{"id":11099,"date":"2016-03-20T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2016-03-20T12:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=11099"},"modified":"2017-04-14T18:16:47","modified_gmt":"2017-04-14T22:16:47","slug":"it-can-happen-to-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2016\/03\/20\/it-can-happen-to-you\/","title":{"rendered":"It Can Happen to You: How to stay safe on the water"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wake; department photo<\/p><\/div>\n

Brad Stemcosky is a careful boater. He knows all the rules and owns all the best safety gear.<\/p>\n

Experienced and cautious, he\u2019s a walking poster boy for boating safety.<\/p>\n

Yet on a late December afternoon last year, he and a fishing buddy were flailing in the frigid waters<\/a> of the Potomac River, the day\u2019s light failing and their options running out.<\/p>\n

Survivors speak about their safety gear; by Candy Thomson<\/p><\/div>\n

A cautionary tale<\/strong><\/p>\n

As they returned from Maryland\u2019s final day of striped bass season, their 16-foot fishing boat developed mechanical trouble, took on water and sank. Stemcosky and Charlie Frend Jr., were in a fight for their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a matter of five, 10 seconds, all of a sudden everything changed, and you\u2019re in really cold water,\u201d recalls Frend.<\/p>\n

Their life jackets\u2014which they put on before they left the dock\u2014inflated. Stemcosky called for help on his cellphone and handheld VHF radio.<\/p>\n

“The water is getting colder. It’s dark. You’re floating around like an empty water bottle, wondering if anyone has heard you,” Stemcosky says.<\/p>\n

After more than an hour, a spotlight pierced the pitch-black sky, the pounding sound of helicopter filled the air. Rescue boats arrived, and the two men were quickly on the deck\u2014exhausted and shivering, but safe.<\/p>\n

They were treated for hypothermia at a local hospital.<\/p>\n

Stemcosky told the Natural Resources Police<\/a> that the boat sank so fast that, had they not been wearing life jackets, neither he nor Frend would have had time to put one on.<\/p>\n

Life jackets donated by BoatUS; by Candy Thomson<\/p><\/div>\n

“They are living examples of what Natural Resources Police has been trying to drive home\u2014to be prepared<\/a> when going on the water,” says Lt. Col. Ken Ziegler, acting superintendent.<\/p>\n

Cool and inviting, water is the primary ingredient for many a recreational adventures in Maryland, whether for fishing, paddling, sailing or exploring.<\/p>\n

But as Stemcosky and Frend learned, it doesn\u2019t take much for a tranquil day to turn deadly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wear it<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year, 22 people perished in boating accidents in Maryland waters, the greatest number since 1995. All but a handful of the victims were wearing a life jacket\u2014the key to survival.<\/p>\n

Life jacket fitting; by\u00a0Candy Thomson<\/p><\/div>\n

Maryland law requires that all children<\/a> under the age of 13 must wear a well-fitting, Coast Guard-approved life jacket while aboard a boat less than 21-feet long that is moving. A child under the age of four must wear a life jacket that has a strap that goes between the youngster\u2019s legs to secure the front of the jacket to the back and has either an inflatable headrest and\u00a0high collar or a grab strap.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife jackets only work when you wear them,\u201d Ziegler says. \u201cPeople think that in an accident they will have time to grab a life jacket and put it on. That\u2019s like thinking you can put on a seat belt while you\u2019re having a car accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officers who find boaters without life jackets or with an insufficient number of life jackets aboard will issue citations to the operators and order them to return to shore. The maximum penalty for failing to have a sufficient number and appropriate style of life jacket aboard is $500.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Boating Safety Unit <\/a><\/strong>of the Natural Resources Police lists information on safety courses, water access sites, regulations and requirements, licensing and more.<\/p>\n

The National Safe Boating Council<\/a><\/strong> advocates safe boating through education. It provides trainings and programs through more than 330 nonprofit and private organizations throughout the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n

Wear It!<\/strong><\/a> The council uses this simple phrase to encourage boaters to remember to always wear their life jackets. They offer specific information about different types and uses, as well as visual aids to help spread the word. They also sponsor National Safe Boating Week, occurring this year May 21-27.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary<\/strong><\/a> offers instruction to boaters of all ages and levels. Classes are listed by topic and can be found locally by zip code.\u00a0<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Girl demonstrates proper wear; by Stephen Badger<\/p><\/div>\n

Boat smart from the start<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Natural Resources Police urges every boater to do a stem-to-stern equipment check <\/a>before venturing out for the first time this season. Active and reserve officers will be conducting safety inspections at boat ramps and on the water.<\/p>\n

Have a horn, bell or whistle aboard to signal for help and a set of flares to mark your position at night. Make sure flares aren\u2019t expired and the fire extinguisher is charged.<\/p>\n

Before you get underway, tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return. Check the weather forecast and be ready to head for shore if warnings are issued.<\/p>\n

Finally, do what Stemcosky did: Carry a cell phone in a waterproof container, and if you have a marine radio, monitor VHF Channel 16.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to happen to you,\u201d Stemcosky says. \u201cAnd then it is<\/em> you and you can\u2019t believe how quickly it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Article by\u00a0Candy Thomson<\/strong>\u2014Natural Resources Police public information officer.<\/em>
\nAppears in Vol. 19, No. 2\u00a0of the Maryland Natural Resource magazine, spring\u00a02016.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Brad Stemcosky is a careful boater. He knows all the rules and owns all the best safety gear. Experienced and cautious, he\u2019s a walking poster boy for boating safety. Yet on a late December afternoon last year, he and a fishing buddy were flailing in the frigid waters of the Potomac River, the day\u2019s light  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,3171,14],"tags":[3168],"class_list":["post-11099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-boating","category-nrp-news","tag-magazine"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11099"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11117,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11099\/revisions\/11117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}