NASBLA BOAT Program

07/04/2026

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. 🇺🇸

05/24/2026

The last five months have been a blur…and this team hasn’t slowed down once.

From maritime law enforcement and tactical operations to rescue and response, fire boat operations, BUI enforcement, boating incident investigation, and officer water survival, BOAT Program instructors have been hard at work across the country.

We’re proud to continue working in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard as we support state, local, and federal partners in strengthening maritime public safety and operational readiness nationwide.

05/05/2026

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.

05/05/2026

04/30/2026

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.

04/25/2026

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

04/17/2026

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.

04/10/2026

NASBLA’s Boat Operations and Training (BOAT) Program had the opportunity to present at the 5th annual Florida Maritime SAR Symposium this week.

The event brought together leadership and operators from across the region, where U.S. Coast Guard and local agency leaders emphasized the importance of strong partnerships and consistent training standards across the maritime SAR community.

Forums like this play a critical role in strengthening interoperability, aligning operational approaches, and ensuring responders are prepared when it matters most.