Unit 3:
Safety Equipment

Boating Safety Equipment

1. Guiding Questions

   • What are the necessary items that I need to have a safe boating experience?

   • Why is it essential that I understand the safety equipment onboard a boat?

2. Learning Targets(Objectives)

   • I can identify all of the safety equipment on my boat.

   • I can determine the appropriate situation to utilize my boating safety equipment.

3. Key Vocabulary

   • PFD

   • Throwable Floatation Device

   • Float Plan

   • Whistle

   • Fire Extinguisher

   • Visual Signaling Device

   • Sound Signaling Device

4. Optional Ideas for Instructional Practices

   • Hands on activity, demonstration, and/or manipulation

     • Contact IA DNR or County Conservation Board to bring in items to handle and discuss

   • Teacher led discussion

     • Open with a twin scenario discussion: 2 Identical boats are departing from the same dock.  Each has the same number of participants.  One boat has life jackets, throwable floatation device, whistle, fire extinguisher, and a signal flare.  The other boat has just life jackets.  Both boats experience the same storm cell and capsize.  What similarities and different would the folks on board experience?

5. Supplemental Activities - Boating Safety Equipment Shopping Spree

   • Watch the USCG Boating Safety Equipment Checklist Video Below

     • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7BltcSVbdw

     • Have students put together a shopping list of items and costs for purchasing items they would need for their boat.  Students can choose the type of boat they are going to equipment and work in teams to determine appropriate items.

6. Additional Resources

   • Kids Don't Float Cold Water Survival Lesson - Alaska Boating Safety

     • https://drive.google.com/file/d/161RzRV8FNU-pvPceycnH9rufz03whIJl/view?usp=sharing

7. Career Feature

   • Job Title: Regional Fisheries Supervisor - IA DNR

   • Job Description: This position supervises staff and resources along waterways and bodies of water in Iowa.   They provide advanced level leadership and coordination of interstate and intergovernmental programs and initiatives on the Mississippi River with federal, state, county, municipal, and NGO partners.  They oversee a variety of aquatic studies, programs, and research projects.

Boating Safety Equipment