What does the purge valve on a life vest do?

• A. To inflate the vest automatically
• B. To purge air from the vest to cool it
• C. To manually deflate if needed
• D. To release stored water

Answer: (C)

The purge valve is the manual deflation control for an inflatable life vest. After the vest inflates, you can release air through the purge valve to reduce buoyancy or adjust fit. This lets you fine-tune how the vest rides on the water or on deck, and it’s useful if you need to deflate slightly to ease movement or positioning. It’s not used to inflate (inflation is automatic with immersion or manual via the inflate tube), it doesn’t cool the vest by purging air, and it doesn’t release water. So manually deflating if needed is the correct function.