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Proposals 2000-2001

Boating on Board

In spite of the efforts put forth to promote the Pleasure Craft Operator Card, the Canadian public has been slow to respond. In fact, only a small percentage of the population who are predicted to need their PCOC card have received them. And even if the compliance was high, just like many other safety initiatives (ie: mandatory seat belt use), the need for education and promotion is still a priority.

"Boating on Board" is a unique family board game that is all about boating safety. Designed for young Canadians, it is meant to be played by the whole family. Integrated in the game are strong and specific messages about safe boating and promotion of the PCOC. When game players do not follow safety rules, they may come to understand the consequences by receiving a "boating is dangerous" message.

At the end of the NIF funding process, this program has the potential to continue by paying for itself on an ongoing basis and also provide a source of funding for ongoing safety initiatives for the Canadian Safe Boating Council.

Boating rescue standards: Laurentian Region

An earlier NIF project helped to reveal a major lack of structure with respect to boating rescue on inland waters. In our opinion, this lack of structure is related directly to the lack of accessible standards and sources of expertise. The municipalities are often poorly advised regarding equipment and training. Boating rescue training courses currently offered are, unfortunately, often incomplete or poorly adapted. In some cases, advice given on equipment involves a specific interest and is not necessarily intended to provide the best possible support for the rescue units. The goals of this proposal are thus to remedy to the shortcomings identified above by creating suitable, standardized training for the entire area covered by the Laurentian Region, and by preparing a guide to help set up a boating rescue structure on inland waters. The guide will set out the minimum skills and the equipment required to create an acceptable boating rescue system for an inland body of water. In addition, the guide will help to identify the resources available to municipalities and boating rescue teams (for example, where to obtain documentation, training organizations, guide to help create emergency response plans, skills maintenance booklet, etc).

Computerized database for pleasure craft registration (pleasure craft license numbers)

The purpose of this project is to establish, in Quebec, a computerized Oracle database on pleasure craft registration. This database would be made available through a central server by a link on the Web, first to allow each district office to maintain and modify the database and second to permit the rescue centre and police forces to access the database 24 hours a day.

Development of an Operational Surface Current Numerical Simulation Model

We will address the problem of providing on-line access to nowcast and forecast coverage of the surface currents and winds in Juan de Fuca Strait and adjoining marine waters using a three-dimensional Princeton Ocean Circulation model and shore-based radar observations. The proposal is divided into two stand-alone options:

  • A nowcast to 72-hour forecast model for surface currents in Juan de Fuca Strait supported by real-time Coast Ocean Dynamics Application Radar (CODAR) data, and
  • A stand-alone nowcast to 72-hour forecast numerical model for surface currents in Juan de Fuca Strait.

Juan de Fuca Strait is a wide, strongly tidal channel separating Canada and United States that is one of the busiest commercial marine waterways on the west coast of North America. While the area has been extensively studied, there is presently exists no comprehensive operational information for the currents and winds in the region. The flow in Juan de Fuca Strait is influenced primarily by strong tidal currents, seasonally fluctuating fresh water discharge from the Fraser River, coastal winds, and highly variable intrusions of water from the continental shelf. Currents in Juan de Fuca Strait are typically in excess of 1 m/s (2 knots) and exhibit strong cross-channel variability due to variations in width, Coriolis effects, and the inherent length scales associated with coastal oceanographic processes.

Option 1: A two-site CODAR installation will be used to measure wide-area real-time surface currents near the entrance to the strait. Data from the CODAR will be used in conjunction with results from an operational Princeton Ocean Model to provide nowcast and 24-72 hour forecast surface currents. Real-time currents and sea-state obtained from the CODAR will be posted on the DFO website as soon as the data are processed. Installation and testing of the CODAR system will be supported by DFO staff and resources, as will be the maintenance of the website

Options 1 and 2: The numerical model will provide hourly nowcast and up to 72-hour forecast surface currents for Juan de Fuca Strait, which will be posted on the Fisheries and Oceans website. The format of the model results may be tailored to suit existing search and rescue programs (eg. CANSARP) that are able to take advantage of real-time surface currents. In addition to current forecasts, model hindcast currents over a 24-hour period will also be made available to assist SAR efforts. The CODAR data will provide an invaluable tool for search and rescue planners in the region, since no other instrument can provide this type of data in real-time. Moreover, the accuracy of the ocean forecast model can be continuously evaluated through comparison to the CODAR data.

Emergency Distress Calls

This proposal, if granted, would provide useful information to recreational boaters during emergency calls depending on various provincial regions. The increased popularity of cellular phones and their greater area of coverage change the way emergency calls are transmitted. This project has positive aspects, but negative ones as well. Recreational boaters should be made aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the various communication means during emergency situations.

Equipping your Boat for Safety

Boating safety continues to be a low priority for many recreational boaters. Awareness and education are the most potent means of affecting change. However, with a cavalier attitude towards boating safety and an ever increasing busy 'media world', reaching boaters with a hard hitting and effective message is becoming more difficult. Dual Media Productions is in the unique position of having an answer to this problem.

This project will not just focus on the requirements, but rather, will demonstrate through real life situations and recreations, WHY you must have this equipment and HOW to use it. By entertaining as well as informing, this project will provide applicable knowledge in an environment that a boater is comfortable receiving it.

This program will utilize the tools of video, television and the internet to achieve these goals.

The program will be evaluated based on the number of videos distributed and the number of television viewers and website visitors reached.

Establishment of a VHF digital selective calling system in the Quebec region

A VHF digital selective calling (DSC), a component of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), was established at the MCTS in Rivière-aux-Renards in Quebec region and its 7 remote control sites. The DSC system is not available in Chaleurs Bay as well as all the waters from 66W to the Port of Montreal. The SAR coverage is incomplete and may impair the efficiency and the rapidity of search and rescue intervention.

Evaluation of the Marine Simulator for Use in the Collection of Probability of Detection (POD) Data and Modeling

To undertake a pilot project to evaluate the Marine Simulator in St. John's for conducting POD experiments. If this proved to be practical it would allow POD data to be collected at an accelerated rate and at a greatly reduced cost. The basic evaluation approach would be to compare the results (sweep width curves/table) obtained from a simulated search with known results from a completed POD experiment. The concept of sweep width, as explained by Koopman (1980), is interpreted as follows: the probability of detecting a search object beyond one half the sweep width, on either side of the search vessel, is equal to the probability of missing a target located less than one half the sweep width on either side of the search unit. In layman's terms sweep width can be thought of as track spacings that would be used by a search vessel or aircraft conducting a grid search for a target. As an example typically the smaller the target of interest the more narrow the track spacing would be. There exists today complete search experiment data sets that contain all the parameters to re-create a search scenario. A significant data set that comes to mind is from a 1990 experiment conducted on the Canso Bank off Nova Scotia that involved both Canadian Coast Guard and United States Coast Guard search vessels. The availability of such data leads to a solution of the validation problem, independent of simulator fidelity. From the trial data all search parameters can be programmed into the marine simulator. These would include such parameters as search tracks, vessel speed, sea conditions, target location, target type and so forth. The subsequent sweep width results from a simulator search then could be calibrated against sweep width results obtained from the field trails.

We anticipate a 3-phase project with the Phase I project being a pilot project intended to evaluate the Marine Simulator using 2 or more platform -sensor -target combinations. Phase II and III will depend to a large degree on the success and recommendations from Phase I. In Phase II we would anticipate fine tuning of the simulator calibration for other platform -sensor -target combinations while collecting meaningful search data and in Phase III we would anticipate the concentration will be on data collection and the subsequent generation of sweep widths for various platform -sensor -target combinations identified in past reports where there is a known lack of data. From there on it is anticipated that international agencies and industry would recognize the value and begin to fund on going work.

GPS Education and Awareness Program for Mariners

Since 1997 the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association Incorporated (NLSARA) has been working with Canadian Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety (CCG, OBS), through a successful partnering arrangement, to deliver boating safety services in isolated and dispersed communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. This volunteer organization, with twenty-seven teams and over nine hundred members, has a local presence throughout the province and is crucial in assisting the OBS in connecting closely with communities. Respected members of the NLSARA are excellent ambassadors for boating safety and when they deliver a boating safety message in communities, people listen. It is crucial for the continuing success of this partnering arrangement, to provide the SAR teams with the necessary tools, resources and guidance to more effectively and efficiently continue the work delegated to them by OBS, CCG Newfoundland.

NLSARA proposes to provide all 27 member teams with GPS units and training, to ensure all members can effectively and efficiently use this technology. The organization will then use the GPS technology to educate and protect the public, to protect its own members, and ameliorate search and rescue operations in each team's area of responsibility. In a region with as many remote, high risk areas as Newfoundland and Labrador, it is crucial to educate the public about the importance of carrying GPS units while on the water, not only to facilitate navigation but also to aid in early detection by SAR response teams in the event of emergency. The GPS units coupled with the associated training will enable an integrated and coordinated approach to assist volunteer SAR teams to fulfill their mandate and save lives. This proposal links well with the Aids to Navigation Education and Communications Plan in this region, which follows from the national Aids Modernization Initiative, and also addresses the three main goals of the National SAR Program.

GPS/Mapping Software Procurement and Training

Since 1997 the Newfoundland and Labrador Search and Rescue Association Incorporated (NLSARA) has been working with Canadian Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety (CCG, OBS), through a successful partnering arrangement, to deliver boating safety services in isolated and dispersed communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. This volunteer organization, with twenty-seven teams and over nine hundred members, has a local presence throughout the province and is crucial in assisting the OBS in connecting closely with communities. Respected members of the NLSARA are excellent ambassadors for boating safety and when they deliver a boating safety message in communities, people listen. It is crucial for the continuing success of this partnering arrangement, to provide the SAR teams with the necessary tools, resources and guidance to more effectively and efficiently continue the work delegated to them by OBS, CCG Newfoundland.

NLSARA proposes to provide all its 27 member teams with GPS units, associated mapping software and training to ensure all members can properly and efficiently use this technology. GPS technology and mapping software will be used to protect their members, educate and protect the public and to assist in search and rescue operations for missing and lost persons. The GPS units, the computer mapping software coupled with the associated training will enable an integrated and coordinated approach to assist volunteer SAR teams fulfill their mandate and save lives.

Ice Rescue Training for First Responders

Ice rescue on frozen waters in winter conditions requires different skills that must be learned in optimal conditions. Thus, it is necessary to provide first responders with course material that covers training, learning exercises and equipment in order to offer comprehensive training. Although a manual on this subject already exists, it would be beneficial to promote a specific ice rescue training program. Consequently, the proposal is aimed at improving ice rescue skills and techniques.

Investigation of New Technologies and Best Practices

Emerging technologies first had a major impact on SAR with the implementation of the GMDSS in 1992. Since then, the rate of change has increased and the impact has been much deeper and wider than most people expected. As a result, the search and rescue community is having trouble keeping abreast of new technologies and the potential benefits or drawbacks for search and rescue. There will be three major components to this project:

  • Attend technology related conferences such as Safety UK to learn more about new technologies and there potential impact on SAR and meet with technology providers to raise their awareness of SAR.
  • Liaise with other SAR agencies and discuss new technologies and their implementation. The goal in this part will be to adopt the best practices of the other SAR agencies whenever possible.
  • Advise SAR managers and assist with development of policy and solutions to technology challenges. This will include regular reports and briefings to HQ personnel.
Outputs and Results:
  • SAR personnel and managers will have a better awareness of new technologies and their impact on SAR.
  • Technology providers will have a better awareness of SAR operations, policy and SAR's requirements with respect to their products.
  • The SAR system and SAR response will be improved and more lives saved as a result of the efficiencies afforded by the use of new technologies and the adoption of the best practices of other SAR agencies.

Maritime Emergency First Aid Training for Recreational Boaters

Every year there is a high number of boating-related traumas, drowning being the second cause of fatal accidents in Quebec's cohort of 55 and less. These accidents and incidents are in a large part responsible for this statistic. A training program on maritime emergency for recreational boaters, in accordance with objectives of the project (see document # 2), would help reduce this statistic and especially increase recreational boaters' chances of survival when maritime emergency first aid is administered on watercourse in Quebec. This project is different from the Canadian Coast Guard Pleasure Craft Operator Card program. The objectives of the project are mainly to help recreational boaters increase their ability to provide maritime emergency first aid, i.e. provide first aid in an emergency situation on the water. This would be achieved with educational material such as a training manual and a booklet on maritime emergency first aid, and training sessions. With the information provided in the educational material, we believe that the boater, whether involved in an accident on the water or simply a witness of such an accident or of a medical problem on a boat, will be able to provide the necessary emergency first aids to stabilize the condition of trauma victims on the water and save human lives.

Pleasure Craft Operators Card Promotional Program

In early 2000, legislation was introduced requiring all Canadians who operate power driven recreational vessels to obtain their Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) over a 10 year phase in period. Currently anyone born after April 1st, 1983 is required to have their card. The next critical milestone is on Sept 15th, 2002 when anyone operating a power driven vessel less than 4 meters in length must have their PCOC. Compliance to the legislation has been poor. To date fewer than 300,000 Canadians have acquired their card and it is estimated that fewer than 10 percent of those legally requiring their card have done so. However, even if compliance were 100%, like any safety legislation, there is always the need for ongoing promotion to keep boating safety top of mind. With those considerations, the Pleasure Craft Operators Card Promotional program was developed.

The PCOC Promotional Program will provide a platform to increase awareness of the requirement of the need of the card, promote the requirement, develop a series of products that will reduce the resistance Canadians have in acquiring the card and most important, deliver boating safety education at the same time.

Using a variety of media, including broadcast television, specialty magazines, the internet, and working in conjunction with course providers and the Canadian Coast Guard, the program will work to ensure that every Canadian boater is reached.

The net result of this Promotional Program will be increased compliance and that will create more educated boaters on the water. With education will come a reduction in Search and Rescue missions, property damage, personal injury and deaths on Canadian waterways.

Measurement will be the increase in the number of PCO cards issued. Additional measurement of the program's success will be from impressions made with the media used in the campaign.

SAR Radar Evaluation Trials

This project deals with the characterization of a new radar technology partially developed under NIF funding in 1996/1997, and the transfer of that technology from experimental to operational status. The new technology offers the capability of detecting targets that are currently undetectable by any means in certain conditions. An increase in detection range by a factor of 2 to 5 has also been demonstrated over conventional means in certain conditions. It is proposed to deploy radar at shore based site and conduct extensive data collection against known targets moored to the ocean floor, over a period of 6 months in various weather conditions. Radar data will then be analyzed to determine the exact detection capability of the new radar technology.

Following the determination of the radar capability, the system will be deployed on a Coast Guard vessel for a period of 6 months where it will be used operationally to conduct Search and Rescue missions concurrently to vessels equipped with conventional detection technologies. A comparative evaluation of missions carried out with the new radar technology will then be made. Recommendations for continued development or operational deployment of the new technology will then be made.

Search and Rescue Equipment for Volunteer Lifesavers, CCGA (L) Inc.

This project is to equip our volunteer lifesavers' boats with GPS receivers and night vision goggles in order to improve the efficiency and the search pace and rescue operations. Upon completion, the project will increase the response effectiveness once a call alert is communicated. This will also improve volunteers' knowledge, in charge of search and rescue cases, and increase their commitment level. This project meets the NSRP objectives since it contributes to improving the means to save lives, to help reduce the risks of incidents during search and rescue operations, and to carry out these operations more efficiently and effectively and save money.

This project also meets the objectives of the NIF, which aim at improving the search and rescue services and the objectives of the NSRP.

Seasonal Approach to SAR and Drowning Prevention in Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador has consistently had the highest drowning rate per capita of all the Canadian provinces, exceeding the national per capita rate by about 2 ½ times on average and up to nearly 6 times the national average in 1996.

A need has been identified through a three-way partnership between the Lifesaving Society, the Office of Boating Safety, and Canadian Red Cross, to design an innovative, interactive, computerized multi-media product and facilitator's manual aimed at reaching youth (ages 5-14) audiences throughout the province before they move into a high-risk category. Education of youth in water and boating safety practices is an effective means of changing behaviour and extending the message further, to friends and family members.

This initiative involves the development, production and distribution of an interactive computer program, with accompanying facilitator guide that will provide an effective tool for teachers, youth and volunteer organizations that interact with youth, to deliver consistent, seasonal water safety messages to target groups in every region of the province. The purchase of computers will allow the partnering organizations to deliver the program, in-house, through their safety officers and volunteers, enlarging the numbers of individuals exposed to behavioural changes messages.

Small Craft Risk Management Program (SCRMP)

The target group:

  • Vessel rental companies including staff
  • Guides and instructors
  • Outfitters, including their staff
  • Trip organizers unaware of all of the risks e.g. outdoor youth programs
  • Education authorities, school boards, parents and teachers taking part in boating outings
  • Boating clubs with these vessels including staff and volunteers

This proposal addresses the need to provide a comprehensive small craft risk management program, specific to the needs of the target group and the boaters in their care, to reduce the deaths by drowning and SAR incidents caused by the misuse of the subject vessels*

*[powered boats (less than or equal to 5.5m long) canoes, kayaks, rowboats, small sailboats and PWC]

The Small Craft Risk Management Program (SCRMP) is aimed at the target group across Canada since the subject vessels they use are identified by Red Cross and Lifesaving Society statistics as generating the highest number of deaths by drowning.

The program is not designed to replace existing instruction programs but provides a means for the target group to focus on a basic standard of care for boaters using the subject vessels by both taking part and delivering the program as follows;

Section A

Aimed at the target group, to be utilized within their companies or organizations and educating the target group on their responsibilities and managing the risk for boaters in their care. This section of the program would consist of:

  • SCRMP handbook "The Small Craft Risk Management Program Handbook" a complete guide to the program.
  • Five videos, one for each vessel category, aimed directly at the target group "So Take the Time Manage The Risk'.
  • Posters with essential safety messages for on site display and for use by trip organizers in schools etc..
  • The target group would also be utilized as distribution points for Canadian Coast Guard and Canadian Safe Boating Council safety promotions and messages.
  • Note: The target group as volunteer participants, would be used to provide incident data collection points for the Water Incident Research Alliance using the standard form provided by the Alliance. This Form could also be provided on the SCRMP website.
    • Five videos, one for each vessel category, "Manage The Risk-Enjoy Your Trip "to be viewed by the boaters on site prior to departure or prior to attending the trip
    • Five Boater Guidebooks, one for each vessel category, "Manage The Risk-Enjoy Your Trip " to be used where videos cannot be shown and to be in possession of boaters during their trip
    • Provides an inexpensive risk management program specific to their needs, which would be cost prohibitive if the individuals in the target group had to developed the program on their own.
    • Provides staff training materials specific to their business in the program handbook and video "So Take the Time Manage The Risk".
    • Increases their management of risk.
    • Decreases their liability exposure.
    • Provides a better level of care (service) for their customers.
    • Can be used to promote the safety aspects of their business.
    • Reduces liability insurance premiums provided by Canadian Board of Marine Underwriters. (Source President Pat Bodkin) (see Additional Information)
    • 1 Management video $14.00
    • 1 Program handbook $15.00
    • 1 Canoe video for the boater $14.00 plus applicable taxes
    • Website: a dedicated Website in English and French will be provided for general information and ordering the program materials. The site will carry a list of registered program participants and promote the target group using the program.
    • Outputs
    • Program Promotional Kits; The NIF funding would generate 100 Complete promotional KITS for distribution to key promoters and interested parties (75 in English and 25 in French) includes videos and guidebooks, posters and brochures
    • All Videos
    • All Guidebooks for Boaters
    • The SCRMP management handbook
    • Posters
    • Brochures
    • On going reports on
      • The number of brochures distributed
      • The number of hits on the website
      • The number of promotional packages distributed
      • The number of orders placed for each of the product line
      • Media events newspaper and magazine articles.
      • Feedback from interested parties.

Water-related Emergency Care Training for Recreational Boaters

Every year we see an increased number of injuries related to recreational boating. Drowning is the second most frequent cause of death in Quebec among those 55 years of age and younger, and boating-related accidents are largely responsible. The goal of this project would be to educate and train recreational boaters in water-related emergency care in order to help meet the objectives of the NSS to reduce mortalities and improve the chances of saving lives. This project is not similar to the Canadian Coast Guard`s Pleasure Craft Operator`s Card program. The purpose of this project is essentially to educate and train recreational boaters in water-related first aid skills by providing them with educational material such as a water-related first aid training manual, a first aid handbook, and water-related first aid training. Once provided with these types of resources, we believe that a recreational boater who encounters a boating accident or a medical emergency onboard a watercraft could provide the necessary emergency first aid assistance in order to assist victims who suffer water-related injuries and save lives.

The Water Rules

A surprising number of collisions occur between boats and other boats, fixed objects on and just under the water and fixed objects on the shore. Many are reported but and even great number are not. The result is a significant loss of property and personal injury. Most of these could be prevented with some basic education on the part of the boat operator.

The Water Rules is a comprehensive communication program designed to categorize the most frequent cause of boat collision and communicate the basic 'rules' of vessel operation on the water. The communication method will combine entertainment and education into a variety of delivery mechanisms including video, broadcast television and the internet to ensure the broadest possible exposure of the message while still involving the boating safety stakeholders as an integral part of the distribution plan.

Effectiveness of The Water Rules will be measured through reports on distribution, viewership and visitation.

What to Do (If it Happens to You)

A number of SAR missions, injuries and loss of life among recreational boaters are the direct result of lack of education. Part of the education challenge is the development of relevant messages, and part is the development of a comprehensive way to deliver them.

What to do (If it Happens to You) is a program designed to categorize the more frequent on the water incidents and communicate information about prevention, what to do if you find yourself in a life-threatening situation and what you can do to assist another who is the victim of an incident on the water.

The communication method combines education and entertainment with a variety of delivery mechanisms including video, television, the internet and print to ensure the broadest possible reach within the Canadian boating community while still actively involving boating safety stakeholders as an integral part of the plan.

The effectiveness of What to do (If it Happens to You) will be measured through reports on distribution, viewership and visitation.

Section B

Aimed at boaters taking part in boating activities, educating them on risk management specific to their vessel type and activity. The boaters risk management section would be delivered directly to the boaters by the target group prior to or at the point of embarkation by using video, printed guidebooks and posters. The videos and guide books would also be available on the SCRMP website for the general public. This section of the program would consist of:

By being exposed to the videos, guidebooks and posters just prior to entering the water, the boaters will be better exposed to and informed on their responsibilities and what to expect from a typical trip.

The problems the target group face

No comprehensive Small Craft Risk Management Program available to fill the void.

There are some risk management policies available that are general in scope and apply to several different outdoor activities, there are also several pleasure craft training programs in place. However when it comes down to the uneducated boater using the subject vessels, the target group does not have a comprehensive risk management program "specifically aimed at boaters using the subject vessels" available to them. The cost of individually setting up such a program is cost prohibitive. Consequently the target group rely on either minimal risk management or none at all. The boaters are in turn relying on being informed by the target group. The results are in the drowning reports and increase in Search And Rescue incidents.

What does the SCRMP do for the target group?

Analysis of the program costs for the target group

An Example. To be in possession of a complete risk management program a canoe rental operation requires:

A total of $43.00

Note: Where the equipment (t.v., video and space necessary for viewing) is not available in the often small water-side kiosk used by some rental operations the boater guidebook fills the need for onsite program delivery.

The videos are also made available to participating group leaders for viewing prior to attending the outing.

Boater guidebooks for informing the boaters ($15.00)

Included as part of the rental equipment covered by the rental deposit:

No Further Requirement for NIF Support

Having the video masters and printed material master copies in place, would allow the program to continue without further NIF support. The program would be run by the Small Craft Risk Management Society, a non profit organization incorporated under the laws of British Columbia who would supply the program materials at the cost to participants as indicated. Service will be provided in both French and English.

Evaluation Criteria

The following will be supplied for evaluation

Final copies in English and French of:

Date Modified: 2008-03-31

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