b'U.S. COAST GUARD U.S. COAST GUARDCheck Your LifejacketsAmemberrecentlyhadTheselifejacketsweretheType1,recommends that vessel owners and PVA toreplace114outof400160RTmodeldistributedbyTheoperatorsinspecttheirType1uni-lifejacketsduringaself-in- Safeguard Corporation of Covington,cellularplasticfoamlifejacketsfor spection of lifesaving equipment. TheKy. They were manufactured in Chinapotential indications of failure or deg-memberdiscoveredthattheunicel- and the distributor is no longer in busi- radation, specifically:lularfoambuoyantmaterialwithinness. In 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard is-thenylonoutershellhaddegradedsued a marine safety alert 07-16 on thisCompression:Thelifejacketmay significantlyovertime,brokeapart,issue and it remains a good reference.be compressed from many years of crumbled, and in some instances wasThe safety alert can be found here. stowage.reduced to dust. The lifejackets were properly stored, kept dry, and not un- As a result of this discovery the Pas-Lossofresiliency:Thelifejacketisder direct sunlight. sengerVesselAssociationstronglyexcessively hard, stiff, or its foam is brittle. Normally, after compressing the lifejacket to about half its initial thickness, the foam should expand to its original dimension in a short period of time.Shrinkage:Aphysicalreductionin size may be indicated by wrinkling of the coating on vinyl dipped type or by a loose fitting shell on a fab-ric-covered lifejacket.Manufacturer:Whilethepotential forproblemsappliestoallolder PFDs, those manufactured by The SafeguardCorporationshouldbe closely examined.Questions regarding life jacket inspec-tion should be directed to your local Coast Guard inspection office or you can contact PVAs Eric Christensen at echristensen@passengervessel.com.SCAN THE QR CODE TO LEARNABOUT THE INDUSTRYS BEST PERFORMING HULL DESIGN:SALES@ALLAMERICANMARINE.COM | 360.647.7602FOGHORN 60'