appreciation for the vest program. I can tell you without hesitance, I always wear it when I'm in my boat.

2009 "Be a Survivor: Wear It!" Contest Ends TODAY at 5:00 EST

Outreach — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:54:30 GMT

If youre a boater whose life has been saved by a life jacket, share your survival story. The winning entry will receive a $1,000 shopping spree at West Marine!

All eligible entrants will receive a NSBC boating safety item valued at approximately $5.00 and might have his or her entry included in a future edition of the book Saved By the Jacket or on a boating safety Web site!

Visit our web site at http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/09contest.htm for entry details. Remember - you only have until 5:00 EST TODAY (09/02/09)!

2008 USCG Boating Safety Statistics Now Available

Outreach — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:14:19 GMT

Coast Guard reports a rise in 2008 recreational boating fatalities

WASHINGTON The U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday the publication of the 2008 boating safety statistics, reporting a rise in recreational boating fatalities.

The fatality rate, a measure of the number of deaths against the number of registered recreational boats, increased from 5.3 in 2007 to 5.6 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational boats in 2008. During this time, the Coast Guard recorded 709 deaths, 3,331 injuries and approximately $54 million dollars in damage to property, stemming from 4,789 recreational boating accidents.

Operator inattention, careless or reckless operation, no proper lookout, operator inexperience and passenger or skier behavior rank as the top five contributing factors to recreational boating accidents.

Alcohol consumption continues to be of major concern in fatal boating accidents and is listed as the leading contributing factor in 17 percent of the deaths.

Rear Adm. Kevin Cook, the Coast Guard's director of prevention policy, emphasized the importance of boating education saying, The 2008 report shows a clear link between safety and boating education by highlighting that only 10 percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety education. This statistic indicates that boaters who have taken a boating safety course are less likely to be involved in an accident. In addition, two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned; and of those, 90 percent were not wearing a life jacket. The Coast Guard urges all boaters, whether as an operator or passenger, to take a boating safety course and to always wear your life jacket."

To view the 2008 recreational boating safety statistics, go to: http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/accident_stats.htm.
For more information on boating responsibly, go to: http://www.uscgboating.org/.

We Want Your Feedback!

Outreach — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:19:03 GMT

Now that National Safe Boating Week has come and gone and your "Wear It!" campaigns are in full-force, we want to know how we can better serve you.

Please take a few moments to fill out the 2009 Campaign Evaluation. This provides us with valuable feedback to improve the campaign.

You can go directly to the Evaluation at:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB228Y834DZ6M

You can also find it under the "Wear It Campaign!" heading on the main campaign page (www.safeboatingcampaign.com).

This year, we will be sending out a Wear It! "Dry Bag" to thank you for completing the Evaluation. This bag will keep all of your documents and possessions dry while on the water.

Thanks for all you do to promote the "Wear It!" campaign and boating safety efforts.

NSBC and Sperry Top-Sider Partner for NSBW to bring you a great deal!

Outreach — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:55:26 GMT

During NSBW (today - May 22), Sperry Top-Sider (www.sperrytopsider.com) is offering a 10% discount on each item that is purchased on their web site with a special code (SAFE) and a percentage of each purchase is donated to the NSBC!

2009 Press Kits Now Available

Outreach — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:33:20 GMT

Will you be talking to the media about your National Safe Boating Week efforts and are not sure what to say? Do you need a sample PSA? Do you need the updated USCG boating statistics?

All this and more is available in the 2009 Press Kits (http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com/presskit.htm) - both in MS Word and PDF formats. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the Press Kit, please e-mail your request, including your shipping address, to outreach@safeboatingcouncil.org.

Thank you and keep up the excellent work!

2009 Campaign Evaluation

Outreach — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:29:44 GMT

Have an opinion about the 2009 Campaign? We want to hear about it!

The 2009 Evaluation has been posted at the following link:
http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB228Y834DZ6M

You can also find it under the "Wear It Campaign!" heading on the main campaign page.

We greatly appreciate your feedback and comments about campaign materials, the Web site, and other resources that are available. We will even send you a "thank you!" item for completing the Evaluation.

Thanks for all you do to promote the "Wear It!" campaign and boating safety efforts.

Power Points now on SlideShare

Outreach — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:04:14 GMT

Good afternoon, all!

Just a quick update about the campaign - our power point presentations are now available on http://www.slideshare.com and you can find them at this link: http://www.slideshare.net/OutreachNSBC.

SlideShare is a really neat site that will actually allow you to get the power points from the web site. As always, the presentations are still available on the campaign web site, but this just allows one more way to get the "Wear It!" message out to boaters across the country and around the world.

We're busily getting everything together for NSBW - check back soon for the 2009 Press Kit and news releases. The Free Resources will be available around the beginning of March as well.

Thanks for all you do for the campaign - it's a success because of you!

New Web Site for a New Year!

Outreach — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:17:21 GMT

Greetings all and Happy Holidays!

We've recently spent some time updating the Campaign web site (www.safeboatingcampaign.com) to make it a little more user-friendly and accessible for your own campaign purposes. Please take some time to look over the new layout and - as always - if you have any suggestions, please let us know! Feel free to post thoughts on the message board or e-mail your suggestions to outreach@safeboatingcouncil.org.

We're hard at work here gearing up for NSBW 2009 (May 16 - 22, 2009) so check back often for updates, new resources, and other great features to help make this year's "Wear It!" campaign the best yet!

The North American Safe Boating Campaign wishes you a wonderful and safe Holiday season!

Outreach — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:46:50 GMT

If youre bored over the holidays or just surfing the Internet, check out the new things the Campaign has to offer. The Campaign is all over the Internet these days! Check us out on:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/safeboatingcampaignwearit

Twitter: http://twitter.com/boatingcampaign

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/outreachnsbc

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bristow-VA/North-American-Safe-Boating-Campaign/30854502063

Get ready for some changes in 2009 were working hard to make sure the Campaign has all the resources you need for a successful Wear It! Campaign. Well be adding new pages on the website, asking your opinion through surveys, and we are working to offer you more downloadable resources.

Is there something you think the Campaign is missing? Let us know! Feel free to e-mail your suggestions to outreach@safeboatingcouncil.org or start a thread on the Message Board.

Remember to "Wear It" this 4th of July Weekend!

Outreach — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:08:53 GMT

JULY 4^TH IS PEAK WEEKEND FOR BOATING ACCIDENTS/FATALITIES

North American Safe Boating Campaign Urges All Boaters to Wear Life Jackets

and Be a Survivor!

WASHINGTON, DC, June 27, 2008 --- This July 4^th, many of the nations 78 million recreational boaters and nearly 13 million registered watercraft will be out on the water where the party atmosphere and sheer volume of traffic, especially after dark, combine to make this the deadliest weekend of the year for boating accidents and fatalities. More Americans go boating over the 4th of July weekend than any other holiday weekend and according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which monitors mishaps around these holiday traditions, an alarming number of them will end up in hospital emergency rooms.

To help reduce accidents and fatalities, this years North American Safe Boating Campaign is making an extra effort during the July 4^th weekend to target recreational boaters with messages about safe boating behavior and the critical importance of wearing life jackets. Headlined Wear It! the campaigns official theme since 2006 - the focus on life jacket wear is driven by grim data. Last year, drowning was the reported cause of death in two-thirds of all boating fatalities, and 90 percent of those who drowned were not wearing any kind of flotation device.

The fatalities that we have in boating dont have to happen, says Virgil Chambers, Executive Director of the National Safe Boating Council, the organization that spearheads this effort. We recommend that you wear your life jacket at all times not just on certain craft, not just certain times of the year, all the time - because you just dont know when an accidents going to happen, when youre going to find yourself suddenly and unexpectedly in the water.

The 2008 campaign has two national components: First, the campaigns official spokesperson, Rupert Boneham, popular contestant on the hit CBS television show Survivor, is appearing on radio and television Public Service Announcements available for broadcast throughout the U.S. Boneham shows how todays life jackets are easier and more comfortable to wear than ever and asks all boaters adults and children - to wear their life jackets, not just stow them on board.

A second aspect of the campaign is a Be a Survivor: Wear it! contest that asks boaters of all ages to submit personal testimonials on how wearing a life jacket saved their life or the lives of loved ones. West Marine, a retailer of boating supplies and services, has donated two $1000 shopping sprees to be awarded to the winners of the two contest categories: essay and video. The contest runs through September 2nd,with winners announced on or around October 31st. Contest details and entry forms can be found at http://www.safeboatingcampaign.net/survivor.htm or at any of the 372 West Marine retail outlets.

This July 4^th, as harbors, bays, and rivers fill with watercraft and families flock to waterfront fireworks displays, the many participants in the North American Safe Boating Campaign will be working to save lives on the water. Its a team effort, involving the National Safe Boating Council, the United States Coast Guard, the Canadian Safe Boating Council, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, and scores of state, local, and regional not-for-profit and volunteer organizations from coast-to-coast. In addition to the PSAs and contest, they are implementing hundreds of local boating safety initiatives, from distributing educational materials to providing boating safety classes to performing free Vessel Safety Checks to make sure every vessel is seaworthy and has its required safety equipment on board.

But life jackets are key. Says spokesperson Rupert Boneham, I love being able to show my daughter that its okay to encourage others to wear life jackets, its okay to be that one thats a little more safety minded. Accidents can happen in a split second, and theres rarely time to reach a stowed life jacket in an emergency. Thats why its so important to just wear it.

Recognize those who help

twalke — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:39:57 GMT

The North American Safe Boating Campaign has an extensive assortment of resources on its campaign Web site at: http://www.safeboatingcampaign.com

Among these resources is a collection of downloadable pdf certificates which can be customized (with text entry in Acrobat Reader) with the names and accomplishments of those individuals you'd like to recognize for their accomplishments and contributions to promote and teach safe boating.

Certificates are located at:

http://www.safeboatingcampaign.net/certificates.htm

Versions include certificates with graphics for powerboating, paddling, personal watercraft (PWCs), and anglers.

Let them know you appreciate their efforts with this recognition.

Kids on the water

twalke — Sun, 25 May 2008 23:33:25 GMT

Do you have an upcoming boating safety program or a public event on the water--don't forget about the younger members of your boating audience.

The National Safe Boating Council's Boating Safety Sidekicks and its full suite of publications, interpretive displays, and online fun just may be the answer for this audience.

Activity books can be found at:

http://www.safeboatingcampaign.net/paid-resources.htm

More resources can be found at:

http://www.boatingsidekicks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv

And their interactive Web site is chock full of fun at:

http://www.boatingsidekicks.com