Attention boat owners: Shirley Higgins wants to check your battery, fuel lines, bilge, navigational lights, anchor, life preservers and anything else that might play a role in an emergency situation.

And she’s willing to do it all, for free, in 20 minutes or less.

“This is a safety feature, and it could save your life or your family’s life,” said Higgins, commander of the Perry Lake chapter of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Higgins and more than a half-dozen fellow volunteers will offer vessel safety checks from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at ramp No. 2 at Clinton Lake.

Auxiliary volunteers are trained to take a close look at dozens of boat features, to make sure everything is shipshape when it comes to systems and equipment required by state and federal authorities.

The inspections serve as both a physical check and an educational tool for boat owners, who may not know that a fire extinguisher should be shaken before each trip, or that a free AOL disk can reflect the sun to draw attention in case a boat loses power.

“The Coast Guard Auxiliary is known as America’s Volunteer Lifesavers, and that’s what we’re out there to do  to make sure these people are safe on the water,” Higgins said. “Checking their safety equipment is the first step.”

With more than 102,000 boats registered in Kansas  including 8,000 in Douglas County  Higgins knows there’s plenty of work to do. Last year there were 69 boating accidents in the state, and nine people died as a result.

Sarah Hinman, a ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Clinton Lake, said boaters should not be intimidated by inspectors. Failing an inspection gives boat owners a chance to make things right.

“We’re not going to issue a ticket,” Hinman said.

Besides, getting a passing grade means earning a special Vessel Safety Check sticker, affixed to the windshield of the boat in plain sight.

Ed Moore received his sticker Friday morning and was looking forward to his next fishing trip on the lake.

“If a game warden sees something like that on there, they might leave me alone,” Moore said, laughing.

Higgins smiled before setting the record straight.

“That’s not a guarantee,” she said. “But it looks good, sir. Congratulations.”