Training to survive at sea
Oct. 20—GROTON — Several dozen crew members of fishing boats and state marine agency vessels took part in the first day of a two-day training program on safety and survival at sea led by personnel from Fishing Partnership Support Services sponsored by Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Avery Point on Thursday.
Training included lessons in launching signal flares and EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons); opioid awareness and NARCAN response; executing MAYDAY calls; man overboard recovery; firefighting; onboard flood and damage control; and using dewatering pumps, immersion suits, personal flotation devices and life rafts.
The second day of the program will offer higher-level training on cold-water survival; helicopter rescues; and stability, liability and emergency procedures for those who want to obtain certification to conduct monthly safety drills for crew members.
"The safety of fishermen is critical and the ability to refresh or learn safety skills regularly is an important means for being able to react quickly and appropriately if needed," said Mike Theiler, a New London-based commercial fisherman and a member of Connecticut Sea Grant's Senior Advisory Board in a press release.
Connecticut Sea Grant has been sponsoring the training with various partners about every two years since 2000, and teamed up with the Fishing Partnership in 2016, said Nancy Balcom, associate director of Sea Grant and lead organizer of the training.
New Bedford-based Fishing Partnerships leads 15 to 20 training programs from Maine to North Carolina each year according to Vice President Dan Orchard.
