GREEN BAY, Wis. — The public and media are invited to partake in a National Safe Boating Week kickoff event scheduled to begin Saturday morning at Leicht Park in Green Bay.

The purpose of the event is to promote boating safety initiatives for the upcoming boating season throughout the Green Bay area.

The mayor of Green Bay will open the ceremony with a National Safe Boating Week proclamation at 9:30 a.m.

Events include interactive boating safety demonstrations, tours of the Coast Guard Cutter Buckthorn, paddleboat safety demonstrations, and free vessel safety inspections by the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

The goal of National Safe Boating Week, held annually during the week leading up to Memorial Day weekend, is to heighten awareness among recreational boaters of the importance of boating responsibly and wearing a life jacket at all times.

Nationally, there were 672 boating fatalities in 2010.  Of those, 21 were children under age thirteen. 

Almost 75 percent of these boating accident victims drowned and of those, 88 percent were not reported as wearing a life jacket.  Although federal regulations require that children under 13 wear life jackets when boating, Wisconsin state law does not require wear.

Eight out of every 10 boaters who drowned were on vessels less than 21 feet in length.

Operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, excessive speed, and alcohol rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.

Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 19 percent of the deaths. 

Editor's Note: Media interested in attending should contact Paul Mason, US Coast Guard Auxiliary, at 920-309-0076, or Chief Petty Officer Kyle Dupree, officer-in-charge of Station Green Bay, at 920-435-7042.

Media Note: Please post this information in your public announcement section.

CHICAGO — Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago is scheduled to present, at a meeting May 8, the findings from the Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment (PAWSA) Workshop that was held on March 27-28.

The post-PAWSA workshop meeting will allow participants to discuss the specified risks that were identified, existing risk mitigation measures, and proposed risk measures developed by the workgroup during the assessment.

Limited seating is available for waterways users not represented by an association. Seating will be offered on a first-serve basis. Individuals interested in attending the workshop will need to provide their name, waterways affiliation and contact information by May 2 to Ens. Jake Aulner at 630-986-2141 or Jacob.L.Aulner@uscg.mil.

Media interested in attending the event should R.S.V.P with Lt. Leslie Downing at 630-986-2132 or Leslie.M.Downing@uscg.mil.

MILWAUKEE — The Coast Guard is scheduled to hold a ceremony and demonstration in Milwaukee Friday to accept the new Rescue 21 communications system at Sector Lake Michigan, which spans all but the northernmost portions of Lake Michigan.

Rescue 21, the Coast Guard’s advanced command, control and direction-finding communications system, was created to more efficiently locate mariners in distress to save lives and property at sea and on navigable waterways.

Capt. Matt Sibley, commander of Sector Lake Michigan, will join Michael Tangora, the Coast Guard’s deputy assistant commandant for acquisition and director of acquisition services, and Roy Zellmer, Wisconsin’s boating law administrator, to talk about how Rescue 21’s state-of-the-art technology is enhancing search and rescue mission execution and maritime safety along Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan’s nearly 1,500 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline.

Rear Adm. Michael Parks, commander of the 9^th Coast Guard District, will be the event’s keynote speaker. Bill Ross, vice president of federal systems and cyber solutions for General Dynamics C4 Systems, will also deliver remarks. General Dynamics C4 Systems was awarded the Rescue 21 contract in 2002.

Speakers will be made available to the media following the ceremony, followed by demonstrations and visuals of the system at work in the command center for those interested.

Since Rescue 21 became operational at Sector Lake Michigan in December 2011, it has been used in more than 28 search and rescue cases. More information about Rescue 21, which is operating throughout the U.S., can be found at http://www.uscg.mil/acquisition/rescue21.

• WHO: Rear Adm. Michael Parks, commander of the 9^th Coast Guard District; Michael Tangora, deputy assistant commandant for acquisition and director of acquisition services; Capt. Matt Sibley, commander of Sector Lake Michigan; Bill Ross, vice president of federal systems and cyber solutions, General Dynamics C4 Systems; Roy Zellmer, Wisconsin’s boating law administrator

• WHAT: Rescue 21 acceptance ceremony, media availability, and demonstration

• WHEN: Friday, April 20, 10 a.m.

• WHERE: Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan, 2420 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53207

• RSVP: Credentialed media should RSVP to Lt. j.g. Brian Dykens, Sector Lake Michigan public affairs officer, at 414-747-7152 to facilitate entry

Media Note: Please post this information in your public announcement section.

CHICAGO — Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago is scheduled to host a Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment Workshop March 27-28 to identify major waterway safety hazards, estimate risk levels, evaluate potential mitigation measures, and set the stage for implementation of selected measures to further reduce risks in the port.

• WHO: Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Chicago
• WHAT: Hosting a Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment Workshop
• WHEN: March 27-28, 2012

The PAWSA workshop is an opportunity to bolster partnerships between federal, state, local governments, commercial, recreational, and environmental interests for planning and implementing waterways and navigational safety improvements on the Chicago River.

The Chicago PAWSA workshop participants include members of the maritime community who have expertise and current knowledge in the following areas: pilotage, ship handling, aids to navigation, maritime law enforcement, vessel traffic management, protection of natural resources, marine casualty response and investigation, and waterway community planning and economics.

Limited seating is available for waterways users not represented by an association. Seating will be offered on a first-serve basis. Individuals interested in attending the workshop will need to provide their name, waterways affiliation and contact information by March 22 to Ens. Jake Aulner at 630-986-2141 or Jacob.L.Aulner@uscg.mil.

Media Note: Media wishing to attend this event are asked to R.S.V.P. to Lt. Leslie Downing at 630-986-2132 or Leslie.M.Downing@uscg.mil.

CLEVELAND — The crews of three U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers are scheduled to be moored in Detroit near Cobo Hall, and provide free tours to the public on Friday and Saturday.

Each cutter’s crew will be supporting the Coast Guard’s 2011-12 domestic icebreaking mission and providing support for a security zone surrounding the 24^th Annual North American Auto Show.

Moored in Detroit will be the 140-foot ice breaking tugs Bristol Bay, homeported in Detroit, Neah Bay, homeported in Cleveland, and cutter Thunder Bay, homeported in Rockland, Maine, but temporarily assigned to the Great Lakes.

Cutters Bristol Bay and Neah Bay will be open for tours on Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., respectively. Cutter Thunder Bay will be open for tours on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Ice breaking on the Great Lakes is vital to keeping shipping lanes open. Large quantities of steel, coal, heating oil and grain ship throughout the region, and Coast Guard ice breaking services enable these shippers to transport an average of $2 billion worth of cargo each year.

For more information contact the 9^th District Public Affairs Office at 216-902-6020.

CLEVELAND — The Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw is temporarily moored at the Port of Cleveland during a visit for area familiarization and other training opportunities Jan. 5, 2011. The Mackinaw is the only U.S. heavy ice breaking resource assigned to the Great Lakes, and is permanently homeported in Cheboygan, Mich. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Michael Jorgensen)

CLEVELAND — Media are invited for a tour of the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw and to interview the crew Thursday afternoon while the cutter is temporarily moored in Cleveland.

The Mackinaw is the only U.S. heavy ice breaking resource assigned to the Great Lakes and is permanently homeported in Cheboygan, Mich., but is currently in Cleveland for area familiarization and other training opportunities.

The cutter has state-of-the-art systems and multi-mission capabilities including servicing buoys, search and rescue, law enforcement and the ability to deploy an oil-skimming system to respond to oil spill situations.

• What: Tour of Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw
• Who: Crew of Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw
• When: 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2011
• Where: Port of Cleveland on West 3rd Street behind Cleveland Browns Stadium

Tours will not be available for the general public.

Editor's Note: Interested media should RSVP to the Coast Guard 9th District Public Affairs Office at (216) 902-6020 by 12:30 p.m. Thursday to gain access to the cutter. A driver's license or photo identification is required for entry to the port.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Media is invited to speak with and interview a Coast Guardsman who received a prestigious lifesaving award last month, at a media availability scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City.

Petty Officer 3^rd Class Thomas McArthur, an aviation survival technician at the air station, and recipient of the Silver Lifesaving Medal, will be available for interviews from noon to 3 p.m.

McArthur, a native of Dunwoody, Ga., and a 2007 graduate of the Greater Atlanta Christian School, is credited with saving 12 lives from violent riptides at Frankfort Beach in Frankfort, Mich., on Aug. 15, 2010.  At the time, McArthur was assigned to Coast Guard Station Frankfort and rescued the dozen swimmers while off-duty.

McArthur was awarded the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal at the Coast Guard Foundation Dinner in New York on Oct. 13. He was awarded the medal for his actions on August 15, 2010 when he rescued 12 people, including a family of four, who were in danger of drowning in dangerous rip tides off of Frankfort.

He was also recognized by the National Capitol Area Council Boy Scouts of America at their annual Scouting Salutes the Military event in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 27.  A lifelong member of the scouting community, McArthur earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2006.  Click here to read about the Boy Scout event.

For his heroism, as well as his many accomplishments, McArthur was named the Coast Guard's Shipmate of the Week.

According to Title 14 of US Code, which establishes Coast Guard lifesaving authorities, the Gold and Silver Lifesaving Medals may be awarded by the commandant of the Coast Guard to any person who "rescues or endeavors to rescue any other person from drowning, shipwreck, or other peril of the water."

Media interested in attending the media availability are asked to RSVP to Lt. j.g. Jim Okorn at 231-922-8273 no later than 4 p.m. Monday.

Air Station Traverse City is located at 1175 Airport Access Road, Traverse City, MI 49686-3586.

CLEVELAND — Personnel from the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Cleveland Police Department, and other local law enforcement and intelligence agencies are scheduled to hold a maritime security exercise Wednesday morning, at the Coast Guard's Cleveland Moorings facility.

This exercise is being held in conjunction with the larger bi-national Frontier Sentinel 2011 exercise, which has been taking place since Sept. 20.  Click here to learn more about FS11.

Wednesday's exercise involves the controlled arrival and dockside boarding of a Coast Guard Auxiliary vessel playing the role of a private vessel suspected of carrying weapons and narcotics.  The simulated boarding of the vessel is the culmination of the active components of the FS11 exercise and is the result of weeks of intelligence-gathering and information-sharing among the bi-national federal, state and local agencies involved in the exercise.

There is no cause for public alarm due to any increased activity from law enforcement and emergency response personnel in and around the exercise area.

Any media interested in attending should RSVP to the 9th Coast Guard District Public Affairs by 8:30 a.m., Wednesday.

This event is not open to the public.

CLEVELAND — Leaders from the U.S. and Canadian military branches that are conducting a maritime homeland security and defense exercise are scheduled to be available for a news briefing Thursday morning at the Marine Security Operation Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Military spokespersons from the U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Task Force Atlantic will be on hand to discuss the Frontier Sentinel 2011 exercise, which began on Sept. 20 and is planned to culminate on Oct. 5.

The overall purpose of FS11 is to conduct a maritime homeland security and defense exercise in the Northwest Atlantic, Gulf of St. Lawrence and Great Lakes region, enabling the development of combined information sharing and planning, all of which should lead to the generation of a coordinated response to mutual maritime threats.

Taking part in the FS11 exercise are personnel from U.S. and Canadian military branches and government agencies, and state and local agencies, including: the U.S. Coast Guard's Atlantic Area and 9th District; U.S. Fleet Forces Command; Canada Command and Joint Task Forces Atlantic region and Central region; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police C Division; several Ohio Northern Border Initiative agencies; and others.

Click here to learn more about FS11.

CLEVELAND — Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Cleveland, the Cleveland Division of Police, and other law enforcement and emergency response agencies are providing details this afternoon regarding what media may see if they attend a maritime securty exercise at the Coast Guard's Cleveland Moorings facility, scheduled to be held Wednesday.

Media in attendance will see a coordinated response to a simulated maritime security incident.

Click here to read more about the exercise.

Media interested in attending must RSVP to the 9th District Public Affairs Office by 9 a.m. Wednesday.

This event is not open to the public.