Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development Agency, has joined forces with ‘All Aboard 2017’ to launch the new ‘Guide for Fishermen to Register Digital Safety Equipment with ComReg’. This step-by-step guide aims to help fishermen successfully register the personal locator beacon (PLB) from their lifejackets with ComReg.
Each time a PLB is registered with ComReg, the device’s code is logged and linked with the personal details of the owner. In the event of an emergency at sea, when the fisherman activates the beacon, the PLB code allows the device to be identified by the GPS tracking system and the emergency services are automatically alerted.
Any device that it not fully registered with ComReg, whilst GPS trackable, will not identify the owner and as a result the launch of a rescue can be somewhat delayed as the services seek to verify the signal, which in turn has can have a negative impact on the chances of a successful rescue.
Speaking at the launch of the Guide, BIM Director, Donal Maguire said, “BIM see All Aboard 2017 as an opportunity to make fishermen aware of just how straight-forward it is to use their digital skills, no matter what skill level and learn how to register their PLBs with ComReg. The online step-by step guide makes registration simple and in addition to completing BIM’s safety training, we would encourage all fishermen to make sure their personal locator beacons are registered, giving them the highest chance of surviving an incident at sea.’
All Aboard is a week-long initiative co-run by The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and Ireland’s higher education institutions. The initiative seeks to highlight a series of national and regional events with a view to building confidence in Ireland’s digital skills for learning.
The Guide is available on the BIM website Lifejacket PLB Registration Guide (pdf 1,003Kb)
