Coast Guard and Cell Phone emergencies. Must read.

[Sneaks]

PRESS RELEASE

Date: Oct. 25, 2006

Contact: A. McArdle
202-372-4633


COAST GUARD ASKS CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDERS
TO DISCONTINUE *CG SERVICE

WASHINGTON -- The Coast Guard has asked all cell phone service providers in states other then Alaska to remove the specialized keying sequence *CG as a method of requesting maritime emergency assistance.

As an interim measure, the Coast Guard has requested that cell phone service providers reroute all *CG calls to the nearest 911 operator.

Boaters should use VHF-FM radio as their primary means of making distress calls on the water. Cell phone calls to 911 should be used only as a secondary option.

VHF-FM radio provides superior alerting capabilities in an emergency. When a distress call is sent out via VHF-FM radio any nearby boaters can hear the distress call and offer immediate assistance. VHF-FM radios will further enhance boaters' safety as the Coast Guard expands its Rescue 21 system, which uses technology that tracks the precise location of distress calls. This allows the Coast Guard and other rescuers to narrow the focus of search and rescue efforts.

The Coast Guard is alerting mariners to stop using *CG immediately and begin using 911 on their cell phones to notify authorities of a maritime emergency if a cell phone is their only means of communication.

The *CG feature was introduced by some cell phone service providers in the early 1990s but never developed into a nationwide service. As providers moved to digital systems, some did not migrate *CG, creating a confusing patchwork of service that can add significant delays in the Coast Guard response.

The sole exception to the change is in Alaska, where the *CG feature will remain active. Cell phone service providers operating there all have the *CG feature available and routed to a single Coast Guard emergency line. Calls are not missed and cannot be misdirected.

For more information on the Coast Guard's search and rescue program, visit http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opr/sar.htm.

[thataway]

This has been in the wind for some time. The 911 can be confusing to an operator, and in many areas the 911 operators are not well trained in dealing with marine emergencies. I was chair of our local Marine Resources board and there were tales of the calls from distress from boats from our area being recieved in Alabama, boats which were directed to proceed directly to the beach (with surf and all--where life flite will not land, even if it was safe) etc. This appeared to become a critical issue with the sinking of the carrior Oriskany. So we had a conferance with the 911 supervisors of 3 countires (in Florida and Alabama), the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, life flite, all of the paramedic unit supervisors, the navy, towing services, dive and fishing boat operators and the Sheriffs and developed a protocol. This included to have the boat in distress give its lattitude and longitude, the type of boat, speed available at the time, home port, port of destination, as well as the nature of the distress to the 911 operator. A specific rendezvous point is set up (the Coast Guard Base, since boats, Paramedics and choppers can all converge there easily and it is near the pass to the ocean). The operators were given instructions as to where to route boats, and which authorities to call, depending on the location of the boat and what medical facilities to alert for diving accidents etc. There are some circumstances where it is faster if the boat has a medical emergency to proceed under its own power to a specific rendezvous with the Coast Guard or other official vessel.

It might be well to check with your local authorities to see what protocol is set up in your area for handling marine 911 distress calls. However, often cell phone callse are not well recieved from offshore or remote locations so, I feel that all boats should have a DSC (Digital Selective Call) VHF radio, with the MMSI (Maritime Mobile service Idenity) number registered (with Boat US). The radio should be connected to a GPS so that the Lat and Long can be automatically transmitted. I have two chart plotters on my boat which will automatically display the location of the boat in distress. This feature is handy, but not as essential as the DSC feature. We also carry personal locator beacons (406 mhz Emergency Locator Beacons) which are GPS enabled and submersiable VHF radios on our person when boating. This may seem like "over kill" but when you look at the number of lives lost and accidents in boats, this is one system which can save your life very quickly and effectively.