PAUL CONNER SECTOR NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND

1
PAUL CONNER SECTOR NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND

• SEARCH AND RESCUE PLANNING

2
EXPERIENCE

• 27 Years with the Coast Guard
• 10 Years Sea Time on various Cutters
• Qualified Deck Watch Officer
• Last 11 Years as a SAR Controller
• 7 Years as a SAR Controller at District 1 Boston
• SAR Controller Training Officer for all of
  District 1
• 4 Years as a SAR Controller at SNNE
• Retired from Active Duty after over 23 years
• 4 Years as a Civilian SAR Controller

3
SAR TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS

• SAR Search and Rescue
• SMC SAR Mission Coordinator
• UMIB Urgent Marine Broadcast (PAN, PAN)
• SAR PHASES Distress, Alert, and Uncertainty
• MARB Marine Assistance Request Broadcast

4
SAR TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS

• DISTRESS Requires Immediate Response
• NON-DISTRESS Situation Requires Monitoring
• FALSE ALARM Not Intended to Deceive USCG
• HOAX Deliberate Attempt to Deceive USCG

5
SAR TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS

• SRU Search Rescue Unit
• TRACK SPACING Distance Between Adjacent Track
  Legs
• ACTSUS Active Search Suspended Pending Further
  Developments
• CASE CLOSED Search Object Located

6
SAR TERMINOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS

• DMB Data Marker Buoy, provides Total Water
  Current. Could be a Lifering with a Strobe, DMB,
  SLDMB or anything that would give direction of
  drift. Always get the time and position
  (LAT/LONG) of deployment of DMB. Relocate DMB
  note time and position. Always pass info to SMC

7
SEARCH PATTERNS

• Trackline Search
• Expanding Square
• Parallel Pattern
• Creeping Line
• Barrier Pattern
• Shoreline Search

8
TRACKLINE SEARCH

• Used when the only information available is the
  intended track of the search target. Normally, a
  Trackline search will have 2 Search legs (one
  search leg on each side of the intended route) so
  that the SRU ends up back in the vicinity of the
  vessels departure point.

9
(No Transcript)
10
EXPANDING SQUARE PATTERN

• Used when there is high confidence that the
  position is within closed limits. The first leg
  should be in the direction of the objects drift.
  All course changes should be 90 degrees to the
  right. If possible, mark the position with a
  suitable floating marker the will be visible from
  several track spaces away

11
(No Transcript)
12
PARALLEL PATTERN

• Used in large search areas and where uniform
  coverage is desired. Used when there is a equal
  chance that the search object could be located
  anywhere within the search area. Also used when
  you require seperation between multiple Search
  Assets

13
(No Transcript)
14
CREEP PATTERN

• Used in large search areas, but search object is
  more likely to be located in one end of the
  search area that the other end

15
(No Transcript)
16
BARRIER SEARCH

• Used in enclosed areas (such as rivers) where the
  direction of the drift is known and enclosing the
  search object is paramount. The SRU will traverse
  back and forth from one side to the other in an
  attempt to retrieve the target as it drifts
  downstream

17
(No Transcript)
18
SHORELINE SEARCH

• Used when you require a search of the shoreline.
  This search can be conducted by low flying
  aircraft, small boats and or land vehicles such
  as Police, Harbormasters, Park Rangers, civilian
  assistance.

19
(No Transcript)
20
TYPES OF SAR CASES

• PIWS/BRIDGE JUMPERS
• MAYDAYS OVER VHF CH16
• TAKING ON WATER
• VESSEL AGROUND
• MEDEVACS
• OVERDUES/UNREPORTED VESSELS
• FLARES RED/ORANGE

21
RECEIVING A DISTRESS CALL OBTAIN AT A MINIMUM THE
FOLLOWING INFO

• Vessels Position Lat and Long and Geographical
  location
• Vessel Description Name, size, color, make and
  distinguishing features
• Nature of Distress Are they anchored or adrift
• Number of People on board Any medical
  conditions
• Ways to communicate VHF radio channel or cell
  phone

22
FLARE SIGHTINGS REPORTS

• Difficult to prosecute
• Time of sighting
• Color of Flares/number of observed
• Duration of burn/Meteor, Parachute or Handheld
• Trajectory Rise/Fall/Steady
• Bearing True/Magnetic or Clock method
• Height Using the FIST method

23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
FLARE SIGHTINGS REPORTS

• 8o
• 6o
• 4o
• 2o
• With hand-held flares, and even meteor flares if
  you are nothigh enough, the flare may not rise
  above the visible horizonif it originates between
  the reporting source and the horizon.In this
  case, you should be asked to align the top of the
  index finger with the horizon and estimate the
  apparent distance
• below the horizon using the fist method described
  above.

28
SEARCH AND RESCUE OPTIMAL PLANNING SYSTEM (SAROPS)

• SAROPS offers more environmental data choices,
  greater drift accuracy, new visual and sweep
  widths capabilities. Combines the best features
  of the JAWS and CASP programs to provide a single
  search planning tool for all SAR Controllers.
  Computes probability maps vs Datum.

29
Why SAROPS?
Finally, SAROPS benefits from the latest GIS
technology which allows better access to chart,
imagery, radar and overlay data while improving
opportunities for interoperability with state and
federal partners.
V
Exit
Section 1
30
Simulator
The Simulator drifts thousands of particles which
account for the search object characteristics,
scenario parameters and of course wind and
current values. The outcome is a probability map
that can be automated.
V
Exit
Section 4
31
Planner

With an established probability map we are ready
to move on to the Planner Wizard. We need to
specify the SRUs, on-scene conditions. This
allows the quantification of effort.
V
Exit
Section 4
32
Patterns

The Search Pattern can be viewed graphically and
text summary report is also available.
V
Exit
Section 4
33
(No Transcript)
34
(No Transcript)
35
Four Rules of Risk Management

• Rule 1 Integrate risk management into mission
  planning and execution.
• Risk management is a repetitive and continuous
  process.
• Risk management is most effective when it is
  proactive. It requires that when new information
  on risks is received, the ability to control
  those risks is reviewed. It requires the coxswain
  and crew to remain vigilant and think safely
  until the boat is secured and the mission is
  over.

36
Four Rules of Risk Management

• Rule 2 Accept no unnecessary risks.
• Unnecessary risk does not contribute to the
  safe accomplishment of the mission. It is
  operating beyond the known capabilities of the
  crew and/or boat without considering other
  alternatives.
• Unnecessary risks are often taken when
  decision-makers rationalize that the boat is the
  only alternative or that urgency is more
  important than safety.
• Unnecessary risk taking constitutes gambling
  with lives and government/private property.

37
Four Rules of Risk Management

• Rule 3 Make risk decisions at the appropriate
  level. Many times mishaps occur because the level
  of risk is not perceived by an individual.
• Understanding of risk is highly dependent upon
  technical knowledge and expertise. Therefore,
  risk decisions must be made by clear-thinking,
  technically competent people with an
  understanding of the situation.
• The mission coordinator and coxswain should
  work as a team in making risk decisions.

38
Four Rules of Risk Management

• Rule 4 Accept risks if benefits outweigh costs.
  Eliminating unnecessary risk leaves risk that is
  either acceptable or unacceptable for mission
  accomplishment.
• He/she who owns the mission owns the risk.
• In some cases, mission directives outline what
  is acceptable (like sustaining personnel injury
  and equipment damage to save lives). However, in
  high stress situations, the line between
  acceptable and unacceptable may become fuzzy.
• Again, clear-thinking, technically competent
  people with an understanding of the situation
  must be involved in the risk decision.
• Again, the mission coordinator and coxswain
  should work as a team in making risk versus gain
  decisions.

39

• Be careful out there!!

• Be careful out there!!!