Joshua Link has been stationed all over the country in working for the Coast Guard, and the Station Executive Petty Officer in believes boat owners in Alaska are among the most prepared that he’s seen.<\/p>\n
“Alaskans do it right,” Link said Wednesday. “They prepare for the worst.”<\/p>\n
This is the time of year where most of that preparation is done, as people are taking their boats out of hibernation for the summer. Every year, National Safe Boating Week takes place the week prior to Memorial Day weekend. This year, it starts Saturday and runs through next Friday.<\/p>\n
Though, as Link pointed out, many Alaska boaters are seasoned and prepare diligently for inclement weather, the Coast Guard still wants to remind people of basic safety requirements. Oftentimes during the long winter, on-board devices such as flares or fire extinguishers will expire and need replacing.<\/p>\n
The major focus this year is the importance of a life jacket. The slogan for this National Safe Boating Week is, “Wear It!” in reference to life preservers. The Coast Guard hopes to specifically increase life jacket usage among adult males, as adult males account for the vast majority of boating deaths in Alaska (90 percent, according to Coast Guard statistics).<\/p>\n
One distinctive initiative that’s already in place is the “Kids Don’t Float”<\/a> program in Alaska, which places child-sized life jackets at docks for the public to use. Children aged 12 and under are required to wear life vests, and the program has been dedicated to keeping children safe on the water since 1996.<\/p>\n