TESTING THE GEAR
Outgoing Port Colborne Marine Auxiliary Rescue unit executive officer Zach Walters, left, helps Daniel Wultchyn get into a life raft Sunday in the pool at the Vale Health and Wellness Centre as other members assist the pair.
With a pop and a loud hiss, a sixman life raft popped out of its casing and quickly inflated inside the pool at Port Colborne’s Vale Health and Wellness Centre.
Once full of air and floating upright, outgoing Port Colborne Marine Auxiliary Rescue unit executive officer Zach Walters practiced righting the life raft before pulling himself onboard.
Soon after, he was pulling other members of the rescue unit out of the water and helping them get inside.
“Every two years, POCOMAR has to recertify the life rafts on the boats to make sure they are in good working order,” said commander Norm Dashwood.
He said the life rafts — the unit has one each on its two rescue vessels — go to a marine supply company.
The company unpacks, tests and repacks the life rafts and recertifies them, making them ready for the next boating season.
“This year we decided we’d do something different. A lot of our members have never seen one of the life rafts deployed. So we thought, why don’t we put them in the pool and see what happens?” said Dashwood.
The unit, which had nine members out for the pool session, also tested floater suits, lifejackets, and other safety equipment while in the pool.
During the hour- long session, members practiced not only getting in and out of both liferafts but also in and out of the floater suits while in the water.
“Really things we don’t get an opportunity to do throughout the season. We can’t just test life rafts any time because they are always on standby.”
Dashwood said it was a very good exercise for the rescue unit’s members.
He said the life rafts were packed up at the end of the exercise and taken to the marine supply company to be checked and made ready for next spring when the unit is back on the water.