The men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard standing by to rescue South Florida mariners when they get in trouble are pleading for a little self-help from boaters.

With more than 1.7 million square nautical miles in Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean waters of search-and-rescue responsibility, the members of the Miami-based U.S. Coast Guard’s Seventh District command center recommend several ways to improve response times and cut down on false distress calls.

Besides the normal safe practices of carrying the proper gear on the boat, checking the weather, and notifying someone on shore where they are going and when they expect to return, boaters should take time to register electronic safety equipment, such as emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) and marine radios, according to U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Aaron Jozsef.

Registration with the Federal Communications Commission, which is free, means less detective work and a quicker response when a device emits a distress signal, according to Jozsef.

“Only 6 percent of alerts we receive are actual distress, but the command center treats all like they are real,” he said. “If one goes off, I’m immediately in the stress mode.”

Boaters are advised to sign up for a maritime mobile service identity number for their EPIRBs and digital selective calling radios at http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/instruct.htm. When the EPIRB hits the water and activates or the boater presses the emergency button on the radio, search-and-rescue personnel can quickly pull up important information about the boater and the boat that speed up the search.

Another word-to-the-wise: do not treat your marine radio like a toy. Broadcasting a false “Mayday” call is a felony that could result in more than $5,000 in fines and court costs.

Registration of emergency communications equipment could save all taxpayers — not just boaters — money, according to retired U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Larry Yarbrough. He said about $4 million is spent annually in Coast Guard aviation rescue costs responding to false alerts.