The day of safety training for fishermen held at SMAST last Friday marked eight years of Coast Guard-certified safety instruction provided free to the Massachusetts area fishing community. Since its inception in April 2005, the program has held 36 Basic Training sessions, attended by 1481 fishermen, and 12 Drill Conductor classes certifying 153 drill conductors, for a grand total of 1634 trainees.

Developed by New Directions Southcoast, Inc., the training includes on-board firefighting, man-overboard procedures, flooding and pump operations, flares and EPIRBS, survival suit deployment, life raft equipment, helicopter hoist procedures, and first aid. The remaining Basic Training sessions this spring will be held in Provincetown on Friday, May 3, and in Gloucester on Friday, May 17. Register on line here.

This Friday, April 27th, the latest class of commercial fishermen will gather at SMAST for Basic Safety and Survival Training, sponsored by Fishing Partnership, a non-profit dedicated to the health and safety of fishermen and their families. The curriculum includes fire-fighting, man-overboard procedures, first aid, flood and pump operation, vessel stability, use of flares and EPIRBS, and immersion suit/life raft training. According to organizer Ed Dennehy of New Directions Southcoast, the program has trained more than 1304 fishing personnel at SMAST and other locations in the seven years of its existence. Slots are still open for Friday’s full-day course (7:30 am – 2:30 pm), which includes lunch. The registration form can be submitted by email, faxed or filled out at www.newdirectionssouthcoast.org; registration is also accepted at the door.

On Friday, April 29th, the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission will sponsor a Basic Safety and Survival Training for commercial fishermen at SMAST. The curriculum includes fire-fighting, man-overboard procedures, flood and pump operation, vessel stability, use of flares and EPIRBS, and immersion suit/life raft training. Now in its sixth year, the program has trained more than 1000 fishing personnel at SMAST and another 200+ in other locations. According to coordinator Ed Dennehy of New Directions Southcoast, which organizes the training, the success of the program is attributable to the instructors, who are both fishermen and Coast Guard certified, the hands-on nature of the training, the use of the SMAST facility, and word-of-mouth “advertising” within the commercial fishing community.

SMAST hosted the resumption of Fishermen Safety Training sessions last Friday, made possible by state support, along with donations from The Fireman’s Fund insurance company and Ocean Marine Brokerage Services. New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang, State Representative Tony Cabral (whose office led the way in securing the state funding) and other dignitaries addressed the participants, formally “presenting the check” which will fund another two training sessions this fall, and two more in the spring. For this round of training, instructors have added a response module for man-overboard emergencies, the second leading cause of death at sea. The next safety training will be held Friday, October 17. Call Fran Abreu at 508-961-3029 to register or for more information.