NASBLA BOAT Program

Last week, at the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators Annual Conference Awards Dinner in Knoxville, Captain Jason Aleksak, Sector Commander for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville; Commander Joshua Underwood, Homeland Security Commander for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office; and Deputy Chief Chris Pacetti of the St. Augustine Fire Department were presented with the NASBLA Award.

The NASBLA Award recognizes individuals whose time, effort, and leadership have advanced the association’s mission or made notable contributions to the betterment of the maritime domain.

These three have made a tremendous impact on NASBLA and the BOAT Program. Their collective work has expanded standardized training, strengthened the connection between training and operational readiness, modernized BOAT curricula, and built stronger partnerships across the Coast Guard, law enforcement, and fire service.

Most importantly, maritime first responders across Northeast Florida are better prepared because of their efforts. Agencies are training to a shared standard, working more cohesively across jurisdictional lines, and building the kind of interoperability the BOAT Program was designed to support. Their work in the Sector Jacksonville area is also providing a model that can be replicated by maritime partners across the country.

We are incredibly grateful for the leadership, time, and commitment Jason, Josh, and Chris continue to invest in NASBLA.

Congratulations on a very well-deserved recognition!

As America celebrates 250 years of independence, we honor the vision, courage, and sacrifice of those who founded our nation, and the generations of Americans who have answered the call to serve ever since.

Today, we recognize the men and women standing the watch across our nation’s waterways, safeguarding lives, protecting our communities, and carrying forward a tradition of service that has endured for two and a half centuries.

Happy 250th Birthday, America. 🇺🇸

Crashing boats…for science.

Today we executed the first staged collision of the week in Nashville as part of an effort to better understand how real-world boating incidents occur.

Working alongside leading experts in investigation, forensics, and data collection, this project is designed to capture high-quality, real-time collision data - helping strengthen training and support more accurate incident reconstruction.

This work will directly inform future training under NASBLA’s BOAT Program and reinforce the national standard for boating incident investigations.

This week, the Fire Boat Operations team kicked off a series of courses in Boston that will continue through next week, training more than 40 firefighters from Massport, Boston, Cambridge, and Everett Fire.

The training includes the Fire Boat Operator (FBO) course and SAR Fundamentals - programs designed to meet the growing demands placed on today’s fire service in the marine environment.

Fire service agencies are increasingly called upon for vessel emergencies, waterfront incidents, rescue operations, evacuations, and coordinated response in busy ports and waterways. As maritime search and rescue evolves, local partners are playing a larger operational role.

That is why practical, mission-ready training matters.

Thanks to U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston for its support of this critical training, and to Massport for its initiative in expanding maritime capability and readiness across the region.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife will host a five-day Officer Water Survival Train-the-Trainer Course, June 22–26, in Bangor, Maine. This tuition-based course is offered at $2,500 per student and includes food and lodging as part of the registration cost.

🔗 https://buff.ly/Bbg2hXq

This is what a week looks like when the National Standard is delivered at scale.

From coast to coast, the BOAT Program was in motion, supporting more than 200 first responders through:

• 3 Tactical Operator Courses (TOC)
• 2 Boat Operator Search and Rescue (BOSAR) courses
• 1 Boat Crew Member (BCM) course
• 1 Level II Advanced Boating Incident Investigation
• 1 GPS Forensics course

Multiple states. Multiple agencies. One National Standard.

That standard matters.

It allows agencies from different parts of the country to operate together, seamlessly. Same expectations. Same doctrine. Same level of performance. Training that holds up when it counts.

This isn’t just training. It’s the national benchmark for maritime law enforcement and public safety.