Have appropriate personal floatation devices (PFD’s): Part 1
Life jackets and PFD’s (Personal Flotation Devices)
PART 1: The Good and The Bad
The topic of flotation devices has become a controversial topic for parents, aquatic professionals, drowning prevention advocates and swim teachers alike.
In my mind, there should not be a controversy. At all.
There is factual information about life jackets and personal flotation devices and there are also personal opinions about life jackets and personal flotation devices.
I am going to use this time to present both of these things to you.
First, in this blog post, I will present you with fact based information about life jackets and PFD’s.
Then, in PART 2, I will share with you what I know to be true as a swim instructor with 36 years of experience.
Finally, also in PART 2, I will speak to you as a mom who had 3 children under the age of 5 in the summer of 2006.
Here’s the thing. I can’t make parents THINK or DO anything, one way or the other.
I want to give you enough information to make an informed and wise choice for your child when it comes to life jackets and PFD’s.
In the “H” strategy, I am very specific about the water environment that we are wearing life jackets in. It is in an UNCONTROLLED one. To me, uncontrolled means any of the following: lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, water environments where you may not be able to see the bottom. Being on all docks and in all boats. Activities such as snorkeling, paddle boarding, jet skiing and water skiing.
You might have others to add to this list that I may have missed but these are my non-negotiables for sure. In these situations, lifejackets must be worn, all the time and by everyone. Adults included.
Let’s say that you went out and bought your child a life jacket or PFD or maybe you just ordered it online, sight unseen.
Why did you buy the specific one for your child that you did?
Because it was “Coast Guard Approved”?
I’m going to guess you answered “Yes” to that question.
What does being “Coast Guard Approved” actually mean?
I’m going to guess you might not be totally sure.
Well, I was in the same position as you then.
Despite being a lifeguard, swim instructor and water safety expert for more than 35 years now, I was not entirely sure what that approval ACTUALLY meant.
I mean, I wasn’t 100% sure of what went into a life jacket or PFD receiving that important stamp of approval and if I wasn’t sure, I didn’t want to assume all parents and caregivers out there were sure either.
Knowing that lifejackets and PFD’s are a critically important piece of the water safety puzzle, I figured that I would get to sorting it all out and come up with the answers we are all looking for.
So, while doing all the research for the “H” strategy, I read through pages and pages of the U.S. Coast Guard website. Holy cow. No wonder the average person doesn’t understand what “Coast Guard Approved” means!!
After reading through quite a few pages, honestly, most of it left me more confused than when I started. The language was so technical and because I didn’t fully understand what I was reading, I even found some of the information contradictory.
I knew that I needed to keep looking for a source that the average person, like you and I, would easily understand. A website, article or person who could help me understand the meaning so that I could share it clearly and concisely with all of you.
THANK THE UNIVERSE I came across the Boat U.S. Foundation website. I read through pages of information that made so much more sense to me but I still wasn’t finding answers to the questions that I had.
Off to the “About Us” page I went and I clicked on “Meet the Crew” link and it was there I found the person who I knew would help me. Amanda is the Director of Education for the Boat U.S. Foundation and after a couple emails back and forth, she gave me about an hour of her time to answer all my questions. She was sent from Lifejacket Heaven to me 😊
So, now that I have the answers, let’s get started.
What does “Coast Guard Approved” mean?
“Coast Guard Approved” means that the flotation device you are using on your child has been approved to be worn by them ON A BOAT.
“Life jackets must be U.S. Coast Guard-approved in order to meet carriage (boat) requirements.” -Source
It means that if your child is wearing it on a boat and you get stopped on the water, you will not get a citation.
That’s it. For boats.
And before we get too much further into this conversation, I want to make it clear that the Coast Guard DOES NOT approve devices for use IN A POOL.
We will talk about that in much more depth a little later on.
Anyways, after doing all that research and all that reading trying to figure out what the U.S. Coast Guard was trying to say on their website, the actual meaning can be summed up in that 1 sentence?
I will be honest with you, this was a little mind blowing to me.
But then it got even better. And by better, I mean more mind blowing.
“The Coast Guard does not review PFD design, construction, or performance…”
-Source“The Coast Guard does not test materials or systems for approval but rather specifies the required test methods and minimum performance criteria for approval.” -Source
Hold on. What?
If the Coast Guard is not doing the testing, reviewing and evaluating the life jackets, WHO IS?
“Product testing must be performed by a Coast Guard Accepted or Recognized Independent Laboratory.”
All “Coast Guard approved” flotation devices undergo testing through Underwriters Laboratory. If you look inside the life jacket that you have for your child, you should see “UL”. That means it was tested by Underwriters Laboratory.
What exactly is being tested, reviewed and evaluated by Underwriters Laboratory?
They approve the design, how the life jacket is put together and they do technical testing for buoyancy. They basically say that a specific lifejacket is designed to keep a certain person (based on weight) afloat, under certain water circumstances, for a certain amount of time.
They DO NOT test devices in water environments, using a child. These are scientific tests only.
What is the Coast Guard’s actual involvement in this entire process that they put their stamp of approval on?
“Coast Guard engineers evaluate…the laboratory's test report.” - Source
If it passes UL with flying colors, the Coast Guard can approve it.
So now you may be asking “Being Coast Guard approved has nothing to do with how SAFE my child will be with it on in the water?”
The Coast Guard approval provides ZERO guarantees or promises that these devices will keep your child safe in the water.
This is shocking to you I am sure.
Parents put these flotation devices on their children and let them go into all kinds of bodies of water, MOSTLY POOLS, giving them inappropriate independence because they have been led to believe that their children are safe because the devices state that it has been “Coast Guard approved”.
Coast Guard approved also does not mean that it has been evaluated to help your child learn to swim or to be a swim aid of any kind and again, it has ABSOLUTELY NOT been evaluated for use in a POOL.
Since we know we must be putting our children into life jackets in uncontrolled water environments, how do we know which one to use?
Please grab your child’s lifejacket and take a look at the information inside and match it up with the following information which has all come from The U.S. Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division.
Lifejackets are separated into three broad categories for children based on weight:
Youth - users with a weight over 55 lbs. and less than or equal to 88 lbs.
Child - users with a weight over 33 lbs. and less than or equal to 55 lbs.
Infant - users with a weight less than or equal to 33 lbs.
There are two main classes of PFDs.
Those which provide face up in-water support to the user regardless of physical conditions (lifejackets).
Those which require the user to make swimming and other postural movements to position the user with the face out of the water (buoyancy aid).
There are 5 basic design types of lifejackets but we are only going to discuss 4 of them.
Type I - Inherent
Type II - Inflatable
Type III - Hybrid
Type V - Special Purpose.
Wearable PFDs are also categorized by Performance Level.
Level 50, 70, 100, 150, 275
The number in performance Level Devices (Level 70) indicates the minimum buoyancy of the device. Buoyancy of Level Devices is measured in Newton (N). 70 Newtons equals 15.74 pounds of buoyancy.
Performance Type Devices:
Type I - has the greatest required inherent buoyancy and turns most unconscious persons in the water from a face down position to a vertical and slightly backward position, therefore, greatly increasing one's chance of survival.
Type II - intended to turn some unconscious persons from a face down position in the water to a position where the wearer's respiration is not impeded.
Type III - intended to support a conscious person in the water in an upright position. This type of device is not required to turn an unconscious person in the water from a face-down position to a position where the wearer's respiration is not impeded.
Type V - is approved for restricted uses or activities such as boardsailing, or commercial white water rafting. These devices may not be suitable for other boating activities. The label indicates whether a particular design of Type V can be used in a specific application, what restrictions or limitations apply, and its performance type.
Performance Level Devices:
Level 50 - intended for use by those who are competent swimmers and who are near to bank or shore, or who have help and a means of rescue close at hand.
Level 70 - intended for use by those who have help or a means of rescues close at hand, or who are near a bank or shore. These devices have minimal bulk, but cannot be expected to keep the user safe for a long period of time in disturbed water.
Level 100 - intended or those who may have to wait for rescues, but are likely to do so in sheltered water. The device should not be used in rough water.
Level 150 - intended for general application or for use with foul weather clothing. It will turn an unconscious person into a safe position and requires no subsequent action by the user to maintain this position.
Level 275 - intended primarily for offshore use under extreme conditions.
I know. That is a lot of information but it is SO important.
Now I want you to look inside the lifejacket and you may see a line of pictographs, something like this.
The one that I feel is most important for children is this one.
This pictograph will tell you clearly if the device you are choosing for your child will roll them from a face down position to a face up.
THIS IS CRITICAL.
If you are putting your child in a life jacket so that they are SAFER in the water, then they need to be in a life jacket that could roll them over.
A Type I life jacket will do this. A Type II life jacket will do this for MOST children. A Type III or V life jacket will NOT roll a child from face down to face up.
So, if you are using a device on your child that has arm floaties and a floatie band across their chest, that is a Type III device and it WILL NOT ROLL THEM OVER.
When you buy a car seat for your child, you do all the homework. You know which way the seat should be facing for what weight your child is at. You have read the reviews and you have asked your online communities for their recommendations.
You need to be doing the same kind of due diligence when choosing a life jacket or personal flotation device for your child.
Please remember, the #1 cause of accidental death in children under age 5 is drowning, not car accidents.
We need to now focus on what makes a lifejacket a good fit for your child because in the end, every child needs a lifejacket if they are going to be in uncontrolled water or on a boat.
Since children come in all shapes and sizes, the Boat US Foundation has created a wonderful PDF that you can download from the Water Safety With Miss Dayna website, that tells you how to fit a lifejacket properly.
Here are some of the things you need to keep in mind when choosing the best lifejacket for your child(ren):
Children come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Weight limit is less critical than HOW a life jacket fits. Don’t ignore the weight limits but focus on the FIT.
Buy a lifejacket that will roll your child to their back if the need ever arose. Level 1 for sure, Level 2 for most.
After you buy a lifejacket, test it out in the water to make sure it fits and works properly.
Buy for NOW…not for a “they will grow into it” situation.
Don’t plan on keeping the same lifejacket around for forever and passing it on to other children.
Let’s go back to the analogy of a car seat. Think about a lifejacket in the same way. You don’t buy a car seat for the 3 year old that you WILL have, you buy for the infant you will be bringing home from the hospital. There are weight restrictions or requirements in car seats. The same can be said for life jackets. If your car seat is in a car accident, you replace it. When a lifejacket is faded and frayed, you will replace it as well.
OK, there you have it. The good and the bad of lifejackets and PFD’s.
Now that you know more, I hope that you will be able to research and choose the correct device for your child.
It is time to get on to the next part. The never ending controversy surrounding life jackets and flotation devices and should they or should they not be worn in a pool…and what happens if they are.
See you in PART 2.