BOATERS, WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET!

Though air temperatures have risen considerably, boaters are still at risk from cold water. State law requires all canoeists and kayakers to wear a personal flotation device (PFD) at all times through May 15. For safety it’s best that boaters wear lifejackets year-round, but during cool and cold weather months, it's the law in Massachusetts. Wearing a life jacket could save someone’s life and could also make an encounter with the Environmental Police or other enforcement officer a positive experience.
The first warm days of spring mask dangerously cold water temperatures. If paddlers capsize or fall overboard, they can succumb within minutes to hypothermia (the lowering of a person's internal body temperature), which deadens arms and legs and renders a victim unable to swim, paddle, or stay afloat. A related danger - the "cold-water-immersion-reflex," whereby a victim, shocked by frigid water, involuntarily gasps, and ingests a significant amount of water - can lead to death by drowning.
Failure to wear a lifejacket, operator inattention, overloading, alcohol, and small boat instability are the most significant factors in boating fatalities. Wearing lifejackets gives both victims and rescuers additional precious time to get themselves out of a potentially tragic episode.
Massachusetts boating regulations require that all persons aboard canoes and kayaks between September 15 and May 15 wear a Coast Guard-approved Type I, II, or III Personal Flotation Device (PFD) at all times while a boat is underway. In addition, the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) recommends wearing a PFD as standard practice year-round, and reminds boaters that children under 12 are required to wear PFDs in boats of all types throughout the year. While most Type I, II, and III lifejackets will not prevent hypothermia, they do give the victim one less thing to worry about: staying afloat.
The Massachusetts Environmental Police encourages all boaters to take a state-approved boating safety course. Visit the Massachusetts Boat Safe web page at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dle/boatrvsafe.htmfor links to the MEP boating course schedule, other approved course providers, and information about state boating laws.