<FontFamily>Hi All, Please feel free to send me comments on this article. Thanks, Chuck Sutherland (skimmer_at_enter.net) ----------------------------- (For Delaware Valley TSCA November 2006 newsletter) PFDs for PA Boaters (Proposed new rules)) By Chuck Sutherland (E-mail: skimmer_at_enter.net) Efforts are under way in the U.S. (PA, MA) and Canada to make PFD use mandatory for folks on the water in small boats. The public comment period for the proposed rule changes in PA will run from October 14, 2006 to November 14, 2006. Rule making decisions will be made in January 2007 and will take effect upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. There are two possible options currently on the table. In the lesser case, boaters in watercraft under 16 ft and all canoes and kayaks will be required to wear PFDs at all times on the water in the cold months of the year (October through May). Alternatively, the PA Fish and Boat Commission may vote to require year-round PFD use by such boaters (see item #188 at www.fish.state.pa.us/reg398.ht m). Statistics and dissent In spite of years of effort in the U.S. and Canada, state and federal agencies have been unable to convince the general boating public that wearing PFDs on the water is a good idea. At present, PFD use by the adult boating public remains low (21% Canada, ~ 13% in the U.S.). In the U.S., when they are on the water, many adults wont wear PFDs even to set a good example for children in their boats. In this way, they are training the next generation of boaters to carry on their distain for the use of PFDs. Some US statistics indicate that 7 of 10 boating fatalities occur with boats under 20 ft in length. Drowning is the most common cause of death in such accidents, and in nearly 85% of all boating-related drownings the victims were not wearing PFDs. Alcohol was involved in about a third of those cases and 9 of 10 victims were male. Most drownings occurred within 10 feet of shore or safety. Also, the largest percentage of deaths, relative to the number of boats on the water, occurred during the Off Season when the water was cold. Drowning occurs in an average of 20 seconds for children and in less than a minute for adults. Extensive data on these matters indicate that swimming ability does not correlate strongly with survival in the water. This may be because panic-induced or cold-induced gasping (inhaling water) precludes swimming even if the victim briefly returns to the surface. To rephrase that, without a PFD and regardless of their known swimming ability, some victims do not return to the surface after accidental entry into the water. Arguments against PFD use include confidence in ones swimming ability, lack of comfort or mobility in a PFD, and fear of the wimp factor. PFDs are considered too hot in summer weather. Boaters dont need PFDs because they are staying near shore, they are expert boaters, they have had one or more boating courses, they are with other boaters, and the captain isnt wearing a PFD. I believe that statistics, no matter how dramatic they are, will never convince the U.S. boating public to routinely use PFDs no matter what conditions are encountered out on the water. For information on PFD use, carry out a Google search [pfd use U.S. Canada]. A recent sad case On September 19, 2006, at Avon Beach on Cape Hatteras, NC, a 35-yr-old man borrowed a Sit-on-Top, SOT kayak (short, stable boat with a large outside cockpit) from a neighbor and went out to do a little surfing. He capsized on the first wave about 50 yards offshore. His friends said, He was thrown from the boat. They saw him holding onto the boat and went down to the beach to help him. When they got there, they saw the kayak, but the victim could not be found (information provided by District Ranger John McCutcheon, Cape Hatteras National Seashore). The wave height was 3-4 feet, water temperature 71 o F, air temperature 78 o F, and wind offshore (SSW) at up to 13 knots. Visibility was clear to the horizon. The victim was a novice paddler, a weak swimmer, was dressed in knee-length shorts and was not wearing a PFD. He had had some alcohol during the day before going out. His body was recovered several days later. It is a fact that wind and/or waves can strip a kayak from a swimmers grasp in the blink of an eye. Those of us that have experience in providing kayak instruction know that novices may panic the first time they capsize no matter how much confidence they display before going over. We therefore stand beside them the first few times they capsize (perform the wet exit) to make sure they do not drown due to a panic-driven gasp. One such inhalation of water is enough to drown someone in a minute or two (no wet-exit required with an SOT). When they capsize in rough water, trained paddlers have learned to instantly stop breathing, to then compose themselves and finally either roll the boat up or bail out and swim. Cold water immersion As water temperature falls, another factor enters the picture. Boaters dressed in street clothes, who are suddenly immersed in cold water, experience a reflex (involuntary) gasping response. Without a PFD, the victim inhales water during the moment their momentum drives them under the surface. As in the Cape Hatteras case, they are also often seen briefly at the surface before disappearing from sight. Even nearby boaters can not respond quickly enough to save or even reach such victims. The gasping response, along with immediate increases in heart rate and blood pressure, is called cold shock. Boaters in the general boating population routinely refuse to wear PFDs or any type of wetsuit when they are out on cold water even though many PFDs and wetsuits etc. on the market today are entirely comfortable, moderately priced and long lasting. Well, its October as I write this. The cold season is upon us. There are no programs out there for the general public to train them for cold water boating. Safe Boating Week wont roll around until the end of May 2007 when boaters will again reject and forget the information provided to them. They are swimmers and summertime means warm water boating! Conclusions In the U.S., Canada and many other countries, there is wide spread stubborn resistance to wearing PFDs on all manner of small boats throughout the year. This is the case even though there can be no justifiable argument on any grounds for at least wearing them when out on cold water. The Cape Hatteras case demonstrates that surprise- or panic-induced gasping can also result in rapid drowning in warm air/water conditions. I believe that routine wearing of PFDs should be seen as a sign that the boater is determined to not drown due to an incident that should be barely a trivial bother! The common observation that He died doing something he loved! is utter nonsense! Apart from our poor understanding of responses to sudden accidental immersion in either warm or cold water, there is a total failure in the general boating public to fully grasp a most fundamental attribute of boating accidents. Accidents dont provide Fair Warning! Instead, they deliver a monumental sucker punch when our backs are turned. Despite all manor of training, we can not control when accidents are going to occur. If we are not able to promptly save ourselves, our job is to survive at the surface long enough to be rescued. Boaters are told to wear PFDs because they are hard to put on once you are in the water. No! More often, once you are over the side, it is too late! Folks dont go back for PFDs. As do kayakers capsizing suddenly in rapids, we must stop breathing, collect our wits, and then fight to survive. The accident may not be your fault! Failure to prepare yourself ahead of time is your fault! It looks like new rules governing PFD use by small boat operators are on their way. References: PFD use studies http://www.wearalifejacket.com/ http://ip.bmjjournals.com/cgi/ content/full/4/3/203 More: under Google Search enter [pfd use U.S. Canada] Cold water boating http://www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafe ty/TP/Tp13822/menu.htm http://www.enter.net/~skimmer/ coldwater.html http://www.AtlanticKayakTours. com (go to Expert Center: Coldwater Safety) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu Oct 12 2006 - 16:56:24 PDT
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