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I believe the FV Drills App is groundbreaking! As a Coast Guard veteran and former instructor/course developer at the CG Northeast Regional Fisheries Training Center and current Safety and Survival Training Coordinator with the Massachusetts non-profit Fishing Partnership Support Services, I reviewed and fully endorsed your proposal to improve the FV Drills app. I experienced first-hand how much more CG Boarding Officers being trained to conduct Living Marine Resources Enforcement missions were enabled to fulfill their assignment when provided with the proper tools to do so. As is, I believe that the FV Drills application does just that for FV operators. Regarding the first objective of the proposal, Anecdotal feedback, I expressed how it has the potential to bring to life what may otherwise be a lost opportunity to capture fishermen’s attention in the midst of surging mobile device use and seems essential to further the effort to reach more users. The proposed improvements to the application increase the likelihood of using this clever approach to adopt and promote a safety-conscious culture among fishermen. I am particularly impressed with the provision to send to port an action items list to complete dockside and the monthly reminder for drills not completed. These are, not only innovative, but very practical. Our suggestion would be to also include a pre-underway safety checklist for operators. http://www.uscg.mil/d13/cfvs/Training/D17/Ready%20for%20Sea%20Checklist.doc Is the link to the one we distribute to fishermen at our training, among other things.
We are very interested in your approach to incorporate the use of mobile devices for improved maritime safety, specifically, among commercial fishing vessels. We would like to speak to you about our efforts and, hopefully, uncover an opportunity to work together. Fishing Partnership’s mission is to promote the health and well-being of commercial fishing families and, among other services, has provided safety and survival training to over 2000 fishermen in New England. Our 2014 Fall schedule kicks off with our Commercial Fishing Basic Safety Training, on October 9, 2014, at the UMass S.M.A.S.T. facility in New Bedford, MA. The day following our “Basic” training, we offer Drill Conductor training to interested ones, using the AMSEA curriculum and certification process. Our instructors are AMSEA-certified Marine Safety Instructors and will be making trainees aware of the FV Drills application.
You are most welcomed to attend any of our events and we look forward to speaking to you soon. We encourage you to, please, visit our website to learn more http://fishingpartnership.org/services/safety-training/
Thank you!!!
Luis Catala
508.280.0088