PFD Life Jacket – Buying Cycle Explained and How Families Benefit
Ottawa Provincial Police are calling on authorities to make a new law that requires everyone in small boats to wear a PFD/life jacket in a bid to reduce Canada’s typical 180 boating-related deaths every year. In the US, it’s already mandatory that boaters carry enough lifejackets for each person on board, but few people wear the PFD’s for the duration of their boating excursions. If people know how to buy a well-fitting PFD, they would be more likely to wear them.
Here’s the PFD/Life Jacket Buying Cycle Broken Down Into Two Simple Parts
- Get the Size Right
You can get an infant life jacket small enough to fit a baby weighing between twenty and thirty pounds. The US Coast Guard stresses that children should not wear an adult PFD/life jacket; children’s lifejackets should be size appropriate and snug enough to stop their ears or chins from slipping through. Adults accompanying children should also wear PFD’s at all times to instantly aid a child in an emergency situation.
- Each PFD/Life Jacket on Board Should Be Coast Guard Approved and in Good Condition
The Coast Guard approves five different types of PFD. Type I lifejackets are the most buoyant and are suitable for all water conditions. Type II and Type III PFD’s, or near-shore buoyancy vests and flotation aids, are for calm and open water where a rescue will occur quickly. These include the inflatable PFD. Type IV PFD’s, or throwable devices, are for calm conditions where rescue will happen quickly. Finally, Type V PFDs are to be worn for specific activities as described on the unit’s label.
Child sized life vests are reasonably priced, so there’s no need to purchase a size too large and let the child grow into it. Wrongly sized, loose fitting PFD’s for children are dangerous, and could get you a ticket from the marine patrol.