Training Workshops Help Downeast Fishermen Be Safer at Sea

By Windy Jansen, Fishing Partnership Support Services

This spring, from the rocky shores of Jonesport to remote Great Cranberry and Isle au Haut islands, Maine fishermen, young and old, took part in lifesaving and hands-on safety trainings from Fishing Partnership Support Services (FPSS).

FPSS, the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, and the Maine nonprofit organization Green and White Hope are committed to supporting fishermen to fish more safely and come home to their families. The three organizations partnered to provide more than 70 fishermen from Downeast Maine with free Drill Conductor Certification trainings. As seasoned lobsterman David Cole said, “It’s a wicked good course for young or older fishermen.”

The safety training are designed by fishermen for fishermen and focused on practical methods to stay safe at sea. FPSS photo.

The training provided experience fighting fires, lighting flares, making Mayday calls, donning survival suits and more. Beyond building essential lifesaving skills, the training improves confidence, sharpens awareness, and fosters a critical mindset focused on prioritizing safety, which is essential when emergencies arise at sea.

Fishing Partnership Sup-port Services teamed up with the Maine Seacoast Mission in April to bring Fishermen’s First Aid to Great Cranberry Island and Isle au Haut. The 8-hour class expands on basic skills to include scenarios unique to work at sea. Seasoned FPSS trainers pack the course with medical information for fishermen so they know how to provide care for hours until medical professionals arrive. Fishermen finished the course with a first aid kit designed for their vessel and the skills to use its contents during an emergency. The course was lauded by participants for its practicality, usefulness and relevance. As one fisherman summed it up, “informative, practical, real-world, and marine-focused.”

All of Fishing Partnership’s classes are designed specifically for fishermen and are free of charge thanks to federal funding from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), whose mission is to teach fishermen and other workers practical ways to make their work safer so they come home to their loved ones.

We’re proud of all the fishermen who took part in spring safety trainings. Your newly acquired skills could save your life, a crewmember’s, or a fellow fisherman’s.