Drill conductor training coming to Cordova

Snug in the harbor: The majority of Cordova’s gillnet fleet have put their boats away for the winter in the Cordova Boat Harbor, wrapping up the 2017 commercial salmon fishing season. Photo by Cinthia Gibbens-Stimson/The Cordova Times
Snug in the harbor: The majority of Cordova’s gillnet fleet have put their boats away for the winter in the Cordova Boat Harbor, wrapping up the 2017 commercial salmon fishing season. Photo by Cinthia Gibbens-Stimson/The Cordova Times

A fishing vessel drill conductor class will be held May 1 in Cordova by the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, offering hands-on training with marine safety equipment and instruction in best practices for surviving emergencies at sea.

The class will be held from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Pioneers of Alaska Igloo 19, 621 1st St.

The same class will be offered in Valdez on May 4.

Both classes are free for commercial fishermen, thanks to support from the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development, Alaska Sea Grant, the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health and AMSEA members. Others may attend at a cost of $175.

Register online at amsea.org or call 907-747-3287.

Instructor Laura Schneider will cover a number of cold-water survival skills, including emergency position-indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs), signal flares and man-overboard recovery. Also included in the class will be firefighting, flooding and damage control; dewatering pumps, immersion suits and personal floatation devices; helicopter rescue, life rafts, abandon ship procedures and emergency drills.

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The workshop meets U.S. Coast Guard training requirements for drill conductors on commercial fishing vessels.

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