PORT ANGELES – Calling for help from the water just got a little more efficient.
The Coast Guard station in Port Angeles will dedicate and celebrate its new radio system, called Rescue 21, at a ceremony on Thursday afternoon.
The Coast Guard will open its command, control and communications office on Ediz Hook to the public at 1 p.m.
“It’s a big deal for us, because it’s just a leap forward for us,” said Port Angeles Commander Mark D’Andrea.
Rescue 21 is a $730 million nationwide radio upgrade, the first since the initial National Distress and Response System was installed.
“Our old system was 1970 vintage,” said D’Andrea.
“This is a long-needed replacement of that equipment.”
The Coast Guard’s Port Angeles station has been using Rescue 21 for two weeks, and tested it alongside the old system for two months before.
The Port Angeles and Seattle stations are among the first to transition to Rescue 21.
Stations along the rest of the Pacific west coast are scheduled to install Rescue 21 between 2008 and 2011.
