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| I stole some time to get out on the ice! -33 in this picture... |
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| Only the girls showed up, go figure! |
I will start by saying that I just finished working six consecutive 12 hour days, Monday through Saturday. Yes, I worked 12 hours on a Saturday, and every other day this week. That being said, I would prefer not to dwell on all that I did, but rather pick out some highlights and let the pictures do the talking. One of my job responsibilities is to conduct the survival swimming instruction for an hour each morning. Many of my students come from villages dependent upon subsistence fishing and hunting on the sea ice, and drowning related deaths are unacceptably high. Alaskan residents own more boats per capita, and use their boats more than in any other state in the nation, but only 6% wear a life jacket. Due to this, I spent the week being trained by AMSEA (Alaska Marine Safety Education Association) to become a certified Marine Safety Instructor.
The course was described to me as “drinking from a fire hydrant” in that it was admittedly an information overload. Course materials included a 450 page training manual, two textbooks, and 4 DVDs. I now know the difference between starboard and port, windward and leeward, forward and aft, and capsizing and sinking. I can define and describe PFD, EPIRB, PCP, PLB, BBD, ELT, CWSS, UIN, EAS, SPOT, SOLASA and SOLASB. I am now able to correctly perform in a variety of emergency situations including man overboard, a fire, a flooding issue, and abandon ship. I know how to relay a mayday message to the Coast Guard, calculate a ship’s buoyancy using Archimedes principle, know the pros and cons of six different types of fire suppressers, have the skills to survive for an hour submerged in cold water, and use at least 10 different signaling devises to improve the likelihood of rescue.
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| "Saving of Life at Sea" Type A survival kit |
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| All of this fit in that skinny bag! |
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| Good fishing advice! Thanks! |
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| Survival biscuits don't taste very good... |
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| Inspecting an immersion suit |
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| Pulling the gumby suit out for the first time |
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| In the suit! Can you find me?? |
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| Testing the suit out in the pool! Very claustrophobic and hot! |
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| Practicing the star kick signalling technique |
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| Practicing the swim chain |
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| Learning how to jump in with a suit on |
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| There I go! |
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| Righting a life raft |
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| Climb on it! Super unsteady, not sure I'd maintain the will to live in this |
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| Testing out different PFDs |
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| A whole floating suit! |
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| Receiving a signal from an EPIRB |
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| Teaching a lesson on ice safety |
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| A coworker modeling a clue from my lesson |
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| Teaching the kids how to use a throw bag |
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| Teaching the reach, throw, don't go technique! |
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| Immersion suit relay race with the kids |
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| Get her in! |
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| Go, go, go! |
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| Practice putting out a fire |
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| Lighting a flare! |
Basically, I now have the knowledge to survive and help my shipmates survive a major fishing vessel catastrophe. Side note: I don’t ever plan to actually be on a boat of this kind. Ever. Hopefully I will be able to impart my wisdom to my students, and who knows? Maybe my instruction could inspire a student to be safer on the water, pursue a career in the commercial fishing field, or even better, save a life. Just add this experience to the list of things I never imagined I would do!
