July Fourth boaters warned about deadly waterfront danger with lifesaving summer tips

While summer boating brings great pleasure to the greater part one expert shared a bevy of information for boaters to stay safe and avoid tragedy as water accident figures climb Capt Geoff Fahringer is a -year career law enforcement officer who worked in upstate New York where he was a SWAT officer and major crimes detective He joined the Collier County Sheriff s Office in Florida where he was part of the sheriff's department dive club He is a licensed U S Coast Guard boating captain and boating safety expert One of the majority of common dangerous things that I've seen on the water in my experience is people are just untrained Fahringer narrated Fox News Digital MORE THAN PEOPLE INJURED AFTER BOAT CATCHES FIRE IN NEW YORK CAPTAIN CHARGED WITH DWI For example you'll see someone on a boat and they've got the kids riding on the bow with their feet hanging off the front of the boat as they're going down a river or going on the water And a lack of life jackets overloading a boat just basic things that if they had training which is my big thing would really alleviate a lot of the accidents that we see The Coast Guard's Boating Safety Division keeps statistics on recreational boating accidents their causes and subsequent injuries or deaths According to content from the latest year for which it is available operator inexperience accounted for boating accidents resulting in injuries and deaths Navigation rules violations accounted for accidents resulting in injuries and deaths In early June two Florida men were charged with violating the Coast Guard's navigational rules before their vessel struck and killed -year-old ballerina Ella Adler last year Adler was wakeboarding in Key Biscayne at the time SEVERAL PEOPLE HOSPITALIZED IN FLORIDA AFTER COAST GUARD RESPONDS TO SEPARATE HOLIDAY BOATING INCIDENTSRecently a sport fishing boat slammed into a jetty in Meschutt Beach part of Suffolk County New York Four were injured in that crash which is under inspection The Coast Guard counted boating mishaps that year causing deaths injuries and a million in property damage The account says that percent of fatal boating accident casualties drowned and of those percent were not wearing a life jacket A lot of the stuff we just see is just carelessness and a lot is based on someone who just doesn't know Fahringer stated Doesn't know the right kind of life jacket somebody's pulling their kids on a tube or wakeboarding and they don't have a spotter they're running in an area where there's boat traffic instead of finding someplace quiet A lot of it's just common sense stuff that causes a lot the problems Fahringer is a proponent of safety checklists and says that every boater should complete one before hitting open waters Go through a checklist and go through all the things that you want to make sure that you've got on the boat and that the boat's working correctly he noted Just get the habit of doing that Just go through a little checklist every time you leave DEAD MISSING NEAR SAN DIEGO AFTER BOAT WASHES ASHOREHe also offered a few less obvious tips and safety training ideas that boaters may not consider A lot of people rely on a cellular phone which don't constantly work especially if they go offshore Fahringer revealed A VHF radio really is a must And if you have a radio in your boat get in the habit of turning it on even if it's turned down in the background VHF radio channel is the universal distress channel He disclosed marine executives often hear and respond to calls on that channel before which can help especially if a boat is far from the shore You need to be your own first responder in a lot of cases he announced That channel VHF radio helps both for you to be able to call for help but also you could have someone in distress that's literally yards away And you could be that person to save someone if you're aware of what's going on Taking first aid classes or at least bleed-stopping training can also be very valuable in a situation where help is far away Danger can lurk in the water too Fahringer cautioned of stinging jellyfish riptides sharp objects that can cause abrasions and potentially harmful bacteria which are common issues faced by those swimming in the water At the end of the day Fahringer reported boaters should enjoy being on the water but a little bit of caution goes a long way to ensuring safety