WolfRampant is the newest venture from Capt. Jon Kjaerulff, which he has developed to focus on "Safety Beyond the Checklist." Using the knowledge, insight and experience acquired in over thirty-five years in the maritime industry, Jon and WolfRampant will work with mariners and their companies to fine-tune crews' abilities to respond effectively in emergencies.

A 1983 graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, Jon has sailed on a variety of civilian and naval ships operating in numerous trades all over the world, in positions ranging from Deckhand to Captain.  His last two years of active sailing were spent as Master of the 155' salmon and herring processor Aleutian Dragon, operating in waters throughout Alaska.  Jon came ashore in 1989 and founded Fremont Maritime Services, where he still serves as its Director. During his tenure, he has been responsible for providing safety and emergency response training to over 50,000 mariners.

When Jon started Fremont Maritime in 1989, there was very little in the way of mandatory safety training in the fishing and towing industries. He saw that while many vessels carried high-quality emergency response equipment, the average mariner was never properly trained how to use it. In the mid-1980's when he first started working in Alaska, it was not unusual for a hundred mariners, mostly fishermen, to die every year. People on well-equipped boats died of ignorance, because they did not know how to use the gear they carried onboard. In 1983, Jon watched a fishing tender sink in 65' of water in Bristol Bay, and the four men aboard clung to the raft canister for 30 minutes waiting for his ship to arrive on scene because they did not know they needed to pull the last 25' of the painter out of the canister in order to inflate the raft. In the early 90's two young fishermen (with wives and children) froze to death in their life raft, clinging to the drum which contained two Thermal Protective Aids. If they had only known that gear was in the drum, they might still be alive today.

In 1990, together with the NPFVOA, Jon started offering a class called the Survival Afloat Seminar. They appealed to vessel owners and crews on the basis that the training could help them better help themselves in an emergency, and perhaps help them come home safe. They marketed the program "For Crews Who Want to Live." They had little competition, because there was no requirement for the training they were offering. Consequently, the people who signed up for the training did so because they saw value in what was being offered. They willingly spent time and money to help themselves, even though there was no law that said they had to.

Now fast forward almost 30 years, and the maritime industry is much safer than it was in the 80's, thanks in large part to better crew training. At the same time, now that so much training is mandated, many companies and individuals forget about training's underlying value, and see it as just another box to check and certificate to put in the file. Often, they opt for the cheapest, easiest path to compliance.

Unfortunately, there are many marginal training providers, both in the U.S. and internationally, whose training is of very poor quality. Participants in these programs obtain the required certificates, but they may not have obtained the skills necessary to employ their training effectively in an emergency.

Additionally, even when mariners receive high quality training, there is no assurance that the ship's organization will integrate it into their response plan. Well trained people in a disorganized system are unlikely to work together effectively.

This is all a very long-winded way of explaining why Jon created WolfRampant. Our goal is to focus on safety and emergency response items which are typically "Beyond the Checklist." The audience is companies who are interested in more than just compliance, but want to make sure their crews are able to effectively use all of the resources placed aboard the vessel. The services provided by WolfRampant are a complement to the training provided by Fremont Maritime, or any other organization. Mariners receive training, WolfRampant is the follow-through to see how the training is working, or provide programs which add value to previous training.

• The MESA (Marine Emergency Skills Audit) Program provides a snapshot of how the crew will respond in emergencies such as fire, flooding, sinking and man overboard.

• Response-ABLE is a human factors approach to emergency and stress management. It helps crew members manage their stress, make good decisions under pressure, and put their training to good use.

• WolfRampant also offers services relating to production and refinement of training and procedure manuals, as well as developing custom training materials.

What is the meaning of the name WolfRampant?
In heraldry, "Rampant" is the term for an animal represented in profile, standing on one hind foot with its forefeet in the air, with the other hind foot and tail raised. Rampant wolves, lions, griffons, rams and bears are used in many coats of arms and other symbols and logos. It is a pro-active, rather than a passive symbol.

In Danish, Jon's last name Kjaerulff means Wolf from Kjaer County. The Wolf has long been his family symbol, and it represents three values which are important to him, Leadership, Passion and Loyalty.

Leadership
With WolfRampant, Jon is looking to create a company which plays a leadership role in helping mariners come home safe. He wants to change people's view of safety and emergency response preparedness. He is in the fortunate position of having a number of very talented and passionate professional associates who can help with this mission, and is sure as time goes by we will attract more. The rampant wolf symbolizes this pro-active leadership attitude.

Passion
28 years of running Fremont Maritime has given Jon a lot of insight into what makes training work, and what is a waste of time. He is very passionate and opinionated about the subject. He is also passionate about the idea that mariners should have the tools and training to do their job well, be well paid, and have a high degree of certainty that after doing their job they will be able to come home safe to the people who care about them. He has no respect for people who put people in their care at risk by cutting corners on training, or treat safety as a roadblock, not a pathway.

Loyalty
Jon says, "Even though I have not sailed on my license since the early 1990's, I still identify myself first and foremost as a professional mariner. Mariners are my kind of people, and WolfRampant is a chance to help them. Much of who I am today is a result of mariners who showed me patience and took the time to share of their wisdom and experience when I didn't know much. WolfRampant is chance to repay that debt, and maybe even pay it forward to the new generation."

So that's' the story. Jon will still be running Fremont Maritime for the foreseeable future, but we are excited about the prospects for WolfRampant.

Jon loves to talk, and likes few things better than to be invited down to a boat to sit at the galley table and drink coffee. Please reach out so we can sit down and talk about it some more whenever you have the time and inclination.