Type 1 Life Jacket Donning Instructions
Henoch Holverson
Note that Bluestorm Gear provides life jacket donning instructions with images, sewn into the back of all our inflatable PFDs. Additional information and images for donning a life jacket are provided below.
Your Bluestorm life jacket also came with a manual with donning instructions when purchased. If you need a new one, you can download it from our website by tapping the link for your respective inflatable life jacket below.
To don a Bluestorm life jacket, there are four steps to follow. To ensure safety, your vest should be worn over any clothing you plan to wear during its use. Do not wear your life jacket under any clothing, as it could lead to serious injury.
The first step to donning a life jacket is to insert your arms between the straps and the vest. Note the side with the lining, which has the donning instructions and UL label sewn into it, should be pressed against the body.
Inspect your life jacket to be familiar with your adjustment options. Some life jackets have one-side adjustment and others have dual-side adjustments. Adjust your strap to tighten, ensuring the vest fits snug on you.
Picking out a new life jacket should be fun and exciting. Not only are they for safety, but they also show off your aesthetic and how you want to look while out on the water. To help make sure you are wearing your new PFD properly, here are some common questions that users may ask when donning a life jacket.
If you are looking for other types of equipment other than life rafts, our team of experts has got your back! Life Raft Store provides Aviation Survival Equipment Rentals Online. We rent Life rafts, life jackets, immersion suits, sat phones, PLB's & more. We truly are a one-stop shop for anything you need for your life rafts.
We offer a number of different types of life vests to choose from. Here are just two examples of the types of vests we offer:Switlik AV-35D Airline Style Life Vest:This airline-style life vest is rented by the Life Raft Store to make sure your passengers stay safe. This vest is made with adjustable straps to accommodate an adult at almost any size. The AV-35 style features a back panel, double waist straps, and adjustable buckles with snap hooks. The D rings located at the end of each life vest strap makes an effort for extra security.
The Switlik AV-35 Features are:Independent twin cell configuration2 oral inflation tubesNeck gusset for chafe protectionFully adjustable for waist/chest size up to 59"Corrosion-resistant hardwareMildew resistant webbingWater-activated TSO C-85 locator lightFire-resistant fabricPlastic storage pouchSilk-screened donning instructionsAvailable in Intl. yellow or orangeInterested in this incredible life vest? Rent your Switlik AV-35D Airline Style Life Vests with your life raft purchase today from the Life Raft Store!
The simplest and least buoyant type of life jacket comes in the form of nylon-lined foam vest, and with silver reflective band. In case the person is drowned in water, the rescuer can see him clearly.
One of the main reasons many anglers, paddlers, sailors, and boaters choose inflatable life jackets over other types is due to their unique fit. Thanks to their intuitive design and slim profile, inflatables offer a greater range of mobility as opposed to their larger foam counterparts. They also fit more snug to the wearer's body which reduces obstructions and stays out of the way on the water. In most cases, those who wear inflatables claim it feels like they're not even wearing a life jacket at all.
There's one more important thing to remember when fitting your inflatable before an outing on the water. Never wear an inflatable life jacket under any type of clothing. Always don the life jacket over your shirts, hoodies, or jackets.
In the 1980s, the U.S. Coast Guard created four wearable life jacket "types" and one throwable flotation "type" for recreational boaters. There is a ton of information about the range of Coast Guard-approved life jackets, but much of this is now out of date. In fall 2014, the Coast Guard announced that, beginning in 2016, life jackets would no longer be categorized by "type." Newly introduced life jackets are to be classified by "level," which corresponds approximately to the buoyancy in a measurement unit called Newtons [the force required to cause a mass of one kilogram to accelerate at a rate of one meter/second squared, in the absence of other force-producing effects] provided by the device. These levels closely follow the ISO standard known as ISO 12402; the new North American standard is known as UL 12402. The four consumer-oriented life jacket levels are 50, 70, 100, and 150.
This change has caused a lot of confusion. But the Coast Guard's goal was to begin the process of "harmonization" between life jackets made to the ISO standard (used in Europe and the rest of the world) and those made to U.S. standards. Ideally, life jackets built to one set of standards with one type of label to describe the life jacket's attributes could be sold in multiple markets around the world. In theory, this will enable development of products that are more comfortable and have innovative designs and features. Consistent global labeling will also make it easier for consumers worldwide to determine the correct application and size of each life jacket.
While the U.S. transitions from one life jacket standard to another, selecting the right one could be confusing. If you're unsure whether a life jacket is legal for use on a particular boat, read the label on the life jacket. It should say something like "Legal for all recreational boats."
A life jacket prevents you from drowning long enough that you can be plucked from the sea. Although in some rare cases you may be able to self-rescue (by swimming to another boat, the life raft, or the proverbial desert island), you're much more likely to be rescued by someone else. There are several ways an offshore life jacket increases your chances of survival.
Back to the surface: Initially, a life jacket helps you get back to the surface where you can breathe. The gasp reflex may cause you to try to inhale when your face is immersed in cold water. Added buoyancy is vital to help you get back to the surface. This is the best argument for having a water-activated inflatable life jacket rather than just a manually activated inflatable, because an unintentional cold-water swim can make even the most seasoned boater forget to pull the ripcord.
Hypothermia reduction: An offshore life jacket will help you avoid hypothermia by allowing you to assume the HELP, or Heat Escape Lessening Posture, which can roughly double your cold-water survival time. By clamping your arms to the sides of your chest, clutching the life jacket to reduce water flow, and pulling your legs in toward your chest, you effectively protect high heat-loss areas (head, neck, armpits, and groin). If you try this in a lower buoyancy life jacket, you'll roll forward, and your face will go in the water.
Maintain upright attitude: Having to use your arms and legs to keep your head above the surface wastes both energy and body warmth. A high buoyancy life jacket should hold you in a semi-reclined position, with sufficient freeboard (mouth height above water) to make breathing relatively easy regardless of sea state.
Heave period: How long will it take you to pop back to the surface after being forced under by a wave? In a low-buoyancy life jacket, there will be long periods of time when your head is immersed, increasing the risk of drowning. High-buoyancy life jackets reduce the heave period so that the swimmer stays on the surface, with adequate freeboard to enable breathing, for a greater percentage of the time. Note: Heave period is related to other life jacket variables besides buoyancy, but there isn't an easy way to quantify it. When selecting a life jacket, the most relevant variable is buoyancy, which is measured in pound force (lbf) or Newtons.
Survival after losing consciousness: Remarkably, it's possible to regain consciousness after being so severely hypothermic that you've slipped into unconsciousness, as long as your airway has not been compromised. Remember that scene in the movie "Titanic," where all of the people wearing life jackets appeared to be dead? With the correct rewarming techniques, those passengers could have been saved if they had been removed from the water and given medical treatment.
As of this writing, the UL 12402 standard for life jackets has not yet been finalized. In order to compare the old and new rules for near-shore and offshore applications, we've made educated predictions about what the new standards will say.
Offshore life jacket: Formerly known as "Type I" life jackets, these generally use foam for flotation, provide at least 22 lbf (around 100N) buoyancy, and are most commonly used on commercial vessels. Despite adequate in-water performance, they're not very useful for recreational vessels because their bulky shape restricts mobility. There is a common thought that offshore life jackets are what you want on a larger cruising boat "in case you sink," but they will not help save you from more common dangers (falling overboard or being ejected from the boat) if they're not worn.
Near-shore buoyant vest: Formerly known as "Type II" life jackets, these have a minimum buoyancy of 15.5 lbf (around 70N) and the classic "horse collar" shape. The least expensive life jackets, these are intended to meet the letter of the law; they have few other redeeming qualities. For any boating activity, there is a life jacket that will work better than a Type II.
Flotation aids: Formerly known as "Type III" life jackets, these also have a minimum of 15.5 lbf (69N) of buoyancy. They're available in a wide variety of styles and should be selected with the end use in mind. Specialized models have been designed for paddling, sailing, tow sports (like wakeboarding and water skiing), fishing, and so on. The sailboat/powerboat versions are comfortable to wear and provide some degree of hypothermia protection as well as moderate buoyancy. Although they may be appropriate for near-shore, they don't offer enough flotation to be suitable for offshore use.
c80f0f1006