Through the non-profit Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA), teachers around the state can continue their education online and learn about cold weather survival skills. An upcoming course puts the focus on marine safety, in particular.
Titled “Cold Water Safety and Survival Training for Educators,” AMSEA is offering the online course through the University of Alaska–Southeast. Rick Peterson, training coordinator with AMSEA, says it helps educators and people who work with children to lead cold water survival and safety training.
Peterson comments that the organization focuses on getting the message to kids. By the time they’re adults, he says they’ve already created hard-to-change habits. “We’re trying to have kids grow up to be safety-conscious adults when they’re mature enough to do their own adventures or jobs.” Peterson recalls Alaska’s history with drowning-related accidents, citing that the state used to have 10 times the national average.
One way AMSEA aims to reduce that rate is by adding to its existing network of instructors across the state. Anyone can become an AMSEA instructor, but Peterson likes teachers because they already have access to kids. And through this course, teachers or participants can learn how to teach kids proper safety techniques for a variety of topics, including risk assessment, rescue techniques, outdoor preparedness, and hypothermia.
The online cold-water safety and survival training for educators is $595 and starts January 30th.
