Ready, Set, Wear It Life Jacket Events teach boaters about the importance of always wearing a life jacket, along with helpful care and maintenance information. With a bit of fun along the way! These events are hosted by Safe Boating Campaign partners around the world. Find an event or register your event. #RSWI2019
Ready, Set, Wear It Life Jacket Events may be a standalone event(s) or incorporated into other local outreach efforts. Partners may offer the event once, twice, or multiple times throughout the year! These events are about raising awareness about the importance of wearing a life jacket. Local partners are encouraged to plan a #RSWI2019 event any time between May 1 and October 31. Free downloadable resources are available in our Resources.
Event Activity Ideas
• Group photo opportunity: We love to see group photos of participants in life jackets! Tag the Safe Boating Campaign on social media, and use the hashtag #RSWI19. See photos from #RSWI2018.
• Life jacket education stations: Whether a large group demonstration or a small group education station, this is a great opportunity to share about life jacket wear, care, and maintenance. Many boaters don’t know about inflatable life jackets, so take the time to show how these work, how to re-pack, and how to inspect.
• Life jacket fashion show: Some boaters may not wear a life jacket because they haven’t found the right fit. A life jacket fashion show can help boaters know there are various styles and sizes. If you’re a boater, there’s a life jacket for you!
• Ride-along: Ready, Set, Wear It is a great chance to offer local news media the opportunity to participate in a ride-along with a local marine agency. Share boating safety tips and more about your local efforts to support the Safe Boating Campaign.
• Festivals: Many host partners find success incorporating Ready, Set, Wear It into planned events throughout the recreational boating season, such as paddling festivals, family safety days, or boat shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
• Is this a world record event? This is no longer a world record event due to geographical limitations with having the event on one day.
• Does Ready, Set, Wear It have to be on one specific day? No, it can be any day! To better reach local communities about boating safety, partners are encouraged to plan a Ready, Set, Wear It event on a day that will draw the most attendees between May 1 and October 31. It may be a standalone event or incorporated into an existing effort.
• Do event hosts still need to register? Yes! Please register your event so it may be listed in our online event directory. Registered event hosts will be randomly selected to receive a prize.
• Do event hosts need to keep a sign-in sheet? No, official event sign-in sheets are not required by the Safe Boating Campaign, but they may be needed depending on your location or organizational requirements. Please provide an estimate of the number of people who attended your event in the end of summer survey for RSWI event partners.
• Are replacement cylinders available for inflatable life jackets demonstrations? Yes, these will be available in limited quantity and styles. These may not arrive prior to your event as we are shipping in batches, and meant to be used for educational purposes. Request replacement cylinders.
• What resources are available for event hosts? Free downloadable resources are available in our Resources, such as templates for media advisory, press release, public service announcement and social media posts. Other resources may be used such as posters or infographics to customize for signs, or videos for educational purposes.
• What is the hashtag to share photos on social media? Please tag the Safe Boating Campaign when sharing photos (Facebook @safeboatcampaign, Twitter @boatingcampaign, Instagram @boatingcampaign) and use the hashtags #RSWI2019 and #wearit.