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  E-News – Safer Boating: CO Poisoning Prevention

August 4, 2005

Volume 1, Number 2

Terrific Partnerships

In June 2005, families who have lost loved ones inspired a new public awareness project in Colorado . The Ken Kidder Memorial Fund and the Double Angel Foundation joined with Colorado State Parks Boating Safety Office to produce and distribute 10,000 CO awareness brochures and boat stickers. The educational materials will be distributed to boaters and law enforcement officials throughout the state. To see the brochure and sticker - and read more about the project – go to the Double Angel website. Fox 31 News covered the project, filming interviews and testing of CO levels on boats. To find the script for the news coverage, go to http://www.fox31news.com/_ezpost/data/22515.shtml .

New Poisonings:

Unfortunately, three new incidents thought to be related to CO-poisoning have been reported in news services accessed on-line.

In an August 1, 2005 posting, the Galveston Daily News reports ( http://galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=21ab57232f39e996 )

that a 21-year old woman's body was found after a 16-hour vigil. The woman was last seen alive when she was with her husband and a group of friends in a 21-foot ski boat. She and her husband were floating in the water, hanging onto the ski platform in the aft portion of the stationary boat. The boat operator started the engine and began moving at about 5 miles per hour when the woman slipped from the platform. She went under, and her husband dove to try and find her. He called for help when he could not locate her. Investigators conducted an “exhaustive, extensive search” but were again unsuccessful. Several hours later, her body rose to the water's surface and was discovered. Because she was hanging onto the back of the boat where the exhaust from the engine was coming out, known to have been associated with many other such deaths, officials will request that the Medical Examiner's Office test her blood for carbon monoxide poisoning.

In another incident, reported at website http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/jul/06/two_girls_treated_after_carbon_

monoxide_scare/?city_local

two young girls were in critical condition when ambulances responded to the family's call. The girl's had been napping in the lower cabin area of a boat located on Perry Lake, Kansas. Fortunately, their parents went to check on them, discovering them disoriented and poisoned. This severe poisoning occurred within days of the one-year anniversary of a carbon-monoxide related death at this same lake. In the previous incident, a 24-year-old woman swimming near a group of idling boats lost consciousness from CO poisoning and drowned.

Finally, the following web entry indicates another poisoning :

Unconscious man rescued from drifting sailboat

Knox Village Soup, ME - Jul 1, 2005

A 74-year-old man was found unconscious inside a drifting sailboat near

the Rockland Breakwater on Thursday after being overcome by carbon monoxide. For more information on the above listing go to:

http://www.villagesoup.com

What Can Families Do?

CO POISONING AWARENESS and PREVENTION

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

ANSWER: Whatever you feel a need and passion to do………….

Never have I experienced such emotional and mental confusion, anger to rage, helplessness and an intense sense of loss that consumed me when, three months after my brother Skip's death, I spoke with the attending coroner – her final and shocking conclusion of his cause of death was not a heart attack, as we believed up until that time, but CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING!!!!!!!!!

He had returned from his ½ hour daily morning swim surrounded by fresh air, sunshine and beautiful Shasta Lake . He was also unknowingly surrounded by something very deadly. The boat engine was running and when he swam to the back of the boat he entered an extremely dense pocket of carbon monoxide. Skip's life was snuffed out almost instantly. His CO level was 89.3%!!!!!!

The key word here is “unknowingly” . That has been and will continue to be my nemesis…… How could this “silent killer” that is emitted from marine engines and generators be spewing out poison and the boating public be totally unaware???????? At no time had any of my family been educated about the danger of CO poisoning. Four generations of avid boaters………….

WHY??????? HOW COULD THIS BE???? WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?????

Being a “need to know” person and tormented by the above questions I started to investigate and research the CO/boating issue. What an amazing journey it has been! My personal way of honoring my brother's life is to work to prevent others from dying this way. There are family members who want “to do something” but just don't know what to do. I don't have all the answers, but I can share with you what I did. Maybe it will give you some ideas.

I began calling boating safety organizations to gather more information. One call led to another, to another, to another. Over and over I was told “We have never heard of this” and was referred to another group. I was ultimately put in contact with Jane McCammon and Dr. Robert Baron - the original pioneers that pursued and studied the “under recognized epidemic” of CO poisonings. They welcomed my questions, provided me with answers, AND invited me to tell my brother's story at the International Boating and Water Safety Summit. Yes, of course, I can do that!!

I remember standing at the back of the auditorium thinking…“Good grief, what am I doing? Will I embarrass them? I'm far from being a public speaker.” Then I realized something vital. This was in no way about me. It didn't matter what I was wearing, how I stood, if I stammered. All that mattered was that two very educated, professional people had trust in me to tell Skip's Story and hopefully enlighten this varied gathering of boating hierarchy as to how devastating a CO poisoning is. My job was to let them know that it needs to be addressed and that they should put CO at the top of all their “to do” lists. This made it so much easier to step up to the podium.

Armed with information from Jane and Dr. Baron, I convinced a local non-profit boating organization to work with me in applying for a grant from Boat US. My job was to come up with an idea for the way to use the grant money to promote CO awareness. I decided to try for money to do a Public Service Announcement (PSA).

What Can Families Do…. (cont.)

I had been told that Al Unser, Sr. had been poisoned by CO while attempting to untangle ropes beneath his houseboat. Thankfully, Mr. Unser survived, although he says there are parts of that day he cannot remember. I had been given his phone number and struggled for several days getting up the courage to call. Then it dawned on me that he was not going to call ME….so call I did.

When I explained the reason for my contacting him, he told me about his personal experience and his lack of knowing the danger he had been in. It was a very warm, compassionate, and memorable conversation. At the end of our talk he said, “Claire, you get the grant and I'll do the PSA.” Joined by a Canadian film producer, Duel Media, we were awarded a Boat US grant. The PSA, plus a Speed Channel segment, were completed that year, and aired on cable channels in the US and Canada .

We were awarded another grant from Boat US the following year. With this we created and displayed two billboards promoting CO awareness and safe boating classes. Two consecutive grants from BoatUS!!!!!!

But what do I do every day??? I continue to gather technical information as it develops. I teach at local boating safety classes. I speak at boating safety seminars and gatherings. I work as a volunteer on the Double Angel Foundation CO Awareness Committee. I do media interviews whenever I am asked, and sometimes I inspire those media stories by calling up reporters to let them know about the issue. And I provide input to legislators who are willing to address this important issue. I have no doubt that my brother Skip is proud to have his name in California Bill AB2222.

There have been some hurtful and frustrating things along the way. A boat manufacturer told me, and I quote: “your brother was stupid”. That is stated out of context but his position was clear.

Another incident that rocked me was when a lake patrol officer stated, after I told him my brother died behind his boat from CO poisoning and I quote again, “that is impossible”. He said that looking directly at me – and he believed it. This lake patrol officer's lack of CO education was quite obvious. And his duty is to come to a boater's rescue. Aha, another area that needs work…..

If you have lost a child (in the case of the Dixey family – two children), a son or daughter, a mother or father, a brother or sister, a friend, it is so painful knowing all these deaths were preventable…. I have had the pleasure of speaking with family members of CO victims during the years since Skip died. Each of them is dealing with their personal tragedy as differently as their individual experiences. And each of them wanting to do something, but not knowing what to do.

A father who lost his son told me he just cannot deal with the mention of CO. It makes it more and more unbearable for him. He cannot move forward because his son's cause of death is so heart breaking. I'm sure that many families feel that way. Because I do too, many times.

I still can't wrap my brain around my brother's cause of death. I still have days of “this is way too painful, it keeps Skip's death right in front of me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week………” Then someone/something pops into my head. Like my memory of a beautiful 12 year old girl who told me in a safe boating class that she barefoot skied pulled by a 10 foot rope behind her family boat. “Is that dangerous?” she asked. I am hoping her family has made changes in their skiing practices – and just maybe – she has been spared a CO poisoning.

Double Angel CO Awareness

Committee

Jane McCammon

Chairman

Ken Dixey

Bambi Dixey

Ken Major

Karen Dunkel

Jim Mack

Claire Babik

Dr. Robert Baron

Dr. Robin Larabee

Jim Gabriel

Renee Carey

Members

What Can Families Do…. (cont.)

The fact that millions of boaters are still unaware haunts me and I have to try – something.

For me, being part of this incredible journey of education and prevention eases the pain a little. And always, a voice inside me says…. “Let's continue, we must continue.”

Claire Bauer Babik

Legislative Action:

Oregon has joined Pennsylvania , Nevada , and California in establishing regulations related to “teak surfing” (also known as “dragging” and “platform dragging”). To read more about it, go to http://www.katu.com/stories/78672.html

Public Awareness Happenings

Boat US recently covered CO poisoning prevention developments in their May 2005 issue. The article, “Converters Cut CO” can be found at website http://www.boatus.com/news/engines_0505.htm

Other news articles across the country (May - July):

http://www.wesh.com/news/4629591/detail.html

http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/1601282.html

http://www.newszap.com/articles/2005/05/17/az/west_valley/peo04.txt

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/8049/

http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208~12588~2870407,00.html

http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/articles/2005/06/09/sports/sports3.txt

http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=23A587C2-7E90-4B6F-B003D2BCB70B6CCA

http://www.havasunews.com/articles/2005/05/29/news/news02.txt

http://www.lakesunleader.com/articles/2005/05/25/news/news1.txt

Responses from Readers

CO poisoning prevention efforts at Lake Powell may be having an impact. After reading the last update, National Park Service Search and Rescue Diver Pat Horning wrote: “Over the years, half of our recovery work has been related to CO poisonings. The last two years, we have not had any fatalities due to CO.”

END