![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Mattera-SH.gif\")
A qualified Coast Guard-approved marine drill instructor, Fred Mattera of Point Judith, RI is the owner\/president of North East Safety Training Co. (NESTCo), which conducts fishing vessel drills and inspections and basic safety training workshops. \u00a0<\/i>
A commercial fisherman for 40 years, Mattera is a director of AMSEA, member of the Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee to the Coast Guard, and, since 1998, has been president of the Point Club, a fishing vessel mutual insurance group.\u00a0 He also has served on the board of directors for Sunderland Marine Insurance Co. a subsidiary of North of England P & I, the principal underwriter for the Point Club and more than 2,000 US fishing vessels, since 1998.\u00a0<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n
If you have an EPIRB, turn it on and leave it on.\u00a0 The battery will last for a minimum of 48 hours.<\/p>\n
If you have a handheld VHF radio, transmit distress messages to Coast Guard or first responders.<\/p>\n
The parachute flare is the initial flare to activate once in the raft, with peak elevation it is visible up to 15 miles alerting any vessel that may not have heard the initial distress call.<\/p>\n
Use distress flares \u2013 handheld when a vessel is close, within line of sight.<\/p>\n
Remember, however, that handheld flares drop slag, therefore it is critical to have the wind at your back before activating the flare.\u00a0 In order to accomplish this, you must retrieve the sea anchor to the left of the canopy opening (when facing outward) and then use the paddles inside the raft to spin so that the wind is now at your back.<\/p>\n
It is best to use smoke flares when aircraft (helicopters or jets) are overhead, releasing a large orange plume of smoke, increasing your visibility.<\/p>\n
Treat all injuries<\/b><\/p>\n
You must assess and treat serious injuries according to your medical training and\/or the first aid book in the survival pack.<\/p>\n
Remember, you cannot perform normal CPR on a victim because of the soft floor in the raft.\u00a0 A suggested alternative method is to place the victim on their back on top of another crewman.<\/p>\n
When crewmen are recovered from the water apparently drowned, start mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing immediately and continue until help arrives.<\/p>\n
In cold water, near-drowning victims have been revived after being submerged for as long as an hour because of the body response known as the mammalian dive reflex.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t give up on a near drowning victim.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Preserving body heat<\/b><\/p>\n
Remember that cold is the greatest killer.<\/p>\n
Every attempt should be made to keep the raft dry, using a bailer and sponges.<\/p>\n
If your clothing is wet, remove it and wring it out and put it back on.\u00a0 If extra clothing is available use it.\u00a0 It is best if clothing is shared among the crewmen, with special care for the sick and injured.<\/p>\n
Keep immersion suits on to stay dry and warm.\u00a0 Use a thermal blanket or thermal coveralls over wet clothing when you are without immersion suits.<\/p>\n
Make every effort to raise crewmens\u2019 body temperatures, which in turn raises the temperature inside the raft.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Leadership and morale<\/b><\/p>\n
Good leadership and morale are crucial for survival.<\/p>\n
The leader must take on the responsibility of keeping the crewmen as organized, calm and comfortable as possible.<\/p>\n
The vessel captain will normally be the leader aboard the raft, unless he is injured or missing.<\/p>\n
The leader should be the person in the best shape, physically and emotionally, to establish priorities and maintain morale.<\/p>\n
If you are in charge, it is important to communicate with all the crew.\u00a0 Reassure them and assess who is best able to carry out vital tasks.\u00a0 Do everything you can to reduce fear and panic.\u00a0 Try to establish a sense of companionship and a firm, but positive, level of discipline.<\/p>\n
If you must deal with someone who has lost his emotional control, it is important to not let them disrupt the rest of the crew.\u00a0 It may help to give them an aimless task to perform \u2013 to distract from the crisis and refocus their energies.<\/p>\n
While the leader has the greatest responsibility, each crewman must strive to maintain a positive attitude and carry out the tasks to which they are assigned.<\/p>\n
The survival of the crew depends on each crewmen\u2019s contribution and it is here that preparation and training pay off.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Establish the routine<\/b><\/p>\n
The discipline of a routine not only helps ensure that vital tasks get done, but helps focus attention on the positive work of survival.<\/p>\n
The following suggestions should help you establish a routine.<\/p>\n
Assign one-hour watches in pairs, with one man on duty outside and one man on duty inside.<\/p>\n
Outside.<\/i>\u00a0 <\/b>Look for vessels, survivors, aircraft, and useful wreckage.\u00a0 Flash the signaling mirror around the horizon when there is sunshine. Look for land.\u00a0 At night, listen for surf.<\/p>\n
Inside.\u00a0 <\/i><\/b>Maintain the liferaft (bailing, drying, ventilation, etc.)\u00a0 Attend to injured victims.\u00a0 Maintain equipment.\u00a0 Keep rations.\u00a0 Keep the minds of the crew occupied during waking hours, but do not overdo it.\u00a0 Avoid unnecessary work.<\/p>\n
Water.\u00a0 <\/i><\/b>Remember your body is about 70% water, so maintaining your body\u2019s water balance is a prime requirement for survival.\u00a0 Water is a higher priority than food.<\/p>\n
You can live for weeks without food, but your survival will be measured in days without water.\u00a0 Do not eat food if you do not have water, you need water to help digest the food.\u00a0 Every bit of water you conserve increases your survival time.<\/p>\n
While conserving water is vital, so is maintaining enough physical strength to cope with the ordeals of survival.\u00a0 It is recommended that you begin drinking rationed quantities of water soon after boarding the liferaft.\u00a0 That amount is dependent upon how much water you have onboard.<\/p>\n
I always emphasize the vital importance of bringing water when abandoning ship.\u00a0 Water, water, water.<\/p>\n
Do not drink seawater. It will exaggerate thirst, promoting water loss through the kidneys and intestines, and shorten your survival time.<\/p>\n
The same with urine.\u00a0 It is toxic as well.<\/p>\n
General.\u00a0 <\/i><\/b>Try to lash down all gear so that in case the raft capsizes or is swamped, nothing is lost.<\/p>\n
Understand that recovering crewmen in a raft depends on visual sighting.<\/p>\n
Never waste your distress signals, flashlight batteries, etc.\u00a0 Distress signals should only be used with the permission of the leader and only when there is a reasonable chance that they will be seen.<\/p>\n
Use the whistle and or shout when close to land and in the fog.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In conclusion \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Abandoning ship is an arduous task that demands teamwork and precise activity and deployment.<\/p>\n
It is challenging physically and mentally, in a high anxiety environment.<\/p>\n
Drills and training minimize the stress and instill the muscle memory developed through repetition of training.<\/p>\n
Winter is upon us, so again remember that cold is the greatest killer.\u00a0 Stay prepared.\u00a0 Stay smart.\u00a0 Stay safe.<\/p>\n
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\nJANUARY\u00a02018 issue of\u00a0Commercial Fisheries News.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/CFN-1_18-cover-243x300.jpg\")
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