On the border of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
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My first onr (30 years ago) was in Fleetwood. That was despite the fact that i lived about 500 yards from the one in Aberdeen.
That sounds about right! I’m just a couple of miles from the Fleetwood college
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I’ve done the courses in Gt. Yarmouth, Fleetwood, Aberdeen and Singapore. Singapore was the best because the water was warm 
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Fleetwood was ok, the original Aberdeen one with the environmental pool was horrible. They simulated waves, rain etc. They also used to make you climb onto an overturned liferaft and turn it right side up. Not as easy as it sounds.
They stopped using the environmental pool after some poor sod jumped in and had a heart attack
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I did the course with the simulated wind, rain and waves too, but can’t remember where that was.
We were taught a technique to right the life raft to make it almost foolproof and it worked (for me) every time. If memory serves, it was standing on the CO2 bottle and using it as a solid platform to apply solid, downward force. Or something.
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Whenever I’ve had to do any kind of safety / survival training I’m reminded of Mike Tyson’s quote to a reporter:
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth .”
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Once you were on top of the thing it was relatively easy. As you said stand on the cylinder and pull on the cord.
Getting on top was a different matter, trying to scramble on top with a lifejacket was irritating to say the least.
What is it you do offshore?
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I’ve done water survival training. It was actually fun to get strapped in a Huey and get dunked into a pool upside down while blindfolded. As long as you have your bearings and know how many seats you have to get to the exit and where the exit is , it’s a peace of cake. The problem arises when the guy in front of you kicks you in the face while everyone is trying to get out and you loose your bearings, and can’t see a thing.
Fun times when you are young. Now at my age I’d probably drown.
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Get better soon. I hope the fracture is not too bad.
I hurt my pinky many years ago. Finger burned like crazy but I could bend it so I ignored it. Two weeks later it wasn’t getting better so I got it checked out. It turned out to be broken (mallet finger). I had to get external pins put in and a cast for 10 weeks.
Not sure what the point of the story is other than I empathize I guess! 
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That actually sounds kind of awesome.
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Results in….
Small bone chip but significant tendon damage.
So off my feet for 6 weeks, stupid moon boot and possibly an op next week.
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Ugh, sorry to hear it man
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One instructor taught us to use the lifejacket to our advantage by ducking under the water and using its buoyancy as a ‘springboard’ to launch out of the water. Once the technique was mastered, it made light(er) work of scrambling up onto the raft.
I was primarily a seaman and spent a number of years offshore on anchor crankers but I was also control room op and night barge master on SSDRs for a couple of years. I didn’t like rigs, not really my bag.
Been ashore now since 2001, still in shipping though.
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Thanks @howard
I really pissed about being incapacitated. Just about to start training for my firefighter qualification and begin driving the appliance.
I’m not a good patient BUT then I think of what @PamPurrs has gone through the past year and give myself a virtual slap up the side of the head 
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Speedy recovery @Mac and good luck with your operation! You will be firefighting in no time.
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Understandably so, @mac - but also nothing much you can do about it now… so, might as well accept it and not get too angry with yourself 
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Look at it this way- it’s nothing serious and it’s not your hand, so you can at least practice whilst healing.
Don’t fret- you’ll be rescuing cats out of trees in no time at all!
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