Boat Ed Presents Innovations Award to Oregon State Marine Board
Bar Harbor, Maine (PRWEB) October 19, 2014 -- The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, in conjunction with Boat Ed, is proud to announce the Oregon State Marine Board Boat Inspection & Procurement Program as the 2014 Innovations Award recipient.
The award was presented at the 55th NASBLA Annual Conference in Bar Harbor, Maine, at the Awards Luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Though there were several highly qualified programs, the Oregon Boat Inspection & Procurement Program stood out as being the most transferable to other states.
The Oregon State Marine Board established a protocol in which all Marine Board-funded law enforcement vessels are now inspected annually for condition, safety, damage, and maintenance needs. In order to support this program, OSMB employee Mervin Hee created an electronic document management and database reporting system that enables staff to inspect and track the more than one hundred vessels across 32 counties.
All boat-related purchases, repairs and replacements are now documented in one efficient database. The system has also made grant allocations a transparent and objective process. Electrical problems were caught before disasters, and the database has made it easy to locate areas where staff needed additional training. Users can upload information directly from an iPad while on-site at an inspection.
Honorable mentions are awarded to:
• The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Boating Safety Awareness Program, which promoted safety awareness and outreach through messaging across multiple media outlets and in-person outreach.
• The Marine Exchange of Alaska MXAK Digital Selective Calling/AIS Weather Project, which utilized resources across several departments to build a network of more than 120 identification systems, weather stations, and DSC operations in Alaska.
• The “10 Tips to Boating Safely” video series created by the American Canoe Association, which used humor and animation to entertain viewers while transmitting safety information.
• The Cross Pollination program created by the WaterSports Federation, which established a national outreach campaign for creative educational media.
The Innovations initiative brings visibility to exemplary state, corporate or public-private partnerships and to encourage sharing of initiatives with other agencies and recreational boating safety stakeholders.
The Innovations Award is presented annually to the program or initiative that demonstrates the highest level of innovation leading to advances in boating safety. In order to qualify for the award, the program must be:
• Newly established—between 9 months and 3 years in practice
• Creative—represent a new and creative approach to problems or issues in the recreational boating safety community.
• Effective—achieving its goals, objectives and purposes.
• Transferable—easily shared with other states or marine safety and enforcement organizations.
• Significant—addressing significant recreational boating safety issues or problems.
Winners of the Innovations Award:
• Are recognized in front of their peers at the Awards Ceremony during the NASBLA Annual Conference, in Small Craft Advisory magazine, on the NASBLA website and through a nationally distributed press release.
• Receive a great opportunity to showcase agency or company accomplishments.
• Have a great opportunity to share effective innovations with partners from across the country.
The 2014 NASBLA Conference was held at the Bar Harbor Regency in Bar Harbor, Maine, from Oct. 16-19. The NASBLA Annual Conference provides an opportunity for state recreational boating safety professionals and others to network, learn the newest strategies in boating safety, and conduct business.
About Kalkomey
Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc., parent company of Boat Ed® and boat-ed.com, is the official provider of recreational safety education materials for all 50 states. Kalkomey's print and Internet courses have been providing official safety certification since 1995. Kalkomey provides safety courses in boating, hunting, bowhunting, and off-road vehicle (ORV) and snowmobile operation. For more information, visit http://www.kalkomey.com.
About NASBLA
The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators is a national nonprofit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. NASBLA represents the recreational boating authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories. The association offers a variety of resources, including training, model acts, education standards and publications. Through a national network of thousands of professional educators, law enforcement officers and volunteers, NASBLA affects the lives of more than 83 million American boaters. For more information, visit http://www.nasbla.org.
Mitch Strobl, Kalkomey Enterprises, http://www.hunter-ed.com, +1 972-715-7011, [email protected]
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