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Life Preserver

May 18th, 2010 admin No comments

Life Preserver

Use Life Vests And Preservers For A Safer Water Experience

With summer approaching, our minds turn to water-based fun and activities. Remembering to include safety vests and life preservers, or personal flotation devices (PFD), can help keep fun from turning into tragedy.

The types and styles of PFD's are many and varied. The one thing that all of them have in common is they are designed to keep a person afloat.

Federal law requires that a United States Coast Guard approved life vest must be provided for every passenger using a recreational watercraft. Boats over sixteen feet must also provide a throw cushion or ring (life preserver), with the exception of canoes and kayaks.

The PFD must be easily accessible to each person. Children under the age of thirteen are required to wear one at all times unless below deck or in an enclosed cabin.

However, on any of these Federal requirements, local and state laws may have more stringent codes that must be followed.

TYPES

Type I: "Offshore"-- rough water, designed for conscious or unconscious person

Type II: "Near-Shore" -- calm, protected waters, designed for conscious or unconscious person, although not as good as Type I in rolling an unconscious person to a face up position

Type III: "Sport" or "Flotation Aid" -- boating sports. Not capable of protecting an unconscious person.

Type IV: Throw cushions and rings -- to be thrown to one that has fallen overboard

Type V: Designed for specific activities -- check label to be sure it is being used as intended.

A life vest must be well fitting and in good condition with no tears, no corrosion on the metal, and straps in working conditions. A child's life vest also has a crotch strap, lifting ring and flotation collar. All vests should be worn according to instructions with straps securely belted.

To check the fit on a child's vest, try to lift the child by the shoulders of the vest. If the vest raises three inches or more without moving the child, the vest is too large.

Inflatable, foam, and a combination of inflatable and foam (hybrid) are types of approved PFD's.

An inflatable vest should be checked every year and status indicators green. A person under the age of sixteen is not to use an inflatable vest. These vests are recommended only for adult swimmers in rough or calm water, as well as sport or activity specific.

Foam life vests are usually approved for adults in rough or calm waters and can be sport or activity specific. For youth, these vests are approved in calm waters and can be sport or activity specific. For children and infant, the foam vests are only approved in calm waters. Foam is also used in throwable preservers.

Hybrids are approved for adult and youth in calm waters and for sport or activity specific. For children, these vests are approved for calm waters. However, hybrids are only approved for wearing PFD's but not throwable preservers.

There are also life vests for disabled and wearable vests for pets.

Blow-up waterwings, air mattresses, rafts and other toys are not a form of a PFD.

For more information on life vests, visit http://lifevests.com.

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