[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 194 (Wednesday, October 7, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53972-53975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-26853]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-1998-4525]
National Boating Safety Activities: Funding for National
Nonprofit Public Service Organizations
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard seeks applications for grants and cooperative
agreements from national
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nongovernmental, nonprofit, public service organizations. These grants
and cooperative agreements would be used to fund projects on various
subjects promoting boating safety on the national level. This notice
provides information about the grant and cooperative agreement
application process and some of the subjects of particular interest to
the Coast Guard.
DATES: Application packages may be obtained on or after October 7,
1998. Proposals for the Fiscal Year 1999 grant cycle must be received
before 4:30 p.m. eastern time January 15, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Application packages may be obtained by calling the Coast
Guard Infoline at 800-368-5647. Submit proposals to: Commandant (G-OPB-
1) U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street, SW., Room 3100,
Washington, DC 20593-0001. This notice is available from the Coast
Guard Infoline and on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov or at the Web
Site for the Office of Boating Safety at URL address
www.uscgboating.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Albert Marmo, Office of Boating
Safety, U.S. Coast Guard (G-OPB-1/room 3100), 2100 Second Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20593-0001; 202-267-0950. For questions on viewing, or
submitting material to, the docket, contact Dorothy Walker, Chief,
Dockets, Department of Transportation, 202-366-9329.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title 26, United States Code, section 9504,
establishes the Boat Safety Account of the Aquatic Resources Trust
Fund. From this trust fund, the majority of funds are allocated to the
States, and up to 5% of these funds may be distributed by the Coast
Guard for grants and cooperative agreements to national, nonprofit,
public service organizations for national boating safety activities. It
is anticipated that $2,950,000 will be available for fiscal year 1999.
Twenty-two awards totaling $2,750,000 were made in fiscal year 1998
ranging from $9,000 to $438,000. Nothing in this announcement should be
construed as committing the Coast Guard to dividing available funds
among qualified applicants or awarding any specified amount.
It is anticipated that several awards will be made by the Director
of Operations Policy, U.S. Coast Guard. Applicants must be national,
nongovernmental, nonprofit, public service organizations and must
establish that their activities are, in fact, national in scope. An
application package may be obtained by writing or calling the point of
contact listed in ADDRESSES on or after October 7, 1998. The
application package contains all necessary forms, an explanation of how
the grant program is administered, and a checklist for submitting a
grant application. Specific information on organization eligibility,
proposal requirements, award procedures, and financial administration
procedures may be obtained by contacting the person listed in FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
New procedures allow prospective grantees to propose up to a five-
year grant with the twelve month (fiscal year) increments. In effect,
an award would be made for the first year and thereafter renewal is
optional. Each annual increment would not be guaranteed. Under a
continuation (multi-year) grant type of award the Coast Guard agrees to
support a grant project at a specific level of effort for a specified
period of time, with a statement of intention to provide certain
additional future support, provided funds become available, the
achieved results warrant further support, and are in support of the
needs of the government. Award of continuation grants will be made on a
strict case by case basis to assist planning certain large scale
projects and ensure continuity. New procedures have also been
established to implement awarding noncompetitive grants or cooperative
agreements on a case by case basis. This authority will be judiciously
used to fund recurring annual projects or events which can only be
carried out by one organization, and projects that present targets of
opportunity for timely action on new or emerging program requirements
or issues. The following list includes items of specific interest to
the Coast Guard, however, potential applicants should not be
constrained by the list. Any initiative which can help to reduce
recreational boating deaths, injuries or property damage is welcomed.
Of high interest are initiatives which focus on recreational fishermen,
canoeists, kayakers, and/or personal watercraft operators. Some
projects area of continuing and particular interest for grant funding
include the following:
1. Develop and Conduct a National Annual Safe Boating Campaign. The
Coast Guard seeks a grantee to develop and conduct the year 2000
National Annual Safe Boating Campaign that targets specific boater
market segments and recreational boating safety topics. This year-round
campaign must support the organizational objectives of the Recreational
Boating Safety Program to save lives, reduce the number of boating
accidents and associated health care costs, as well as support the
nationwide grassroots activity of the many volunteer groups who
coordinate local media events, education programs, and public awareness
activities. Products must include, but are not limited to: situation
analysis, post campaign component evaluation processes, measures of
effectiveness, marketing strategy, distribution plan, and final report.
All print, audio and video material must be designed to emphasize
multiple year-round boating safety and accident prevention messages.
Highlights of the calendar year 2000 national campaign will be special
select materials and activities to support National Safe Boating Week
and other selected national boating safety events. The major focus of
the campaign will be to affect the behavior of all boaters to increase
wearing of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) [with special emphasis on
use by children and recreational anglers] and the dangers of boating
while under the influence (BUI) of alcohol or drugs. The recreational
angler component should reflect the statistical risks associated with
fishing activities, falls overboard, cold water immersion, and failure
to wear a PFD. An established portion of allocated grants funds must
support a National Boating Accident Reporting Awareness Program that is
designed to reach all boaters with a message on the importance of
reporting boating accidents. Efforts will also be coordinated, year-
around, with other national transportation safety activities and
special media events, in particular those which focus on the prevention
of operating a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Point of
Contact: Ms. Jo Calkin, 202-267-0994.
2. Evaluation of the National Safe Boating Campaign. The Coast
Guard seeks a grantee to develop and conduct an objective and
systematic evaluation of the National Safe Boating Campaign. This
evaluation is to determine the effectiveness of the campaign in
modifying on the water behavior, and thus meeting the objectives of the
Recreational Boating Safety Program to save lives, reduce the number of
boating accidents and associated health care costs. (Grantees or
partners of grantees of previous National Safe Boating Campaigns will
not be considered.) Point of Contact: Ms. J. Calkin, 202-267-0994.
3. Develop and Conduct a National Recreational Boating Safety
Outreach and Awareness Conference. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to
plan, implement, and conduct a National Recreational Boating Safety
Outreach and Awareness Conference. This conference must support the
organizational objectives of the Recreational Boating Safety Program to
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save lives, reduce the number of boating accidents, and lower
associated health care costs. The overall conference focus should have
promotional strategies which address the following specific targeted
audiences: paddlers, anglers and hunters, and personal watercraft
users. The conference should be scheduled to be conducted during the
spring of 2000 and be held concurrent or consecutively with additional
major national recreational and/or boating safety and aquatic
symposiums. The design of the conference should enhance the awareness
and development of paid and volunteer professionals; national, state,
and local boating safety program organization leaders; waterway
managers and industry specialists. It should provide a unifying link
between local or regional programs and those on the national level. The
conference should be a collaborative effort of national organizations
interested in the betterment of boating and equatic safety and should
include, but not be limited to, plenary sessions, hands-on workshops,
and the distribution of a post conference report (publication)
describing the activities of the conference. Products should include,
but are not limited to, specific program tasks, evaluation processes,
measures of effectiveness, marketing strategy, and final report, Point
of Contact. Ms. Jo Calkin, 202-267-0994.
4. State/Federal/Boating Organizations Cooperative Partnering
Efforts. The Coast Guard seeks grantees to provide programs to
encourage greater participation and uniformity in boating safety
efforts. Applicants would provide a forum to encourage greater
uniformity of boating laws and regulations, reciprocity among
jurisdictions, and closer cooperation and assistance in developing,
administering, and enforcing Federal and state laws and regulations
pertaining to boating safety. Point of Contact: Ms. Sandy Brown, 202-
267-6010.
5. Voluntary Standards Development Support. The Coast Guard seeks a
grantee to carry out a program to encourage active participation by
members of the public and other qualified persons in the development of
technically sound voluntary boating safety standards. Point of Contact:
Mr. Peter Eikenberry, 202-267-6984.
6. Conduct Technical Seminars on Boating Safety Standards and
Compliance. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to develop, provide
instructional materials for, and conduct training courses for
recreational boat manufacturers nationwide on compliance with
recreational boating Federal safety standards. Point of Contact: Mr.
Gary Larimer, 202-267-0986.
7. Develop and Conduct Boating Accident Seminars. The Coast Guard
seeks a grantee to develop, provide instructional material, and conduct
training courses nationwide for boating accident investigators,
including three courses at the Coast Guard Reserve Training Center in
Yorktown, Virginia. Point of Contact: Mr. Gary Larimer, 202-267-0986.
8. Video Support for Accident Seminars. The Coast Guard seeks a
grantee to record new video segments of laboratory demonstrations
central to the instructional curriculum used in the accident
investigation seminars. These segments include fuel vapor explosions,
gas tank leak tests, stray current corrosion demonstrations, overheated
electrical component tests and other laboratory demonstrations
instructive in accident investigations. Point of Contact: Mr. Gary
Larimer, 202-267-0986.
9. Staged Boat Collisions. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to
develop and produce a series of staged boating collisions using a
variety of typical recreational watercraft including contemporary
fishing boats and personal watercraft, among others. The purpose of the
staged collisions is two-fold. First, the crashed boats resulting from
the staged collisions will be used to form the first of three pools of
watercraft to be used in the accident investigation training program
nationwide. Second, film footage and technical data recorded and
gathered during the staged collisions will be used to enhance
understanding of the crash dynamics of recreational vessels under
controlled conditions. Point of Contact: Mr. Gary Larimer, 202-267-
0986.
10. National Estimate of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) Wear
Rate. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to develop a statistically valid
national estimate and evaluation of wear rates of PFDs by recreational
boaters. Wear rate should be determined by actual observation of
boaters rather than other means such as surveys. Special emphasis
should be placed on identifying inland fishermen. Point of Contact:
LCDR Rick Sparacino, 202-267-0976.
11. Understanding and Awareness of Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
Types and Capabilities. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to evaluate
current methods of informing and educating boaters on performance,
selection, use and care of PFDs. The grantee is to make recommendations
for improvement. The evaluation is to include review of PFD labels, the
required PFD information pamphlet, and manuals for their effectiveness,
including readability, understandability and information retention. The
goal is to make changes which will improve each of these factors and
perhaps introduce new ways of reaching boaters so that they are able to
readily make informed choices of the type of PFD which best meets
individual needs and to fully understand the risks associated with use
and failure to use the different PFD types under various operating and
water conditions. The grantee is to also review existing outreach
methods regarding PFD types and their capabilities, and make
recommendations regarding effectiveness and ways to improve boater
understanding before, at, and after the point of purchase. Point of
Contact: Mr. Rick Gipe, 202-267-0985.
12. Improvement of Navigation Light Visibility and Display. The
Coast Guard seeks a grantee to investigate the safety aspects of
navigation light lens size for lights constructed in accordance with
the Navigation Rule specifications. The grantee shall determine the
minimum lens size necessary to effect a safe level of navigation light
discernment when viewed at close range against a background of lights
and in inclement weather. Point of Contact: Mr. Randolph J. Doubt, 202-
267-6810.
13. Human Factors and Risk Management in Recreational Boating
Applications. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to apply risk analysis
and risk management techniques in the recreational boating arena to
identify and characterize the human factors and risk involved with the
recreational boating experience, including operator controlled factors,
boat characteristics, safety equipment, and operator safety awareness.
The grantee shall identify operator and/or equipment interventions and
develop methodology to eliminate or mitigate risk factors. Point of
Contact: Mr. Phil Cappel, 202-267-0988.
14. Personal Watercraft Operation Safety Interventions. The Coast
Guard seeks a grantee to review personal watercraft accident report and
investigation data and to interview emergency room personnel in areas
with large numbers of personal watercraft (PWC) accidents. The grantee
shall analyze data and information gathered and make recommendations
for effective PWC safety interventions. Point of Contact: Mr. Bruce
Schmidt, 202-267-0955.
15. Angler/Hunter Safety Interventions. The Coast Guard seeks a
grantee to conduct literature and reference research and develop a
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position paper (with resource references) on a national strategy on
prevention of angler and hunter drowning fatalities involving use of
small boats. This research is to include canvassing national small
boat, angler and hunter organizations. The result will be a
recommendation for a nationally focused outreach campaign targeted to
this audience. Point of Contact: CWO2 Tim Duff, 202-267-1263.
16. Education Course Testing in Remote Areas When Proctoring is
Required. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee for a research project to
determine the nature and types of educational programs that currently
utilize remote testing when proctoring is required. Preliminary
evidence suggests that there are examples in other disciplines that
could illuminate methodologies, systems, and technologies that could be
emulated in the area of boating safety education and testing. Point of
Contact: Ms. Tami Levitas, 202-267-0848.
17. Boating Safety Futures Forum. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee
to plan and conduct a national forum on the future of recreational
boating and boating safety in the new millennium. The audience for the
boating futures forum would include top-level leaders of industry,
nonprofit organizations, and federal, state and local boating agencies
for a strategic information sharing and planning conference to guide
the development of recreational boating and boating safety priorities
in the new century. The forum would include targeted sessions on
demographic changes impacting recreational boating, the identification
of trends in marine technology, exploration of resource needs and
sources, and social, environmental and economic conditions that will be
brought to bear on the recreational boating industry and the regulatory
community. Point of Contact: Ms. Audrey Pickup, 202-267-0872.
18. Recreational Boating Electronic Accident Reporting System. The
Coast Guard seeks a grantee to develop an electronic means for the
public to submit recreational boating accident reports. Point of
Contact: Mr. Phil Cappel, 202-267-0988.
19. National Boating Survey. The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to
conduct a comprehensive national boating survey. This survey would
update information collected in prior surveys. The purpose of these
surveys was to obtain statistical estimates of recreational boats,
boating households, boaters, boating exposures, practices, and
activities. The best way to assess a boater's risk on the water, as
well as the effectiveness of boating safety program activities in
minimizing that risk, is to quantify exposure factors * * * who is
boating, in what types of boats, where, how often, how long, doing what
activities, etc., and relate those factors to accident data. The
nationwide boating survey is to be of sufficient sample size to provide
various exposures data by State. Point of Contact: Mr. Bruce Schmidt,
202-267-0955.
20. Information Resources Management: Recreational Boating Safety
(RBS) Exposure Data Capture Project: The Coast Guard seeks a grantee to
complete a comprehensive RBS Exposure Data Capture Project to identify
organizations who routinely collect recreational boating exposure data
measured in passenger hours. The grantee will use the results from a
prior grant project which identified exposure data elements and their
sources. The objectives of the project are twofold. The first objective
is to create a national database of all sources who routinely collect
recreational boating exposure data on a continuous basis. The database
will contain all exposure data elements and their attributes to
include: participant demographics, the locality, type and duration of
boating activity, the frequency and methodology of data collection,
data storage formats, and information that provides access to the data.
The second objective is to determine the feasibility of collating
and using data from the identified sources to develop valid national
estimates of recreational boating exposure. Point of Contact: Mr. Bruce
Schmidt, 202-267-0955.
One area potential grantees should focus on is PARTNERSHIP. Explore
other sources, linkages, in-kind contributions, cost sharing, and
partnering with other organizations or corporations. A more detailed
discussion of specific projects of interest to the Coast Guard may be
obtained by contacting the Coast Guard Infoline at 800-368-5467 and
requesting a copy of a specific proposal.
Proposals addressing other boating safety concerns are encouraged.
The Boating Safety Financial Assistance Program is listed in section
20.005 of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
Dated: September 30, 1998.
Ernest R. Riutta,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant Commandant for Operations.
[FR Doc. 98-26853 Filed 10-6-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-M
