Office of External Affairs

U.S. Coast Guard

Date: May 22, 2007

Contact:  Lt. Leon McClain, Jr.
(901) 521-4845

MEDIA AVAILABILITY:  COAST GUARD EDUCATES BOATERS DURING NATIONAL SAFE BOATING WEEK

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memorial Day weekend is historically one of the busiest boating weekends of the year.  The Coast Guard, working in close partnership with state boating agencies and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, will hold a media availability at Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River on Friday, May 25 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to promote recreational boating safety. 

"The key to boating safety is for boaters to wear their life jackets, pay attention to hazardous situations, and avoid the use of drugs and alcohol while boating," said Cmdr. Patrick J. Maguire, Commander Sector Lower Mississippi River.

Sponsored by the National Safe Boating Campaign, National Safe Boating Week began Saturday, May 18, 2007 and continues until Friday, May 25, 2007. 

During the media availability, Coast Guard personnel will promote this year's campaign message, "Wear it," which emphasizes life jacket use as the best way to survive boating accidents and avoid drownings.  Along with demonstrating the proper wear and use of life jackets, station personnel will demonstrate how to properly and safely use signaling devices such as emergency flares and Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs).

Ninety percent of boaters who drowned in 2005 were not wearing life jackets.  The National Safe Boating Campaign hopes to reverse this trend by educating boaters on the safety equipment that is essential to increasing survival rates during unforeseen incidents.

For more information, please visit the National Safe Boating Campaign's website at:  http://www.safeboatingcampaign.net

Media note:  Media interested in attending Friday's event at Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River should contact Lt. Leon McClain, Jr at (901) 521-4845 by 4 p.m. Thursday.

Coast Guard Sector Lower Mississippi River is located at 2 Auction Avenue, Memphis, TN  38105.   

###