Marina Dock Age, November/December 1997

Plan Now or Pay Later
by Gene Spinazola

We’ve all been faced with the auto mechanic who says: “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later,” while holding up the inexpensive oil filter he wants to install in your car. He’s telling you that you can avoid replacing the more expensive engine further down the road.  

The marina industry is faced with the choice of the oil filter or the engine, too. Look at it this way. The marina is the big expense, like buying a car; your safety program is like the oil filter, a small expense that keeps things running smoothly; and the lawsuit is like the engine in the car. Sometimes it costs more to replace the engine than the car is worth.

When we talk about a well-run marina, we may be talking about the same marina but looking at different things. I’m a boater, and while I like clean restrooms and showers, I need more than those things for me to feel that a marina is safe and well run.  

This past summer, I was boating and stopped at a marina for the night. At 3:00 p.m. the boating tenants had a fire drill. I have been boating for years, and this is the first time that I have ever witnessed a fire drill at a marina. According to the boaters, the marina staff has a drill once a month. Also, a special training session was held in the spring just for boaters; the topic was the portable fire extinguisher. Each boater was shown how to use an extinguisher, and each boater—spouse included—put out a small fire. When the boaters told us about “their marina,” there was a noticeable hint of pride in this safety-minded facility.

As a marina operator, you should make several of the National Fire Protection Association’s standards required reading. The first publication you should check out is the 1995 edition of Fire Protection Standards for Marinas and Boatyards (NFPA 303). The standards are usually revised on a five year cycle, and review of the NFPA 303 will start shortly. This standard is intended to provide a minimum acceptable level of safety to life and property from fire and electrical hazards at marinas and related facilities. Continue »