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Agencies Launch Push To Head Off Boating Accidents

Tribune photo by JAY CONNER

Maj. Dennis Post, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, demonstrates the use of an automatic inflating life jacket during a demonstration.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 19, 2008

TAMPA - The most common Florida boating fatality last year was a man 36 to 50 years old who was ejected from a gasoline-powered, propeller-driven boat after noon in March -- who could swim but drowned -- and had no formal boating education.

And alcohol likely was a factor.

Overall, boaters in Florida racked up 77 deaths in 2007.

As the state that led the nation in boating fatalities in 2007 enters the year's first big boating weekend, a number of agencies kicked off efforts to lower the number of deaths and injuries, including recognition of National Boating Safety Week.

Florida has 1,027,043 registered boats, behind only California and Michigan, said Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is one of the groups that put on demonstrations today at the Gandy Bridge boat ramp.

"Florida has a year-round boating season. It really gets started in April when people have cabin fever and the weather turns nice," he said.

Pinellas County ranked fourth in the state in the number of boating accidents in 2007. There were 50 accidents -- with four fatalities and 22 injuries. The county has 54,315 recreational boats.

Hillsborough County had one fatality and 18 injuries from 16 accidents in 2007. It has 47,212 registered recreational boats.

Both counties were eclipsed by Monroe County, with 74 accidents and four fatalities. The county has fewer than half the number of registered recreational boats as Pinellas.

With drowning the cause of 39 boating-related deaths last year, the state has mounted an effort, including television commercials, to get people to wear life jackets.

And they're not just the blocky, bulky, kapok-filled versions of yesteryear.

Newer versions are inflatable with a CO2 cartridge and slender. They look more like a narrow vest. Many inflate within five seconds when immersed in water or can be inflated with a rip cord.

There also is an inflatable type that fits around the stomach like a belly pack but doesn't automatically inflate.

These aren't for use on a personal watercraft, though, because the riders are almost constantly soaked by spray, said JoAnne Adams, game commission spokeswoman.

Some kind of lifejackets are required on personal watercraft, however, said game commission Lt. Kevin Grover.

Personal watercraft, likened to aquatic versions of snowmobiles or motorcycles, account for about 13 percent of the registered vessels in the state but were involved in 24 percent of boating accidents and 21 percent of fatalities in 2007.

"They're kind of like a motorcycle. There's the thrill of high speed," Grover said.

One reason for the disproportionate number of accidents on the watercraft is they lose most of their steering when the throttle is cut, and unlike motorboats, few can be put in reverse, making it difficult to avoid a collision, Grover said.

This weekend law, enforcement agencies will be alert for hot-dogging operators, he said.

Being reckless, officers say, includes following too closely, jumping wake or making a sharp turn to spray someone in a boat.

Fires last year caused 22 of the state's 668 boating accidents, one reason every boat need a fire extinguisher.

Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Eric Hull said boats really should have a minimum of two. Each standard extinguisher, when used by someone with training, will last about 2 1/2 minutes, long enough to put out most small fires.

"Not everyone has training," Hull said.

That's why a boat should have at least two, he said.

Most vessel fires occur while fueling at a dock. Others occur when the boat operator doesn't run an engine compartment ventilator long enough, which is at least two minutes, Hull said.

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