The National Water Safety Congress celebrated its 50th birthday
April 9th, 2001. The NWSC was formed in 1951 in response to a multiple fatality
boating accident that occurred in the Nashville, Tennessee area. From an
inauspicious beginning the National Water Safety Congress has grown to embrace
not only boating safety but to embrace many different aspects of water safety.
Beach safety, multiple use waterway management, marina safety, hydropower
industry issues related to water safety, mobilization of local resources to
address water safety issues, and conflicts between commercial interests and
recreational boaters are some of the numerous issues that are continuing to be
addressed by the NWSC. The inclusion of a varied number of issues such as these
under the umbrella of the National Water Safety Congress has allowed our
organization to meet the needs of a diverse membership and population.
Since its inception, the National Water Safety Congress Awards Program has
recognized over 4,000 individuals and organizations for their efforts in boating
and water safety. From park rangers to educators to boating enforcement
officers, recognition has been extended to those who are making the difference
at the local, state, and regional level. The National Award of the National
Water Safety Congress has been awarded to groups such as the National Safe
Boating Council, Miller Brewing Company, Yamaha Corporation, American Red Cross,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the United States Coast Guard.
Local and regional water safety councils have always been an important
component of the Congress. Support to existing water safety councils and
promotion of new councils is and always will be one of the missions of the
National Water Safety Congress. Local water and boating safety problems are best
addressed by the local agencies and individuals closest to the problem. It is
the goal of the Congress to provide the support and tools necessary for local
water safety councils to address and resolve these issues. Support such as the
local water safety council grant program and revision of the chartering kit to
foster new councils are only two aspects of the renewed emphasis on supporting
and fostering local water safety councils.
The Guide for Multiple Use Waterway Management was a Wallop Breaux funded
project produced by the National Water Safety Congress in 1996. The Guide has
proven to be a powerful tool for planners and managers to use to address
problems of increasing and varied use of our nations lakes and waterways. Trying
to satisfy the varied and often conflicting uses of our waterways by commercial
interests, recreational interests, power boaters, sailboats, personal
watercraft, and other users has proven to be difficult. The information
contained in the Guide has fostered a new sense of cooperation between
individuals, companies, and agencies that have vested interests in our lakes and
waterways. The proposed revision of the Guide by the Congress will expand and
update this document to make it more useable and available through Internet
access.
The National Water Safety Congress looks forward to the challenges of the
next fifty years. Through our strategic planning process, we will continue to
define the mission and focus of the Congress to provide the greatest benefit to
the public and assist our partners in making our lakes, rivers, and waterways
safe for all users.
The National Water Safety Congress and National Safe Boating Council sponsors
the International Boating and Water Safety Summit.