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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 33 Number 4
December 2005
Inflatable suspenders: A PFD you can wear
Months ago, I was gathering data on casualties at sea in the Coast Guard Northeast District in order to emphasize the need for personal flotation devices (PFDs) during my man overboard (MOB) drills.
What I discovered was that, from 1995 to 2000, there were 55 casualties, of which the most – 20 – were attributed to MOB drowning.
As I looked further into the statistics, I found that approximately 85 percent of the drownings might have been prevented with a PFD/life jacket.
Stated like that, it sounds like an easy task to remedy, but when you look into the why, where, what, and how, the quest of persuading fishermen to wear PFDs becomes a much more complex matter.
PFDs, life jackets, life vests. It doesn’t matter what you call them, they won’t work unless you wear them, and getting fishermen to wear them is the tricky part.
There are a myriad of different PFDs available, many of them in the “wearable” category. However, one in particular has captured my attention – the FSL1000 Inflatable Yoke/Suspenders by Stormy Seas/Grundens.
One that works
I have demonstrated the FSL1000 PFD for the past six months on the vessels I conduct drills on, at the New Bedford Basic Safety Training Workshop, the New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival, and for other groups of fishermen, scientists, staff, and observers from Rhode Island and the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.
Most people, more than 80 percent, I’d say, have shown a keen interest in or actually purchased this FSL1000 PFD. So, if most fishermen and other mariners refuse to wear PFDs, why is there such an overwhelming interest in this particular PFD?
Wearability
First, fishermen despise wearing anything that’s bulky, heavy, and restrictive. The FSL1000 PFD has none of that.
While fishing, and especially during the vulnerable times of the fishing operation when the risk is high of a potential MOB (man overboard) accident, most fishermen wear foul weather gear.
This yoke fits on the suspenders of your bib pants and turns into an inflatable PFD only if needed. It’s not something extra to wear but is incorporated into your foul weather bib pants.
It allows for complete freedom of movement while working, and it’s easy to reach to make adjustments as needed and easy to operate in an emergency.
Freeboard
Second, a turbulent marine environment and variable wave conditions make for hazardous and sometimes unpredictable fishing conditions. The rougher the water, the higher the risk of falling overboard.
Once in the water, these same conditions increase your risk of drowning by increasing the likelihood and number of times your mouth may be underwater. Reducing the number of mouth immersions will increase your chances of survival.
When inflated, the FSL1000 can provide up to 8" to 9" of distance between your mouth and the surface of the water. This distance is called freeboard. Your head and chest are elevated up and out of the way of waves and swells.
The higher freeboard also increases your visibility for rescuers, improving your chances of survival.
Auto inflation
Third, recognizing the inherent weather conditions involved in working at sea, the FSL1000 possesses certain performance characteristics, including auto inflation.
If you were to strike your head while falling overboard and lose consciousness, the FSL1000 would inflate in three to four seconds and create the proper face and body plane, meaning it would elevate your face and torso up out of the water at the proper angle.
Makes sense
To be clear, the FSL1000 is not Coast Guard approved. Most combo PFDs, meaning PFDs attached to another piece of equipment, are very difficult to approve. The FSL1000 is a combo PFD, which, in this case, is an asset because it’s easy to wear.
There are many Coast Guard-approved PFDs, but when I visit fishing vessels most of these PFDs are stored away in a locker or hung on a coat hanger and seldom used.
Positive response
The safety features and advantages of the FSL1000 have stimulated a positive response from fishermen. As an example, the Point Club will purchase the FSL1000 in bulk at a reduced cost and offer them to members at half cost because it is confident that this PFD will save lives.
Take the initiative. Make wearing a PFD an integral part of your personal fishing gear and encourage your fellow crewmen and your family members to do the same.
The FSL1000 would make a great Christmas gift. The list price is around $165.
Fred Mattera
NESTCo
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.
He also has been the president of the Point Club, a fishing vessel mutual insurance group, since 1998 and has served on the board of directors for Sunderland Marine Mutual Insurance Co., the principal underwriter for the Point Club and more than 2,000 US fishing vessels, since 1998.
Mattera receives no compensation for endorsing the FSL1000.
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