FIRE BAN IN EFFECT In response to the continued elevated risk of wildfires, DEM has issued a fire ban at all State Parks, campgrounds, and management areas until further notice. The ban is effective as of today (10/28/24) and includes campfires in designated campfire areas, including charcoal fires and cooking fires. This preventative measure applies to all DEM-managed lands and aims to reduce the threat of human-caused wildfires. DEM will continue to monitor and evaluate conditions to determine when the ban can be lifted. Together we can protect our communities and keep first responders safe by reducing the risk of wildfires: 📞 Call 911 if you spot a fire/smoke. Timely information is critical to contain fires before they spread. 🔥 Remember, any outdoor fire is a potential source for a wildfire. Be careful with cigarettes and ashes. When disposing of wood stove ashes, put the ashes in a metal bucket of water. 🚒 Check with your local fire department for any other restrictions and permitting information. 🚨 Stay informed and find resources at dem.ri.gov/wildfirestatus.
Rhode Island State Pilotage Commission 2023 Pilotage Commission Board Members (L-R) Jason McNamee, Chairperson; DLE Deputy Chief Michael Schipritt, Vice Chairperson; Mary Dalton, Secretary to the Commission; Jenna Giguere, Esq., Legal Counsel; Peter Fritz, Former Vice Chair; and Captain Vincent Kirby A cement ship transitions the channel to Providence off Colt State Park Proport in the early morning fog near the Narragansett Bay Commission's windmills at Provport. A tanker docks at Exxon Mobil in the ice. Prev Next Slide 1 Slide 2 Slide 3 Slide 4 The Rhode Island State Pilotage Commission was establised to: provide maximum safety from the dangers of navigation for vessels entering or leaving the waters of this state; to maintain a state pilotage system devoted to the preservation and protection of lives, property, and vessels entering or leaving waters of this state at the highest standard of efficiency; and, to insure an adequate supply of pilots well qualified for the discharge of their duties. The Rhode Island State Pilotage Commission meets on the first Thursday of each month with the exceptions of July & August. Meetings are held at the Department of Environmental Management, Division of Law Enforcement offices at 235 Promenade Street, Providence Rhode Island. Meetings are open to the general public. One public hearing is required to be held each year for the purposes of reviewing any proposed changes to the Pilot Regulations, to assess the need for new pilots and to take comments from the public, and all other matters under the jurisdiction of the Commission. Meet the Commission Members Jason E. McNamee, Ph.D., Chairperson As Deputy Director and previously as Chief of the RI Department of Environmental Management’s (RIDEM) Marine Fisheries Division, Jason E McNamee has worked for over 20 years on environmental and fisheries matters. Before working for the Marine Fisheries Division, he worked for 2 years as an intern with RIDEM Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Freshwater Section as well as 2 years in the RIDEM’s Office of Water Resources. While with the Marine Division, Jason has served as the principle investigator for the Narragansett Bay Juvenile Finfish Seine Survey. He is also active in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s process as the lead delegate for Rhode Island and as a member of numerous management boards, technical committees, and stock assessment sub-committees. Jason was appointed in 2013 to the New England Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee and served as chair of that committee for several years. Jason graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. His graduate work started at the University of Connecticut, where he graduated in 2006 with a Master of Science in Biological Oceanography. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography in their Biological Oceanography Doctoral program in 2018. Capt. Vincent Kirby Capt. Kirby is a RI, MA, and NY licensed Ship Pilot with an exceptional safety and performance record on the waters of Narragansett Bay and Southern New England. He holds unlimited federal and state pilotage licenses for the waters from Throggs Neck, NY to Provincetown, MA, and has safely piloted over 3,500 vessels on these waters over the past 20 years. Capt. Kirby’s deep sea career included 13 years in deck officer positions from 3rd Mate to Master on a wide range of ships engaged in global commerce, including highly specialized 936 foot long, 95,000 ton Liquified Natural Gas Carriers in the Indonesian-Japanese natural gas trade, Containerships on U.S. to Northern Europe and Mediterranean trade routes, and Tankers circumnavigating the globe. Concurrent with his seagoing and piloting activities, he has directed national pilot R&D initiatives and U.S. maritime security projects, instructed ship captains on advanced navigation techniques, participated in ship hydrodynamic panels, and advised numerous entities on safe ship channel design and port development projects. He is graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY, a previous multiple U.S. National Singlehanded sailing champion, and coach of multiple collegiate All-American and national championship sailors. His lifelong boating and maritime career began sailing small boats in Newport Harbor as a youth. Reporting Guidelines RI State Licensed pilots are required to report to the Commission any of the following occurrences. Grounding, striking of a submerged object, or unintended contact with any object or vessel. Loss or reduction of vessel main propulsion. Loss of electrical power. Loss of, or an improperly working gyro. Loss of steering. Damage to vessel, dock, or terminal during docking or undocking. Emergency use of an anchor. Loss of an anchor. Complain against a pilot for excessive speed, wake, or any damage caused by a vessel. Report of Accident/Occurrence/Incident Form PDF file, less than 1mbmegabytes Roster of RI State Pilots, Probationary & Apprentice Pilots Roster as of Nov. 2023 with license dates | View/Download the current pilot roster Full Branch Narragansett Bay Capt. Clinton Walker December 2006 Capt. Vincent Kirby June 2007 Capt. Richard Astles June 2008 Capt. Sean Bogus April 2012 Capt. Dave Gray February 2017 Capt. Adam Sanford November 2017 Capt. Dale Harper November 2020 Capt. Matt Stevens May 2023 Capt. Theodore Sanford May 2023 Probationary: Narragansett Bay N/A Apprentice: Narragansett Bay (*) Denotes retired from the “Rotation roster”. Primary Resources Rhode Island State Pilotage Commission Rules and Regulations (250-RICR-80-00-9) Supplemental Secretary of State Rulemaking Filing Annual Meeting Schedule 2021 Duties of the RI State Pilot Board Additional Resources Current Regulations Superseded Regulations Guidelines for Probationary Pilot Advancement RI Probationary Pilots Regulations 2017 RI State Pilotage Commission Advisory Entities Statutory Authority History State Pilot Board National Transportation Safety Board: Safer Seas Digest 2016 USCG: Requirements For Uninspected Passenger Vessels Annual Reports 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 Forms Apprentice Pilot Evaluation Probationary Pilot Evaluation Accident/Occurrence/Incident Form Supplemental Medication Form Policy Documents Duties of the RI State Pilot Board Pilot Commission Policy on the use of Dynamic Positioning (DP) Aboard Vessels in Rhode Island Waters Medical Form Requirements Policy Nepotism Policy Ice Conditions Policy Meeting 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