Earlier in summer we held a successful marine fire safety contest, giving away a fume, fire, and bilge water alarm system valued at $249! We asked our Facebook community to share their marine safety tips to bring greater awareness to safe boating, in light of a number of devastating boat fires, some of which we ultimately salvaged. Here’s a few highlights:

Change your fuel filters before going out in rough weather. Debris in the bottom of tank will often become dislodged and may clog dirty filters. — Joshua Prahl

Get familiar with your boat! Check rub points of wiring and do regular engine inspections, fuel lines, etc… a dry rotted fuel line, or leaky fuel connection could cause huge issues! Preventative maintenance! And of course, fire suppression methods. — R.J. Norton

Ensure fire extinguisher is close and has been serviced. Nothing worse than grabbing an extinguisher that does not work in an emergency. — Tyler Hutchings

Fire suppression blankets near the galley and the engine room are another essential part of our boats equipment. It has already proven its worth as we had a fire in the Bahamas earlier this year. —Doug Stephenson

Make sure that there is one lifejacket that is rated for each person on board, I usually like to have a couple extra. Another thing is to know the water you’re going out on and where to go if a storm rolls in. — Craig C. Sakanee-Stover

ALWAYS have a CO detector. And test it often. — Luc Martin

As one commenter, Andrew J. Gendron, wisely said, “Marine safety should be priority for boaters.” We agree — stay safe out there! Thanks to everyone who participated and provided marine safety pointers.