Life Raft Deployment Demonstration District 8
Author: Lt/C (P/C) R. Scully, N - D8
Public Relations Officer
Editor: Captain Alyse Caldwell, AP
A life raft demonstration party was
held yesterday on the Treasure Coast of Florida. Most people who have been
around boats for a long time are happy to say they have never had the need to
deploy a life raft into the water. Let’s hope they never do!
This party was a practical
demonstration of a potential reality in what could be a hazardous situation.
The 3 donated life rafts had expired and their age made them ineligible against
recertification so they were no longer acceptable aboard any vessel. Captains
Chris and Alyse Caldwell, members of USPS District 8, coordinated this event.
There were more than 50 joining us
for this demo party with 8 members playing paparazzi, snapping pictures and
shooting videos during the event, so there will be some material available for
viewing posted on the web on Facebook, YouTube and in some of the local
newsletters. Captain Alyse will be making a more professional video but that
will take some time and will include footage from every angle.
This demonstration included a short
how-to get in a Gumby suit, AKA an immersion or survival suit. After donning
the bright orange Gumby suit, the demonstrator jumped into the water so we
could see how the suit helps you float. Pretty cool!
The life raft party included
inflating and setting 3 rafts afloat at different times. Two of the expired life
rafts were deployed and served well. One did not inflate completely as it had
ruptured a bladder. It still floated to some degree but it gave one time to
think about what if this happened when it was a real situation out at sea.
Three lucky kids and 6 adults had a
terrific hands-on experience. The adults proved that this is an easy task
especially when you’ve never seen or done this before. Safety first! We had a
rescue diver in the water at all times and a rescue boat was on scene but
neither was called to action.
Captain Chris jumped on one life
raft and rocked the raft up and down with 6 “survivors” aboard to demonstrate
how stable they were in rough seas and then took out the survival kit that was
inside the raft. He explained what was in the bag and displayed the items for all
to see. Some wanted to light the expired flares but that’s not something we do
unless the US Coast Guard has approved that type of demonstration and
announcements are made over the VHF marine radio.
After a hot morning in the sun we
cooled off over lunch at the Cove restaurant at Harbortown Marina. Here many
talked about what they learned over a nice meal along the waters edge with
friends.
