Personal Flotation Devices (Life Jackets)
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Video Transcript
Transcript for Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day 2020
Amy Burnett, Information and Education Program Manager, Region 6 - Fountain Hills: We may all be working from home. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take part in National Wear Your Life Jacket to Work Day.
Cheyenne Dubiach, Watchable Wildlife Program Coordinator, AZGFD Headquarters - Phoenix: You should too. And remember, don’t just wear your life jacket to work today, but every time you’re on the water.
Kim Jackson, Boating & OHV Education Program Manager, AZGFD Headquarters - Anthem: In fact, last year, 84% of drown[ing] victims in recreational boating accidents were not wearing their life jacket.
Kari Ogren, Receiving Specialist, AZGFD Headquarters - Phoenix: Accidents on the water happen much too fast to reach and put on a stowed life jacket.
Danny Rodriguez, Watercraft Enforcement Programs Coordinator, AZGFD Headquarters - Phoenix: And in Arizona, it’s the law that you must have an approved U.S. Coast Guard life jacket for each person on board your boat. But it does you no good if you’re not wearing it.
Josh Hoffman, Boating Safety Education Coordinator, AZGFD Headquarters - Phoenix: Help us spread the message. And always wear your life jacket.
All Speakers: (together) Every trip, every time. Wear it, Arizona.
All vessels, including paddleboards and kayaks, must have at least one USCG-approved wearable life jacket for each person on board. The only exceptions are sailboards and certain racing shells.
Children 12 years of age and younger MUST wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while underway on any vessel.
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Video Transcript
Transcript for Kids Life Jackets
Josh Hoffman: Good day! Josh Hoffman here with Arizona Game and Fish. And I’ve got my son, Calen, and we’re at the lake getting ready to get on the water. And we want to talk to you today about making sure the life jacket you’ve got on your child fits correctly.
So let’s say, I get all the way out to the lake and realize that I’ve forgotten my son’s child-sized life jacket. Can I go ahead and just put them in an adult size? Absolutely not! If he falls in, this is going to be way too loose, and it's going to pop right off his body. And he’s going to be left swimming without a life jacket. So, how do I know I’ve got a life jacket that’s the right size for my son?
All life jackets, you want to check inside for the label to make sure that it says it’s U.S. Coast Guard approved. And it will also tell you the chest size and the weight that the life jacket is approved for. Life jackets are sized according to chest size and body weight, not according to age. This one here is a youth life jacket and the weight is 50 to 90 pounds.
Calen, how much do you weigh?
Calen: 43.
Josh Hoffman: 43. So this one’s a bit too big for him. He's wearing a child size right now and that’s 25 to 50 pounds, so that's right in his range. So, we’ve got a life jacket that’s the correct size form. Then, you need to make sure that all of the buckles and straps get fastened and tightened nice and snug.
And it's really important on our kids that the leg strap does go through the legs. This one does not need to be tight, but it's really important that it goes through the legs because that’s going to keep the life jacket on in case he falls in the water. It’s not going to come off his slender, narrow body. And once all the buckles are nice and snug, you want to do a, kind of, lift test to make sure that it’s not going to come up past his ears. Then, you know it's hugging his body nice and tight. And it’s going to do the same thing when he’s in the water. This season make sure you’ve got your boys and girls wearing life jackets when they’re on the water. Keep them safe! Wear it, every trip, every time!
Calen: See you later!
Female Speaker: A message from the Arizona Game and Fish Department.