OGDENSBURG — The Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla will promote safety on area waterways this weekend for National Safe Boating Week, which starts today. A 25-foot patrol boat from the Alexandria Bay Coast Guard station will be docked at the city marina to kick off the event.

In Alexandria Bay, the Coast Guard will host a Boating Safety Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Coast Guard station, 45864 Landon Road, Wellesley Island.

"We want to ensure that everyone is properly equipped to be on the water," said Michael K. Estes of the Ninth Eastern Division of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. "We want to have a safe summer."

The auxiliary is providing free vessel safety inspections in Ogdensburg, checking for a sufficient number of life jackets and a working fire extinguisher, air horn, flares and navigation lights, for boats on the St. Lawrence River. The crews also will be inspecting electrical and fuel lines for cracks.

The vessel checks will be conducted from 9 a.m. to noon today and Sunday at the Paterson Street boat launch and Greenbelt Park boat launch near the Dobisky Visitors Center on Riverside Avenue. Those passing inspection will receive a decal to display on their boat. The sticker is valid for one year.

Flotilla and Coast Guard personnel also will show educational videos and have safety information available for boaters from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the Dobisky Center.

The auxiliary will host an eight-hour boater safety course from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 31 at the United Helpers training center on Paterson Street. The fee is $35 per person; to register, call Edward Sieber at 393-3693.

At the expo in Alexandria Bay, there will be booths for information on the latest technology and trends in safety equipment. Federal, state and local boating safety agencies, as well as safety equipment manufacturers and vendors, will have exhibits and demonstrations focused on water and boating safety.

Each organization will give safety instruction, such as choosing the right life jacket, use of visual distress signals and basic emergency medical treatment.

The Coast Guard will give water rescue demonstrations and tours of the Alexandria Bay station. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Vessel Examiners also will be performing free vessel safety checks at the site, either at the dock or on boats on a trailer.

Times staff writer Jaegun Lee contributed to this report.