This is one of the most difficult decisions. Our inflatable life jackets are suitable from a body weight of 35 lbs. (15 kg) upwards but are a problem when a child wearing nappies falls into the water.
It goes without saying that this is also true of inherent buoyancy life jackets, which we have in our programme from a size of 12-35 lbs. (5-15 kg) upwards. Here the motto is: You ought to be close by when your child falls into the water. The inflatable life jacket will inflate in the water and bring your child to the surface. The necessary buoyancy is in the right place and will mean that his mouth is out of the water. The child will not get into a sweat as easily as he would in an inherent buoyancy life jacket in the sun on the jetty.

The inherent buoyancy life jacket, on the other hand, has the advantage of being virtually indestructible and not needing servicing. On the other hand, the buoyancy is immediately available but distributed on the whole body and not optimal because of this.

We would strongly advise against doing so. This has to do with the circumference of a child's neck. If a child wears an adult's life jacket, the child will slip down inside the buoyancy chamber. The child's head will not be far enough above the surface of the water.

If we had our say, yes. If you had the final say, that ought to be the case, too. If we go by legislation, the law is keeping out of it in this case. But if there has been an accident which was due to a life jacket not having been serviced, then the law becomes involved again and makes it clear to the person who has no obligation to take the life jacket for a service that it is his duty to service the life jacket.

Yes, you can, as long as your life jacket is fitted with a SECUMATIC 3001 S or 4001 S type of inflation device. We carry a manual override for both of these inflation devices in our range.

Function: If the manual override is inserted, the function of the automatic inflation device is restricted to semi-automatic operation. That means, if the manual override is activated, the lifejacket can only be inflated by pulling the release handle.

Important note: In certain applications it makes scenes to use a manually inflated lifejacket. Sometimes it is even safer than using a fully automatic inflatable lifejacket. But in Europe, lifejackets are classified as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). All PPE is approved and certified by an external, independent notified body. If a fully automatic lifejacket is modified to manual operation, this may effect the lifejacket approval. Therefore it is essential for your safety to follow the user instructions supplied with the manual override.

 

Yes you can. The IATA (International Air Transport Association) regulations allow for two inflatable type lifejackets, plus two replacement CO₂ cylinders to be carried in either hand or checked-in baggage.

However, the authorities have left the final decision to individual airlines who have then deferred to each individual flight captain as to whether they comply with the regulations or not, so in reality it is down to the captain and the airport security staff, if they feel there is a security threat, to refuse to take the lifejackets.

In order to overcome this, you should notify the airline when booking the ticket so it can be entered into the ticket (electronically), that you will be carrying lifejackets and also if possible obtain written confirmation to obviate confusion at Check-in or Security.

Furthermore the national air transport authorities ask customers not to berate their call-centre staff as the problem lies solely with the individual airlines and you will need to get their permission.

 

The relevant IATA guidance is as follows

A. Relevant IATA Dangerous Goods by Air Regulations
IATA DG regulations state that a lifejacket fitted with no more than 2 cylinders and no more than 2 spare cartridges may be carried in carry-on or checked baggage with the approval of the aircraft operator. Although most individual airlines state their policies on carriage of cylinders on their websites, these policies are not being applied consistently by their staff.
Failure to declare hazardous material to the airline is a criminal offence. Even if airline policy is to accept the specific IATA guidance, any passenger may be denied boarding unless all cylinders have been removed from baggage and confiscated.

 

For full details see

• IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations; 57th edition, published 1st January 2016, Section 2.3.
• USA TSA: Prohibited Items | Transportation Security Administration
• FAA: Hazardous Materials Carried by Passengers and Crewmembers, November 25, 2015
• United States Sailing Association: Traveling with your PFD

It is also advisable to remove any CO₂ cylinder from its firing head prior to checking in or passing through customs.

A Newton is a unit in which buoyancy is measured.
150 N (Newton) is approx 15 kg or approx 15 Liter.

We also have life jackets in red, silver, grey and also rainbow-coloured colours. What is important is that the inflated life jacket is in the international signalling colour orange or yellow. This is the case with all of the SECUMAR life jackets.