BOAT Program

The Boat Operations and Training (BOAT) Program is the National Standard for maritime law enforcement and emergency response training. It provides a unified framework for training, qualifying, and maintaining the proficiency of boat crews and investigators across federal, state, local, and tribal agencies.

Why the BOAT Program Matters

In today’s complex maritime environment, consistent and standardized training is essential. The BOAT Program:

Promotes interoperability among agencies during multi-jurisdictional operations.
Ensures training consistency across the nation.
Enhances responder safety and mission effectiveness.
Supports qualification and currency management through the National Readiness Database (NRD).

Whether responding to natural disasters, conducting search and rescue, or enforcing maritime law, agencies trained under the BOAT Program operate with shared standards and expectations, which are critical for coordinated response and public safety.

Recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard

The BOAT Program is formally recognized by the United States Coast Guard through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that designates it as the National Standard for maritime law enforcement and emergency response training. This recognition underscores the value of the BOAT Program in building a unified and capable maritime response community.

The Coast Guard's endorsement reflects the program's alignment with federal operational expectations and its role in strengthening national preparedness through standardized training, credentialing, and readiness management.

Notable Achievements

Partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Since 2009: The BOAT Program and U.S. Coast Guard have worked together to strengthen maritime readiness through standardized training, credentialing, and interoperability. Recognized through a Memorandum of Understanding as the National Standard for maritime law enforcement and first responder training, the BOAT Program has grown into the nation's largest maritime first responder training organization.
National Readiness Infrastructure: The creation of the National Readiness Database (NRD) established a centralized system for managing qualifications, certifications, currency, and operational readiness. Authorized users, including the U.S. Coast Guard, utilize the NRD to support readiness awareness and better understand maritime response capabilities throughout their areas of responsibility.
More Than 40,000 Maritime First Responders Trained: By 2025, the BOAT Program had trained more than 40,000 personnel representing federal, state, local, tribal, military, and international partners, strengthening maritime response capabilities and interoperability nationwide.
National Recognition for Innovation: The BOAT Program received the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Power of A Award and was recognized by the Harvard Kennedy School as one of the nation's top innovations in American government.
FEMA Recognition and NIMS Typing: Multiple BOAT Program disciplines have been approved by FEMA's National Training and Education Division (NTED) and designated as NIMS typed resources, promoting interoperability and common operational standards across the maritime response community.
Grant Eligible Training: Eligible BOAT Program disciplines may be funded through the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) with no local match requirement, helping agencies enhance operational capability and readiness while reducing financial barriers to training.
National Standards Leadership: NASBLA serves as an ANSI-accredited standards developer and maintains the American National Standard for Boating Incident Investigation (BII), advancing professionalism and consistency in recreational boating accident investigations.