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A qualified Coast Guard-approved marine drill instructor, Fred Mattera is the owner/president of North East Safety Training Co. (NESTCo), which conducts fishing vessel drills and inspections and basic safety training workshops.
Mattera has been a commercial fisherman since 1972 and the owner of the Point Judith, RI-based 84' freezer trawler Travis & Natalie since 1984.

October 2007
Conducting effective emergency drills; remember ‘Four Ts’
Our last article (see CFN August 2007) discussed ensuring that each individual on board who has not received instructions and/or has not participated in emergency drills receive a safety orientation. We created a new crewmember checklist and the specific duties of each new individual in an emergency drill. ...continued


August 2007
Invest a little time in vessel orientation
Who’s got time to orient a newcomer, especially one who has years of fishing experience? There’s too much to do before a trip. And why bother telling your best friend or close relative how to operate the radio? He’ll never use it. He’s just along for the ride. ...continued


June 2007
Mayday: Teach crew distress call protocols
Several years ago I was aboard the Travis & Natalie when we heard a distress call from a nearby fishing vessel. The call for assistance came from a transient crewman on channel 10. ...continued


April 2007
Power of water: Effects on stability
In this, my third article on flooding, I want to talk about factors that can influence a vessel’s stability.
By being aware of how actions affect stability, an operator can take precautionary measures to improve or maintain his vessel’s stability. ...continued


February 2007
Keeping a vessel watertight depends on you
By definition, a vessel has to be watertight. Because a fishing vessel is fitted with numerous openings above and below decks, however, its watertight integrity constantly depends upon the vigilance and competence of its crew. ...continued


December 2006
Flooding: How well are you prepared?
Flooding, foundering, and capsizing are the leading cause of the loss of fishing vessels and fishermen in the US. Just recently, a captain who participated in one of the New Bedford and Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership safety workshops notified our group of safety trainers that his vessel had experienced a serious flooding situation. ...continued


October 2006
Firefighting rules differ for smaller boats
Recently, I acted as marine safety instructor for onboard fires during free, six-hour marine safety workshops offered by the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership in Gloucester and at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. ...continued


August 2006
Effective firefighting requires coordination
In my last two articles on fires, we discussed the “box theory” of establishing boundaries, knowing where fires may start, the maintenance checks to prevent them, and the importance of protecting your survival gear if, as a last resort, it becomes necessary to abandon ship. ...continued


June 2006
Know where fires start; check engine room
In my last column (see CFN April 2006), we talked about using the “box theory” to protect your safety gear from fire and heat damage. In this second installment of our three-part series, we’ll talk about the common causes and locations of onboard fires. ...continued


April 2006
‘Box theory’ protects safety gear from fire
After reading the Fish Safe article by Ann Backus in the January issue of CFN about the devastating fire on John Sanfilippo’s dragger Giovanna and his survival, I was prompted to dedicate my next three articles to onboard fires. ...continued


February 2006

Getting MOB back on board; have device ready
This summer, I wrote an article on man overboard (MOB) procedures. Several weeks later, Capt. Aaron Williams of the Point Judith, RI-based Independence, a vessel on which I conduct drills, called excitedly to tell me that he had plucked two fishermen from the waters of Buzzards Bay. He was thrilled and the two fishermen were grateful. ...continued


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