FAIRBANKS — Alaska has about 33,000 miles of coastline, more 3,000 rivers and more than 3 million lakes, yet it was the last state to create an Office of Boating Safety. Every year, the cold waters claim the lives of Alaskans of all ages. This past summer has seen at least 11 drownings, each one likely preventable by a life vest.

Jeff Johnson has been with the Alaska Office of Boating Safety since its inception in 1998. Johnson said cold water immersion is the largest problem. Once a person is in the water, the body reacts to the cold, making swimming nearly impossible.

“Even a professional swimmer couldn’t survive,” said Johnson. “Most people worry about hypothermia, but it only takes minutes to drown. Hypothermia doesn’t set in for a lot longer than that.”

Johnson said collisions are the cause of most boating fatalities in warm weather states. In Alaska, cold water drowning accounts for the majority of deaths.

A study conducted by the Office of Boating Safety found nine out of 10 drowning deaths were adult men not wearing life vests.

“This is not a good state to live in if you think nothing bad is ever going to happen to you,” said Megan Peters, spokeswoman for the Alaska State Troopers.

Alaska law requires there be a life vest for each person on a boat. Children younger than 13 must wear one when in an open boat, on the deck or when waterskiing. Alaska State Troopers ticket boaters for not having personal flotation devices required by law.

“Our goal isn’t to write tickets, it’s to get people to change their behavior,” said Peters.

People often underestimate the dangers of boating. Popular TV shows like “Deadliest Catch” promote the idea that commercial fishing claims the most lives. From 1990 to 2009, 318 commercial fishermen died and 423 recreational boaters died.

Programs like “Kids Don’t Float” and “Pledge to Live” are just two of the initiatives to promote boating safety awareness. “Kids Don’t Float” is a system of loaner boards around Alaska where people can borrow life jackets. To date, 19 children have been saved by life vests from the “Kids Don’t Float” loaner boards.

“Putting a life jacket on during a boating accident is like putting a seatbelt on during a car accident,” Johnson said. He urges people enjoying Alaska waters to be prepared, wear life jackets, carrying emergency equipment and leave their information with someone.

Kids Don’t Float

• The program began in Homer in 1996 as a project of the Homer Fire Department.

• There are more than

500 loaner boards around the state.

• There are 19 confirmed accounts of children’s lives saved by a loaner board life-vest.

• Loaner boards are sponsored by groups such as the United States Coast Guard, Alaska Safe Kids, Tanana Chiefs Conference and Bureau of Land Management.

• There are four loaner boards in Fairbanks:

Pioneer Park/Peger Road boat launch

Graehl Landing

University Ave. boat launch

Pikes Landing