5 Essential Elements of a Boat Safety Briefing
As spring gains its sea legs in many parts of the world, boat owners are gearing up to invite friends and family out for some fun in the sun. Perhaps you are one of them. But as eager as everyone is to get back out there, the top of the season is a great time to revisit how to conduct a proper boat safety briefing for passengers.
As the operator, remember that drinking and driving a boat is frowned upon every bit as much as drinking and operating a car.
Here, we will highlight the basic components and strategies of a proper safety briefing and how to make it as painless as possible. You will need to adapt your briefing to take into account your boat and the waters you regularly traverse.
When to Conduct a Boat Safety Briefing
When you’re ready to head out on the first sunny day of the season, surrounded by hyped-up family and friends, you may be tempted to present a “safety briefing” after you’ve left the dock. This is a bad idea.
Experienced boat owners understand that even when you know what you’re doing, things can go wrong on the water. “Gilligan’s Island” didn’t get 98 episodes and three made-for-TV movies because everything went right. Whether it’s a short afternoon excursion or an overnight trip, safety is paramount. Your first step should be to get your passengers to focus on you for a safety briefing. Before you leave the dock.
Help them understand that, though you’re the captain, everyone on board is part of a team. If something goes wrong, you might need their help.
1. Talk About Life Jackets
Get hands-on as you explain the life jackets. Don’t just point out where they’re located. Have each passenger try one on (and maybe keep it on?) and adjust it to fit them properly. Make sure they understand the need to get their life jacket on immediately in case of an emergency or when instructed to do so. Depending on local regulations, some people in the boat may be required to wear a life jacket all day.
2. Explain the Safety Equipment
Walk your passengers around the boat and physically show them where to find and how to access the basic safety equipment, including:
- Fire extinguishers
- Flares
- Personal flotation devices (PFDs) in addition to life jackets, such as rings and seat cushions
- First-aid kits
This is a good time to ask if anyone has any medical issues you need to know about that might involve medications, injection pens, or inhalers. Also, show them how to unmount a fire extinguisher and activate it. You don’t want an unfamiliar clamp or catch slowing someone down if a fire extinguisher is needed.
3. Demonstrate How to Use the VHF Radio
Show everyone how to operate the VHF radio as part of your boat safety briefing. How do they turn it on? Where is channel 16? How do they transmit and receive? How do they operate the red-button DSC distress option?
Explain that 911 and wireless phone networks might be out of range if you’re off the coast, and that is why they need to know how to operate the radio should the worst occur. Include children who are old enough in this demo; a child who is able to send out a distress call if adults are incapacitated could save lives.
4. Walk Through the Person-Overboard Procedure
Speaking of PFDs, explain how the person-overboard procedure works. Make it clear that if it happens, you’re going to need everyone’s help. Passengers need to know to shout “man overboard” clearly and loudly while they point to the spot where the person went in the water. Assign one or two people to be spotters, and make it clear they must maintain constant visual contact with the person since it takes mere seconds to lose sight of someone in the water.
Also, instruct everyone how vital it is to toss PFDs right away—yes, even if the person is wearing a life jacket—because it can take time to turn the boat around and pick them up. Finally, make sure everyone understands that going into the water to help someone who has fallen overboard almost always ends up with two people being in trouble instead of just one.
5. Show Them How to Stop the Boat During the Boat Safety Briefing
Finally, explain how to shut down the engine. You could go overboard. And if you do, the last thing you want is a bunch of inexperienced passengers desperately trying to figure out how to stop your vessel as you watch it recede toward the horizon. Teach them how to shut down the engine should the worst occur. You don’t want anyone anywhere close to the prop, even if the engine is in neutral.
Once you’re out on the water, you might show some of the more interested passengers the basics of how to run the boat back to a person overboard, in case that becomes necessary.
With the boat safety briefing complete and everyone on the same safety page, it’s time to have some fun. And if you’re in the market for a new or new-to-you boat aboard which to give a boat safety briefing, visit the Boatmart marketplace to search among thousands of boats for sale.
Kurt Brighton
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