Alaska Marine Safety

Education Association

Marine Safety Update:
AMSEA's Quarterly Newsletter

Index to Marine Safety Update

This page is an index to AMSEA's Marine Safety Update since December 1997. Article topics for each issue are shown underneath its publication date. Scroll down through the list. When you see something you'd like to read, click on the date to download that issue.

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DOWNLOAD THE CURRENT ISSUE:
Autumn 2011 1.3 MB
Posted November 1, 2011

• Recap of AMSEA's Summer 2011 Training Season
• The Most Visible Color For PFDs and Other Safety Wear
• 2010 Commercial Fishing Fatality Statistics
• List of Available Man Overboard Alarms
• And more...

PAST ISSUES

Summer 2011

• Remembering John Talty
• Skiffs Are the Most Dangerous Type of Vessel
• AMSEA Logs Busiest FV Drill Training Season Ever
• Safety Alerts
• PFDs and Large Midriffs
• And more...

Spring 2011 1.4 MB
Posted April 4, 2011

Special Commercial Fishing Safety Issue

• Questions and Some Answers: Forthcoming FV Regulations
• USCG-Issued Summary of New Requirements for Commercial Fishing Vessels
• Type 1 PFD Safety Alert
• NIOSH Engineers Design a Slack Tank Monitor
• Peggy Barry Honored for Her Contributions to Commercial Fishing Safety
• And more...

Autumn 2010 1.3 MB
Posted October 21, 2010

• Visit AMSEA in Seattle at Pacific Marine Expo!
• NIOSH Studies U.S. Fishing Fatalities: The Gulf of Mexico
• Defining "Cold Water"
• Cell Phone a Hazardous Distraction for Vessel Operators
• Remembering the Lost Crew of a Sitka-Based USCG Helicopter
• New Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations on the Horizon
• And more...

Summer 2010 1.1 MB
Posted July 14, 2010

• AMSEA Celebrates It's 25th Anniversary!
• Change In PFD Requirements Suggested
• Lockout/Tagout On Commercial Fishing Vessels
• How To Repair An Immersion Suit
• Rural Alaskans Surveyed About Boating Safety
• Lessons Learned From the Sinking of the F/V Katmai
• And more...

Spring 2010 880 KB
Posted May 4, 2010

• NIOSH Studies U.S. Fishing Fatalities: The Mid and South Atlantic Coast
• Oil Stoves Pose Fire Hazard
• Are Immersion Suits Enough?
• PFDs That Are Wearable While Working
• AMSEA-Trained Instructors Now Number Over 1,000
• Safety Alert: DCS-Equipped VHF Radios
• AMSEA's New Rural Water Safety Initiative
• And much more...

Winter 2010 2.4 MB
Posted February 18, 2010

• Brief history of the Immersion Suit
• Immersion Suit Maintenance, Testing and Repair: Second in a Three-Part Series
• NIOSH Studies U.S. Fishing Fatalities: Second and Third Parts in a Five-Part Series
• NOAA's New BookletCharts
• LORAN-C Signal Ceases Broadcast
• Problems With Unauthorized EPIRB Batteries
• Real-Life Story: AMSEA Training Credited In Survival of Disaster
• And much more...

Autumn 2009 1.1 MB

• Immersion Suit Maintenance, Testing and Repair: First in a Three-Part Series
• AMSEA Trains New Marine Safety Instructors
• NIOSH Studies U.S. Fishing Fatalities: First in a Five-Part Series
• Misconceptions About Nautical Rules of the Road
• EPIRB Registration Errors Can Prove Costly
• Become a 2010 Member of AMSEA
• And much more...

Summer 2009 1.1 MB

• Immersion Suit Exemption Available For Infants Aboard Commercial FV in AK
• News and Reminders for AMSEA Instructors
• Safety Alerts: Watertight Doors; CFLs
• NIOSH Studies PFDs Suitable for Commercial Fishing
• AMSEA Acquires New Flooding Control Simulator
• And much more...

Spring 2009 1.03 MB

• How To Inspect An Immersion Suit
• IFISH 4 To Be Held in Iceland
• Effectly Use a Signalling Mirror
• Liferaft Buying Tips
• The Danger of Fake Hydrostatic Releases
• And much more...

Fall 2008 1.12 MB

• AMSEA Mini_Grant Applications Being Accepted
• NIOSH Studies PFDs for Commercial Fishermen
• Port of Seattle Recycles Fishing Nets
• The Significance of Immersion Suit Sizing
• New Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Digest Published
• And much more...

Summer 2008 496 KB

• NIOSH Studies Commercial Fishing fatalities Along U.S. West Coast
• New AmeriCorps Member Joins AMSEA Staff
• Comments Sought For Proposed Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations
• AMSEA Completed Busy Spring 2008 Training Season
• A Look At Human's Water Consumption Needs
• And much more...

Early Spring 2008 632KB

• Study Looks At Retention of Learned Survival Skills
• AMSEA Instructors Active Nationwide
• NIOSH Releases New Research On Falls Overboard
• New Courses For Recreational Boaters
• And much more...

Autumn 2007

• Introduction Of New AMSEA Staff
• The Risk of Confined Spaces On Vessels
• AMSEA Membership Thanks And Plea
• New DVD And Curriculum Available
• And more...

Summer 2007

• NIOSH E-Stop Improves Seiner Safety
• Remembering Greg Switlik, Sr.
• Spring 2007 Training Recap
• Liferaft & Immersion Suit Safety For Trainers
• And more...

Spring 2007

• AMSEA Funds Projects With Mini-Grants
• Upcoming Marine Safety Training Opportunities
• NIOSH's Commercial Fishing Safety Program
• AMSEA Winter 2006-2007 Activities Recap
• EPRIB Advisory
• Assessing Risk
• And more...

• 2007 Membership Drive
• Upcoming Marine Safety Training Opportunities
• AMSEA's Work With Western Alaska's Coastal Villages Region Fund
• AMSEA Summer and Fall 2006 Activities Recap
• Report From the USCG's Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Advisory Committee Meeting
• Lifejackets For Infants and Toddlers
• And more...

Late Summer 2006

• Upcoming Marine Safety Training Opportunities
• Gunnar Guddal Remembered
• Alaska Boating Fatality Rates
• AMSEA Spring 2006 Activities Recap
• And more...

Spring 2006

• AMSEA Named ANTHC Partner of the Year
• AMSEA Winter 2005-2006 Activities Recap
• Five AMSEA Mini-Grants Awarded
• EPIRB or PLB Trip Plans
• Nanotextiles
• And more...

Autumn 2005

• Boaters' Increasing Girth Prompts USCG Study
• AMSEA Fall 2005 Activities Recap
• Cheryl Brown reports from Vanuatu
• Pros and Cons of Jumping Into a Liferaft
• Importance of Machinery Lockout/Tag-out
• And more...

Summer 2005

• AMSEA Partnerships Provide Training for Western Alaska
• IFISH3 To Be Held in India
• USMSA Studies Immersion Suits
• Reasons to Stay Dry
• Oregon Capsizing Spurs NTSB Recommendations
• And more...

Spring 2005

• Calorie Expenditure in Cold Water
• Alaska Boating Fatality Trends
• A Weighty Boat Passenger Issue
• Teenagers & Risk-Taking
• And more...

Winter 2005

• Marine Safety Training Opportunities
• Aluminum Corrosion
• Why People Take Risks
• Cold Weather Concerns
• In Praise of Flotation Coveralls
• And more...

Autumn 2004

• Changes to PFD Requirements for Children
• AMSEA Position in Mat-Su Filled
• Marine Safety Training & Events on Tap
• Safety Gear Available For Loan To Instructors
• Terri Stefanovic Joins AMSEA Staff
• New Video Details Liferaft Survival Pack Contents
• And more...

Spring 2004

• Water Purfication Need Stressed
• Lessons from 2003 Casualties
• Changes in Rules of the Road
• Report on Loss of Arctic Rose
• Cold-Water Safety for Kids
• And more...

Winter 2004

• Safety Training Opportunities
• Immersion Suit Zipper Maintenance
• Using PLBs in Wet Environments
• Fishing Safety During Northern Winters
• Photos from IFISH II
• and more...

Please note the following Winter 2004 newsletter corrections (volume 19, number 3):

Correction 1:
LIFERAFT RELEASE VALVE ALERT

It was noted that Elliot and Switlik liferafts should have their valves checked during their yearly required repack. Both brands used a valve manufactured by SDI/Sparklet. However, Switlik Parachute Co. has not used inflation valves manufactured by SDI/Sparklet in new manufacture since September 1999. The rafts affected were manufactured between April, 2002 and June, 2003. Apologies to Switlik Parachute Co. for the error. An advantage of the required yearly repacking of liferafts by an authorized service station, is catching any service notices such as this from the manufacturer.

Correction 2:
Clarification on the affect of water on PLBs

At least one manufacturer--ACR Electronics, Inc.--informs us that their PLBs operate when wet. Tests have verified this ability. Tests also verify that their PLB transmits even when obstructed by a person or object. Another brand of PLB tested did not perform in this manner, however. Most PLBs perform when wet. It was not the intention of the article to infer a problem with all brands of PLBs. Rather to note that, if you are not sure which brand of PLB will perform when wet, it is wise to keep any PLB as dry as possible.

Summer 2003

• Safety Training Opportunities
• IFISH Conference in Sitka
• Skiff Capsizing Provides Grim Lessons
• Safely Using Flares During Training
• Troubling Liferaft Repacking Errors
• Hoax Distress Calls Can Be Costly
• and more...

Spring 2003

• Marine Safety Training Opportunities
• Hydrostatic Release News
• Liferaft Servicing Information
• Automatic Inflation Mechanisms
• Discussion of Cold Water "Shock"

Winter 2002-2003

• New Video, Curriculum & Brochure Available
• Marine Safety Training Opportunities
• Disposing of Outdated Flares
• AMSEA to Host Safety Conference
• Fishery Observers' Safety Survey
• Recipients of AMSEA Mini-Grants Announced
• National Safe Boating Council Grants Available
• Awards Given to Marine Safety Teachers
• USCG Local Notice to Mariners Offered for AK
• and more...

Fall 2002

• AMSEA Training Reaches 100,000
• Incentives Offered to Children's Safety Teachers
• Boating Safety Education Scheduled
• Conferences
• Book Review "Heavy Weather Guide" by W.J. Kotsch
• Man Overboard Statistics
• Bilingual Students Challenge Instructors
• USCG Advisory on MOB Smoke Signals
• Children Required to Wear PFD's in U.S.
• Changes in Store For AMSEA Board and Staff
• New AMSEA E-mail Addresses

Spring 2002 

• Marine Safety Instructor Training Goes To Maine 
• Sitka to Host Marine Safety Instructor Training Course 
• AMSEA Instructors at Work on Many Shores 
• AK Non-Commercial Boating Safety Program Up and Running 
• Surprising Results Revealed in New Alcohol and Boating Study 
• U.S. Law Requiring PFD Use By Children Stalled 
• U.S.C.G. Approved Inflatable PFDs for Children Available 
• New School Curriculum Available Soon 
• Test Immersion Suits Regularly for Size and Defects 
• Irish Fishermen to Receive Mandatory Safety Training 
• False CO Alarms Triggered 
• OSHA Oversees Work At Sea 
• U.S. Naval Vessels Granted Protection Zone 
• Defective Aluminum Alloy Used in Some Boats 
• Interesting Factoids Revealed 
• Bi-Lingual Students can Challenge Instructors

• Instructors for New Boating Course Sought 
• Free Survival Workshops Offered at Symposium 
• Marine Safety Training Available 
• Seward to Host Marine Safety Training Course 
• Need for Safer Practices on Deck Cited 
• Who Wears a PFD in Alaska? 
• Variations on HELP Alter its Effectiveness 
• New PFDs Comfortable and Practical 
• Harvey's Stops Making Immersion Suits 
• Fishing Vessel Safety Tips Sought for Publication 
• Tying EPIRB lanyard to Vessel is Dangerous Practice 
• Book Helpful to Fishing Families Planned 
• Winter: Time to Examine Safety Gear 
• AMSEA Instructor Network News 
• AMSEA Refines Staff E-mail System 
• Jones to Staff AMSEA's New Anchorage Office 
• Supporters Aided AMSEA's 2001 Accomplishments 
• Members to Further Projects in 2002 
• Service Phase-out to Begin 
• Whale Protections Enacted 
• Foul Weather to Affect Fishery Openings

• Instructors Sought for Alaska Recreational Boating Safety Course 
• Marine Safety Instructor Training Heads Down East 
• USMSA Safety Seminar Scheduled in Sitka 
• Function of GPIRBs Explained 
• FCC Radio License: Who Needs One? 
• Warning About Defective Hydrostatic Release Issued 
• Guidelines for Borrowing AMSEA's Equipment 
• Vessel Safety Tips Sought for AMSEA Publicatioin 
• HRSA Grant Funds Curriculum & AMSEA Training for School Teachers 
• AMSEA Instructors Spread Marine Safety Message 
• Applicants Sought for AMSEA Rail Belt Position 
• USCG Award to Benefit Fishers and Children 
• Websites Offer Varied Information 
• Navigational Charts Available On-line

• Marine Safety Instructor Classes Held 
• AMSEA Teacher Workshops Scheduled 
• Marine Safety & Survival Programs Flourish in Alaska Schools 
• Safety Training for Fishermen Hits the Road on West Coast 
• Wise Words for Boating Season 
• Free Alaska Boater's Handbook Available 
• Whales & Boats: A Dangerous Mix 
• Simulator Enhances Navigation Training 
• Cell Phones: Unreliable for Marine Communication 
• Websites Worth Visiting 
• Hypothermia/Survival Conference Planned 
• CO Poisoning Affects Boaters 
• Zodiac Rafts Recalled 
• Bayley Immersion Suit Bladders Fail 
• Boating Safety Instructor Courses Slated 
• Kaino Ceases Operation 
• Migrant Education Programs Can Offer Marine Safety & Survival

• Experience & Safety Training Reduce Recreational Boating Fatalities 
• Marine Safety Instructor Training on Tap 
• Fishing Fatalities Down 
• Pet Life Jackets Help Keep Fido Afloat 
• Recent Marine Safety Training in Alaska 
• AMSEA Office Well Staffed 
• Hoonah Harbor Staff Recognized for Promoting PFD Use 
• Marine Safety Education Aids to Order 
• AMSEA's 2000 Achievements & What's Coming Up 
• Teacher's Page: Psychological Aspects of Survival Activity 
• H.L. Bolton Emergency Eyewash Products Recalled 
• Web Sites Offer Useful Info 
• USCG Urges Maintenance of Watertight Hatches and Fittings 
• Alaska DMV Now Handling Boat Registration 
• Support AMSEA Through Workplace Giving
• AVTEC Simulator a Go 
• Cell Phones Not Always Reliable for Emergency Communication at Sea

• MSIT Course on Tap for Galveston 
• AMSEA Marine Safety Instructor Training Completed in Sitka 
• Well-Received Teachers' Workshops to Continue in 2001 
• Pennington & O'Gara Join Boating Safety Advisory Council 
• Forthcoming Curriculum Furthers Alaska Boating Safety 
• Preparation Activity: Weather Log 2 
• Minimizing Risk of Sudden Death During Safety Training 
• Unscrupulous Life Raft Repackers Occasionally Found 
• Some First Alert Fire Extinguishers Recalled 
• Shipwrecks on Video 
• AMSEA Video Explains Immersion Suit Use & Care 
• F/V Adriatic Loss Report On-Line 
• Amazing Man-Overboard Rescue Adventure Invokes Sense of Humor 
• Alaska DMV Will Handle Boat Registration 
• Marine Safety Ally Barb Burch Named Volunteer of the Year 
• Boat/U.S. Launches Two New Services 
• Free Software Analyzes Boating Accident Risks 

• Alaska School Teachers Deliver Safety Instruction 
• Preparation Activity 
• Old Immersion Suits Never Die - They Mutate! 
• Electromagnetic Radiation on Boats: Is It Harmful? 
• Fish Hooks Endanger Eyesight 
• Video Reveals Crabbers' Life 
• USMSA Promotes Marine Safety 
• Marine Safety Industry Spawns Numerous Web Sites 
• Tanana Chiefs Receive Water Safety Award

• Increased Charter Activity Raises Safety Concerns 
• AMSEA Instructors Spread Marine Safety Message 
• Seven Step Survival Walk Teaching Activity 
• Recreational Boaters Have Higher Probability of Drowning Than Those In Commercial Fisheries 
• Parents with Sound Safety Practices Instill Similar Good Habits in their Children 
• AMSEA Web Site Problem Corrected 
• New! On-line Forum for Instructors 
• Book Brings Tlinget Point of View to Science Classroom 
• Keep Those Teeth Sharp 
• Free Help Available from USCG Fishing Vessel Office 
• Check Radios for Optimal Range and Performance 
• Simple Five-Step Stability Test Explained 
• Lessons Learned: A Report from the USCG 
• Fishing-Related Fatalities A Global Problem 
• High School Students Narrowly Avoid Disaster

• Alaska Students Benefit from Teacher Workshops 
• Safety Training: How Much Is Enough? 
• Michael Jones Sails Away; Steven Campbell Comes Onboard 
• Marine Safety Training Top Priority in Kodiak 
• Life Raft Servicing - Why Do It Every Year? 
• Obtain Alaska Weather Reports by Phone 
• Hydrostatic Release Check Advised (diagram) 
• AMSEA Reviews 1999 Achievements 
• 121.5/243 EPIRB Phaseout to Take Place 
• Marine Safety Refresher Class Held in Oregon

• Minimizing an Oil Spill Clean-Up Bill 
• Canada Adopts Recreational Boat Operator Requirements 
• Activity Idea for Instructors: Compass & Rope Exercise 
• Consider More Than Price When Purchasing Safety Equipment 
• Worn Cable Cited in Seiner Fatality 
• PFDs Aid Recovery of Overboard Victims 
• Knowledge of Location Vital to Survival 
• Life Raft Repackers Lose USCG Approval 
• Bailey's Immersion Suit Alert 
• Study Cites Declining U. S. Drowning Rate

Back to top...

• Fishing Industry Workers Risk Eye Injuries 
• Marine Safety Information Accessible On-line 
• Keep Life Raft Instructions in Handy Location 
• New Recreational Boating Safety Book Available 
• Safe Boating Act Closer to Enactment 
• Immersion Suit Video Ready for Viewing 
• Helm Orders Created Navigational Chaos 
• Ellie Evans Retires from Marine Advisory Program 
• AMSEA Instructor Rex Lauber Sails the World 
• Sea Grant's Brenda Baxter Steps Down 
• An Immersion Suit Bag is NOT a Laundry Bag 
• Wrong EPIRB Part Proves Disasterous on F/V Adriatic 

• New Boating Safety Book Available Soon 
• NEW! Immersion Suit Video Ready for Viewing 
• Broken Immersion Suit Zipper Leads to Loss of Life  
• Rules of the Road Loophole: Commercial Trollers 
• Restricted in Their Ability to Maneuver 
• Support for Uniroyal and Uni-raft Liferafts Terminated 
• EPIRBs, GPS and Y2K: Is There a Problem? 

• AMSEA Receives Funding for Schools Project 
• What's New on the AMSEA Web site 
• Scholarship Funds Donated 
• Directors Corner 
• New Immersion suit Video Available 
• GMDSS 
• Rent an EPIRB 
• USCG Clarifies Regulations on Flare Replacement in Liferafts 
• Kids Don't Float Program Saves a Life 
• Might Have Been Rescued in a Flash 
• New Brochure on Dive Safety Now Available at AMSEA 
• Commercial Fishing Vessel Industry Advisory Committee Meeting 
• LORAN System Saved 

• AMSEA Receives 1998 National Boating Education Advancement Award 
• The Titanic Quiz 
• New USCG Approved 10-Hour Drill Course 
• Prevent Hearing Damage: Boats Are LOUDER Than You Think 
• Pre-Season Checklist for Recreational Boaters 
• EPIRB Information & Registration Available On-Line  

• New Alaska Dive Emergency Guidelines Published 
• Immersion Suits Offered in a Variety of Sizes and Styles 
• CDC Releases Recommendations to Prevent Fishing Fatalities 
• Commercial Fishing Fatalities Decrease Dramatically in 1997 
• Checklist: Annual Survival Gear Maintenance 
• Alaska Sea Grant Safety & Survival Books and Videos 

• AMSEA Winds Up An Active 1997 And Takes A Look Ahead To A Busy Year In 1998 
• What Is Cold Water? A Surprising Answer 
• Fully-Inflatable PFDs Win USCG Approval 
• 121.5 EPIRBs No Longer Meet FCC Requirements 
• On-Line Boating Safety Course Offered