Sea Tow Foundation releases Flare Education Toolkit for boating community

Marine flares © Emily Rundle

The Sea Tow Foundation, a boating safety non-profit, has released a Flare Education Toolkit for the boating community. The toolkit is designed to provide boaters with the information they need to safely and properly use traditional flares as well as electronic flares (known as E-Flares). The toolkit also includes pre-made social media copy and email templates for industry leaders to easily spread flare knowledge to boaters.

"The goal of this toolkit is to increase education and awareness of visual distress options for boaters. Considering that E-Flares are relatively new to the boating industry, many boaters may not be aware of them or know that they are a great alternative to traditional flares," says Gail R. Kulp, Executive Director of the Sea Tow Foundation. "E-flares are easier to use, can eliminate injury or damages caused by burning slag, and are more affordable over time because they don't need to be replaced every 42 months. We encourage companies, organizations and individuals within the boating industry to use our toolkit to help increase boaters' E-Flare knowledge."

The Sea Tow Foundation has produced a series of short videos focused on flare safety and disposal, the use of flare guns and E-flares. The toolkit includes social media copy to accompany each of these videos, along with key talking points, infographics and a Flare Disposal Locator. The toolkit was produced using grant funds from the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Download the Flare Education Toolkit here.

Access Flare Education resources here.

To learn more, visit www.boatingsafety.com.