PORT TOWNSEND — About 80 emergency responders discussed issues concerning search-and-rescue missions at a Puget Sound Interagency Maritime SAR Roundtable this week.
Wednesday’s conference, hosted by the Coast Guard at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, was capped by joint Coast Guard and East Jefferson Fire-Rescue demonstration in Port Townsend Bay, said Bill Beezley, fire department spokesman.
The fire department’s boat, Volunteer, played the role of a vessel in distress, putting a dummy overboard.
A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles hovered overhead and deployed a rescue swimmer, who retrieved the dummy and was hoisted up to the helicopter.
Representatives of fire departments, law enforcement agencies and Vessel Assist throughout Puget Sound, along with a boat crew from the Canadian Coast Guard, spent the day exploring ways to improve interagency communication during missions, Beezley said.
The Coast Guard explained its criteria for assisting in non-life-threatening emergencies.
Coast Guard crews will provide assistance if current operations permit, there is no conflict with saving lives in their maritime area of responsibility, a response by a different agency would be ineffective or untimely, the aircraft commander can accomplish the mission safely, the mission is approved by the air station commander and district chief of Search and Rescue, or the Coast Guard flight surgeon approves the mission as medically necessary, Beezley said.
Water emergencies that fall outside these guidelines will generally be handled by local nongovernmental and commercial responders such as East Jefferson Fire-Rescue and Vessel Assist.
Coast Guard representatives also discussed the planned rollout of Watchkeeper Blue Force Tracking.
The system improves communications between Coast Guard shore units, boats and nongovernmental emergency responders, Beezley said.
Using an automatic identification system, Blue Force Tracking allows each of these entities to electronically see and communicate location data to each other.
