April 18, 2023 — About 36 commercial fishermen and others who make a living on the water learned how to set off flares, use a fire extinguisher, and don a survival suit during the Fishing Partnership Support Services’ free safety and survival classes held Thursday at Coast Guard Station Gloucester on Harbor Loop.
Those taking part in the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association Safety and Drill Conductor Certification course hailed from Gloucester and other ports such as Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The two-day course runs through Friday.
After learning how to properly set off flares, and which fire extinguishers to use in which situation from instructor Ed Dennehy, Jay Ponte of Boston said of the safety course: “It’s pretty awesome. It’s eye-opening.”
Ponte fishes aboard the charter boat F/V Fishbucket out of Boston with Dan Parma of Peabody who said he liked practicing with real-life situations