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Safety Kit Requirements in Boats

All commercial and personal boats are required to undergo a vessel safety check. The vessel safety check ensures that the boat upholds federal and state laws, which may change slightly from state to state. The vessel safety check is carried out by a trained specialist of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and is meant to verify that the owner of the boat has the necessary equipment to respond to emergencies. While at sea, basic first aid, CPR and the use of equipment like an automatic external defibrillator from a lay responder may be the only care a passenger receives at a critical moment.

  1. Fire Extinguishers

    • All boats are required to have fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers must be mounted, visible and available at a moment's notice.

    Sound Producing Devices

    • Boaters must have sound producing devices, such as loud bells, available on the boat. These sound devices may alert other boats to an oncoming crash, or provide adequate noise to alert those on shore or on another boat of an emergency situation.

    Lights

    • Navigation lights act as headlights and taillights. They must be on from sunset to sunrise. Distress lights are usually orange or red. This distinct color along with frequent flashing alerts other boaters and rescuers to an emergency on board.

    Flotation

    • Boaters must have a personal flotation device for each passenger on board. This rule applies whether passengers or boaters know how to swim. Extreme weather could result in increased difficulty treading water.

    Marine Radio

    • A marine radio is designed to receive signals even while far from land. Marine radios are also water resistant to hold up in extreme weather. These radios should be on at all times to alert boaters of unexpected rainstorms, lightning storms, hurricanes or other natural disasters that could effect boats at sea.

    First Aid

    • All boats must have a basic first aid kit. First aid kits include wiping alcohol for cleaning cuts, bandages, binding material for broken muscles and bones and tape to secure binding. First aid kits are necessary for responding to minor injuries to the muscles, bones, joints and soft tissues. If an injury is experienced at sea, the victim may not receive professional care for hours.

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