Lifejackets help keep you afloat, provide warmth and are seen more easily by rescuers.
A lifejacket should fit snugly and shouldn’t ride up when the person enters the water.
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- Fitting a lifejacket out of the water.
- Show the students how to read the label on the lifejacket to find the right fit.
- Select the correct lifejacket by size and weight indicators.
- Check belt straps are not twisted.
- Put it on and do up do up zip, if applicable, and each buckle so that it is a snug fit.
- Demonstrate a poor fitting jacket.
- Self-check the belt fit by inserting two fingers between the belt and the lifejacket.
- Buddy check by lifting at the shoulders to ensure the lifejacket doesn’t ride up past earlobes.
- Fitting a lifejacket out of the water.
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- Fitting a lifejacket in the water.
- Fitting a lifejacket in the water is important to replicate emergency situations such as accidental falls from a boat not wearing a lifejacket or if thrown a lifejacket as a rescue aid.
- Open lifejacket and lie it face up in the water.
- Lie of top of the lifejacket, without putting arms through the armholes.
- Put one arm through the opposite armhole.
- Rotate body and put other arm through other armhole.
- Tightly secure zip and buckles.
- Fitting a lifejacket in the water.
Teaching Tips and Class Management
- Have the student pair up and help each other fit their own lifejackets.
- Experiment before instruction putting a lifejacket on in deep water.
- After instruction students could then practice on dry-land or shallow water, before moving back to deep water.
- Role play a rescue in pairs, student signals they need assistance and partner throws a lifejacket to be fitted in the water.