NYCkayaker PFD rules in PA
mike pidel
mpidel at optonline.net
Thu Oct 12 20:23:51 EDT 2006
In NYS the statistics should be quite different , with the Staten island
ferry crash and the Lake George disaster the statistics would point to
everybody on a boat larger than 20 feet should wear a pfd
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net [mailto:nyckayaker-
>>bounces at rockandwater.net] On Behalf Of skimmer
>>Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 4:09 PM
>>To: nyckayaker at rockandwater.net
>>Subject: NYCkayaker PFD rules in PA
>>
>>Hi All,
>>Please send comments to C. Sutherland.
>>Thanks,
>>Chuck Sutherland
>>Skimmer at enter.net
>>-----------------------
>>
>>
>>(For Delaware Valley TSCA November 2006 newsletter)
>>
>>PFDs for PA Boaters (Proposed new rules)C
>>By Chuck Sutherland
>>(E-mail: skimmer at enter.net)
>>
>>Effortsare under way in the U.S. (PA, MA) and Canada to
>> make PFD use mandatory for folks on the water in small
>> boats. The public comment period for the proposed rule
>> changes in PA will run from October 14, 2006 to
>> November 14, 2006. Rule making decisions will be made
>> in January 2007 and will take effect upon publication in the
>> Pennsylvania Bulletin.
>>
>> Thereare two possible options currently on the table. In the
>> lesser case, boaters in watercraft under 16 ft and all canoes
>> and kayaks will be required to wear PFDs at all times on
>> the water in the cold months of the year (October through
>> May). Alternatively, the PA Fish and Boat Commission
>> may vote to require year-round PFD use by such boaters
>> (see item #188 at www.fish.state.pa.us/reg398.htm).
>>
>> Statisticsand dissent
>>
>> In spite of years of effort in the U.S. and Canada, state and
>> federal agencies have been unable to convince the general
>> boating public that wearing PFDs on the water is a good
>> idea. At present, PFD use by the adult boating public
>> remains low (21% Canada, ~ 13% in the U.S.). In the
>> U.S., when they are on the water, many adults won't wear
>> PFDs even to set a good example for children in their
>> boats. In this way, they are training the next generation of
>> boaters to carry on their distain for the use of PFDs.
>>
>> SomeUS statistics indicate that 7 of 10 boating fatalities occur
>> with boats under 20 ft in length. Drowning is the most
>> common cause of death in such accidents, and in nearly
>> 85% of all boating-related drownings the victims were not
>> wearing PFDs. Alcohol was involved in about a third of
>> those cases and 9 of 10 victims were male. Most
>> drownings occurred within 10 feet of shore or "safety".
>> Also, the largest percentage of deaths, relative to the
>> number of boats on the water, occurred during the "Off
>> Season" when the water was cold.
>>
>> Drowningoccurs in an average of 20 seconds for children and
>> in less than a minute for adults. Extensive data on these
>> matters indicate that swimming ability does not correlate
>> strongly with survival in the water. This may be because
>> panic-induced or cold-induced gasping (inhaling water)
>> precludes swimming even if the victim briefly returns to the
>> surface. To rephrase that, without a PFD and regardless of
>> their known swimming ability, some victims do not return to
>> the surface after accidental entry into the water.
>>
>>Argumentsagainst PFD use include confidence in one's
>> swimming ability, lack of comfort or mobility in a PFD, and
>> fear of the "wimp" factor. PFDs are considered "too hot"
>> in summer weather. Boaters "don't need PFDs" because
>> they are staying near shore, they are expert boaters, they
>> have had one or more boating courses, they are with other
>> boaters, and the captain isn't wearing a PFD. I believe that
>> statistics, no matter how dramatic they are, will never
>> convince the U.S. boating public to routinely use PFDs no
>> matter what conditions are encountered out on the water.
>> For information on PFD use, carry out a Google search
>> [pfd use U.S. Canada].
>>
>> A recent sad case
>>
>> On September 19, 2006, at Avon Beach on Cape Hatteras,
>> NC, a 35-yr-old man borrowed a "Sit-on-Top, SOT"
>> kayak (short, stable boat with a large outside cockpit) from
>> a neighbor and went out to do a little surfing. He capsized
>> on the first wave about 50 yards offshore. His friends said,
>> "He was thrown from the boat". They saw him holding
>> onto the boat and went down to the beach to help him.
>> When they got there, they saw the kayak, but the victim
>> could not be found (information provided by District
>> Ranger John McCutcheon, Cape Hatteras National
>> Seashore).
>>
>> The wave height was 3-4 feet, water temperature 71 o F, air
>> temperature 78 o F, and wind offshore (SSW) at up to 13
>> knots. Visibility was clear to the horizon. The victim was a
>> novice paddler, a weak swimmer, was dressed in knee-
>> length shorts and was not wearing a PFD. He had had
>> some alcohol during the day before going out. His body
>> was recovered several days later. It is a fact that wind
>> and/or waves can strip a kayak from a swimmer's grasp in
>> the blink of an eye.
>>
>> Thoseof us that have experience in providing kayak instruction
>> know that novices may panic the first time they capsize no
>> matter how much confidence they display before going
>> over. We therefore stand beside them the first few times
>> they capsize (perform the "wet exit") to make sure they do
>> not drown due to a panic-driven gasp. One such inhalation
>> of water is enough to drown someone in a minute or two
>> (no wet-exit required with an SOT). When they capsize in
>> rough water, trained paddlers have learned to instantly stop
>> breathing, to then compose themselves and finally either roll
>> the boat up or bail out and swim.
>>
>> Coldwater immersion
>>
>> As water temperature falls, another factor enters the picture.
>> Boaters dressed in street clothes, who are suddenly
>> immersed in cold water, experience a reflex (involuntary)
>> gasping response. Without a PFD, the victim inhales water
>> during the moment their momentum drives them under the
>> surface. As in the Cape Hatteras case, they are also often
>> seen briefly at the surface before disappearing from sight.
>> Even nearby boaters can not respond quickly enough to
>> save or even reach such victims. The gasping response,
>> along with immediate increases in heart rate and blood
>> pressure, is called cold shock.
>>
>> Boatersin the general boating population routinely refuse to
>> wear PFDs or any type of wetsuit when they are out on
>> cold water even though many PFDs and wetsuits etc. on the
>> market today are entirely comfortable, moderately priced
>> and long lasting. Well, it's October as I write this. The cold
>> season is upon us. There are no programs out there for the
>> general public to train them for cold water boating. Safe
>> Boating Week won't roll around until the end of May 2007
>> when boaters will again reject and forget the information
>> provided to them. They are swimmers and summertime
>> means warm water boating!
>>
>> Conclusions
>>
>> In the U.S., Canada and many other countries, there is wide
>> spread stubborn resistance to wearing PFDs on all manner
>> of small boats throughout the year. This is the case even
>> though there can be no justifiable argument on any grounds
>> for at least wearing them when out on cold water. The
>> Cape Hatteras case demonstrates that surprise- or panic-
>> induced gasping can also result in rapid drowning in warm
>> air/water conditions. I believe that routine wearing of PFDs
>> should be seen as a sign that the boater is determined to not
>> drown due to an incident that should be barely a trivial
>> bother! The common observation that. "He died doing
>> something he loved!" is utter nonsense!
>>
>> Apartfrom our poor understanding of responses to sudden
>> accidental immersion in either warm or cold water, there is
>> a total failure in the general boating public to fully grasp a
>> most fundamental attribute of boating accidents. Accidents
>> don't provide Fair Warning! Instead, they deliver a
>> monumental sucker punch when our backs are turned.
>> Despite all manor of training, we can not control when
>> accidents are going to occur. If we are not able to promptly
>> save ourselves, our job is to survive at the surface long
>> enough to be rescued. Boaters are told to wear PFDs
>> because they are hard to put on once you are in the water.
>> No! More often, once you are over the side, it is too late!
>> Folks don't go back for PFDs. As do kayakers capsizing
>> suddenly in rapids, we must stop breathing, collect our wits,
>> and then fight to survive. The accident may not be your
>> fault! Failure to prepare yourself ahead of time is your
>> fault! It looks like new rules governing PFD use by small
>> boat operators are on their way.
>>
>>References:
>>
>> PFD use studies
>>http://www.wearalifejacket.com/
>>http://ip.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/4/3/203
>>More:under Google Search enter [pfd use U.S. Canada]
>>
>> Coldwater boating
>>http://www.tc.gc.ca/marinesafety/TP/Tp13822/menu.htm
>>http://www.enter.net/~skimmer/coldwater.html
>>http://www.AtlanticKayakTours.com (go to Expert Center:
>>Coldwater Safety)
>>
>>
>>
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