First Watch is one of our industry partners. All of their products were designed by maritime operators, incorporating many functional advancements. They also have a clothing line, H20 Tac specifically designed for law enforcement and first responders. They offer special pricing for NASBLA members. Last years Order Form is attached. I will post the 2020 Order Form soon.
We also recently had some discussion with the USCG regarding the new PFD labels, the new labels mostly do not designate an "impact speed rating". Our existing Instructor PFD's are rated for 100mph, which means you can be ejected from a vessel at 100 mph and the PFD will stay on your body. Don't be surprised if you don't see a speed rating any longer.
Here's what was described regarding speed rating:
"The change which removed any impact speed rating from the UL 1123 PFD standard more than 10 years ago. The rating was determined to be largely misunderstood by the public and unnecessary as the test had no failures and was expensive to perform with either a boat or a helicopter to maintain speed over open water. The consensus of all of the members on the UL Standards Technical Panel for PFDs was that it served no useful purpose and there was no need to replace it because it could actually promote risky behavior. Many USCG approved PFDs are still out there with the speed rating verbiage on the label if they were manufactured before the change was implemented in their UL file."
"There was a UL speed rating, but this is no longer done now. This changed several years back, but you still might see PFDs that are sold with speed rating labels. The reason for this is the manufacturer hasn't changed their labels because nothing else has changed on their PFD that would require them to be looked at for their CG approval number."
There is also much discussion now regarding neutral buoyancy. The CG has changed their inflatable CO2 cylinders to a "half-charge" of 15-17 grams. This allows the boat crew in a cabin boat to egress, and then fill the bladder after with the oral inflation tube.
Neutral buoyancy is also a factor if you are in the water and need to submerge (either due to a vessel that may hit you, or to disengage a combative PIW, tactical situation etc.
Ross Johnston from First Watch recently asked this question, "On that subject – is there a need or potential to reduce or eliminate the need for duty belts on marine officers? Just wondering if there's a way to move gear away from the belt and up to the upper body in a combination life jacket and utility vest. Thanks for any opinions you may have." There are some manufacturers doing this already with a Molle ballistic integrated vest, eliminating the need for a duty belt.
Hope this helps!
V/R
Dave
Ross Johnston
General Manager Firstwatch Gear
Home Office
33 Biehn Dr, Kitchener, ON
519-591-5055
Corporate Office:
Pacific Quest International LLC DBA Firstwatch Gear
1141 Ringwood Court, Suite 130
San Jose, CA 95131 PH) 800-728-0704
Website: www.firstwatchgear.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstwtchgear/
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Dave Considine
BOAT Program Director
NASBLA
Cell (978) 314-1839
Office Direct (859) 225-7375
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-14-2020 10:50 AM
From: Kenneth Paulison
Subject: PFD preferences
Our department is looking at purchasing new PFD's for our boat patrol. I wanted to see what that majority of local agencies utilize on their lake patrol and river patrol. We are looking into the Mustang Survival HIT automatic. Is there any agency that uses them, and the name of the company that sells them at a reasonable price. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Ken Paulison
Douglas County Sheriff
Omaha, NE
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Kenneth Paulison
Douglas County Sheriff
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