Watch the Global Halifax Evening News at 6 p.m. from Feb. 17-21 to see all of Natasha Pace’s reports on the Miss Ally tragedy and safety issues in the fishing industry
HALIFAX – Being safe on the water has become a priority for local fishermen since the Miss Ally sank a year ago and claimed the five lives.
According to Rick Clarke, the president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, more fishermen are using Personal Flotation Devices or PFDs.
“Personal flotation devices are in demand now, so I think it’s being used as a ‘we will never see this again.’ That’s a lot of young people being taken from families, from communities” said Clarke.
READ MORE: Fishing industry needs changes to better promote safety, widow says
The first thing that happens after being tossed into the cold, rocky ocean is your body has a reaction to the cold water.
“That reaction is going to do a couple things,” said David Comeau of Falck Safety Services. “It’s going to send your heart rate and your blood pressure up at the same time. If you have a weakened cardiovascular system, that can become a fatal condition.”
Hypothermia isn’t the main thing you need to worry about, but fighting to keep your airways clear. It takes about a minute to get your breathing under control.
“Even if you can swim, even if you stay at the surface, you’re going to be breathing very rapidly and out of control.”
If you make it past that initial minute, you have about 10 minutes of functional swimming time.
READ MORE: One year later: Miss Ally crew remembered
“After that, you start to go into swimming failure, when you’re starting to drown,” said Comeau. “At this point, the only thing that’s going to help you is having some kind of flotation device.”
Without a flotation device, you only have about 15-20 minutes to survive. A personal flotation device will help, ideally because it would already be on, but it’s not ideal.
Donning a survival suit is better — the suit keeps the wearer warm and afloat, but you need to be able to put it on within two minutes. It can keep someone alive for six hours — a number that can double if the conditions are right. If you can make it into a life raft, your survival time is extended even longer.
“The suit has to be very visible, so that means typically a nice bright colour: yellow, orange, some reflective tape on the suit,” said Comeau. “It has to be self-donning, so there can’t be a zipper in the back, or something that you need to be assisted with. It’s something you need to be able to put on yourself.”
He said in general, life-jackets are not meant to be worn with a survival suit, although combination devices are available.
Comments