May 15, 2013
Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Alaska Life has teamed up with the Alaska Boating Safety Office to recognize a powerful day for Alaskan kids this week! May 17th is national “Wear your Life Jacket to Work Day,” this day is an effort to raise awareness regarding the importance of wearing a life jacket while boating. We are encouraging our readers to participate in this fun spirited day of safety awareness! Please have fun wearing life jackets May 17th at work, and share your fun with us by posting group/individual photos (Keywords: Alaska Boating Safety Program). As this is a national campaign, Alaska has challenged the state of Nevada to see how many people we can involve by wearing your PDF to work and submitting a photo to their Facebook page! Click HERE to find their page and post away!
ALASKA’S RECREATIONAL BOATING FATALITY STATISTICS
· More Alaskans die in recreational boating accidents then die commercial fishing
· 9 of 10 involve boats under 26 feet in length
· 3 of 4 are powerboats
· 9 of 10 are adult males
· 5 of 6 experienced sudden cold water immersion as the result of a capsize or fall overboard
· MANY COULD HAVE SURVIVED HAD THEY SIMPLY BEEN WEARING A LIFE JACKET
The following LINK has printable activity books to help you interact with your child on the subject of boating safety. Teaching children in a fun and creative way helps them better recall tips and tricks later on. This could someday be the difference between life or death for you or a family member and a little bit of education has proven to go a long way. This has been proven in the statistics of Alaskan teenagers. With the teaching that they are receiving in schools and in the promotion for boating safety through community involvement the numbers of teens wearing life jackets every time they are in a boat has skyrocketed by 80%. Thank you for investing in the lives of your children and helping other be mindful of their choices in the cold Alaskan waters. But boating safety is for all Alaskans, not just kids, cold water doesn't discriminate, many fatalities are adult males not wearing a life jacket. Wear it for you and wear it for your family, water can kill.
From Alaska Boating Safety Office, "The first stage of cold water immersion is Cold Shock, you gasp and hyperventilate. People need to understand that regardless of swimming ability, boating experience, or age, cold water takes your breath away. Your best DEFENSE in an immersion event, is a life jacket.'You can influence the statics, "Wear it Alaska"!!!