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Archives
NEWEST EPIRB TECHNOLOGY ESSENTIAL IN RESCUE OF 3 OFF CAPE COD
Posted by: Joseph S. Stacey
May 27, 2008
Topic: Marine Safety
The Coast Guard rescued the three-member crew of the fishing vessel Donna Maria on Monday evening, who were forced to abandon ship more than 180 miles southeast of Cape Cod. A Falcon jet and Jayhawk helicopter were dispatched when a sailing vessel, the ING Coffer, relayed the distress calls from the sinking vessel.
According to John Tomaszewski, a search and rescue controller at the Coast Guard Command Center in Boston, the successful rescue of all three crewmembers hinged on their possession of a 406MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, or EPIRB. As Mr. Tomaszewski said, "the key to this case was the relay of information between all parties involved that allowed us to respond quickly. The EPIRB aboard the vessel was essential to allow us to monitor the location of the crew in distress."
While the Donna Maria's distress signal might have been picked up if they had used an older-model EPIRB, that will not be the case for much longer. Beginning Feb. 1, 2009, the Coast Guard and other search and rescue personnel will only monitor mayday calls that are broadcast using digital 406MHz EPIRB beacons. Older 121.5 MHz EPIRB distress signals will no longer be detected or sent directly to search and rescue personnel.
We at Beard Stacey Trueb & Jacobson want to remind mariners to make the switch to this lifesaving technology. EPIRBs are essential safety devices that can drastically shorten the time between catastrophe and rescue, and can mean the difference between life and death for both commercial and recreational boaters.
