What action inflates the life raft?

• A. Pull on the mooring line
• B. Push the raft away from the ship
• C. Remove the inflation valve and arm it
• D. Break the tie-downs to release

Answer: (A)

Pulling the mooring line is the action that starts the liferaft’s deployment and inflation. That line, often called the painter line, is attached to the raft’s release mechanism. When you pull it, you release the raft from its stowage and activate the inflation system so the canister inflates the raft automatically as it drops away from the ship. Pushing the raft away from the ship only clears it, not trigger inflation; removing the inflation valve and arming it isn’t how inflation is initiated in typical liferaft systems; breaking the tie-downs releases the raft but won’t start inflation either. The painter line pull is the direct trigger that gets the raft inflating and ready to float.