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The Coast Guard reminds boaters to stay safe during New Year's Day weekend
TAMPA, Fla. — The Coast Guard reminds Florida boaters Friday to exercise caution and to boat safe while enjoying New Year's Day weekend.
The Coast Guard urges boaters not to launch or use fireworks aboard a boat as they can be mistaken as a sign of distress and needlessly attracting Coast Guard and other rescue resources. “Every New Year's Eve, Coast Guard personnel receive and respond to numerous reports of boaters firing emergency flares from their vessels," said Lt. Jason Holstead, a Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg command duty officer. "To appropriately search an area where a flare was reported requires a significant number of resources. If the report was an unintended false report it places our emergency crews in areas where they aren't needed." Red or orange flares are internationally recognized as a signal of distress. It is a federal felony for anyone to knowingly and willfully communicate a false distress message to the Coast Guard or cause the Coast Guard to attempt to save lives and property when no help is needed. This includes, but is not limited to, firing flares or saying 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday' on a VHF radio in a non-distress situation. "The Coast Guard stresses that flares should only be fired to indicate distress when a boater feels they are in an emergency situation," said Holstead. Boaters are also reminded to stay well clear of fireworks displays staged from barges or shore side facilities. In an effort to increase the safety of boaters on the water this holiday weekend, the Coast Guard recommends the following:
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