Community Conversations

Search and Rescue

Prepared for the Pratt Museum by Dr. Deland S. Anderson based on a Community Conversation held on the Mess Deck of the USCG Buoy Tender Hickory on 21 April 2006

More than two dozen people convened onboard the USCG Buoy Tender Hickory to discuss the topic of search and rescue. Lt. Commander Jay Boyer of the US Coast Guard hosted the group. Also present were members of the Homer Coast Guard Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol, Homer Police, Alaska State Troopers, Kachemak Bay State Parks, Homeland Security, City Harbor Master’s Office, a member of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, and members of the public. A lively and informative conversation ensued, as people shared anecdotes, perspectives, and priorities. Law, protocol, and technology were all significant elements in the conversation. The talk varied between information sharing of highly technical knowledge between agencies and simple, common sense questions about what to do in certain situations. Specific examples of land and sea rescues were cited as paradigms, generally of what not to do. It was apparent that this assembled group was well prepared and eager to meet the challenges of the upcoming summer boating season.

On the last weekend of April, a 19-foot fiberglass skiff burned to the waterline on Kachemak Bay. Six people had been aboard. Were it not for a buddy boat traveling with them, they would have all been in the water. Most likely some if not all of them would have succumbed to the cold. One of the survivors noted that they smelled gas, then the boat erupted in flames. They could not reach the fire extinguisher. They had no time for a Mayday. The Coast Guard almost certainly could not have reached them in time to save their lives. Luckily their companion boat was within sight, so they waved frantically and yelled for help. The boat came alongside. All people were taken off the burning skiff. No injuries were reported. The boat, however, was a total loss.

We live in a place where beauty and danger are mixed in equal measures. Kachemak Bay is renowned for its stunning scenery, marine wildlife, and big fish. It is also known for its cold waters and fast current, and an all-too-innocent sounding day breeze that normally sets up each summer day to blow for eight or 10 hours on end at rates from 15 to 25 knots. Depending on the direction of the tide, a 2-4 foot chop is usual. Frequently the chop is complicated by a ground swell entering from the Gulf of Alaska. In the mouths of side bays, lagoons, and rivers, and in narrow channels, currents are compounded and wave action multiplied. And this is all on a good day, with fair weather and no precipitation. Early in the summer season when the rivers flood, and during times of extreme high tides, rafts of debris form in the bay. They might just be made up of eel grass and pop weed, or they could be hiding deadheads—huge, nearly submerged logs. Add storm winds, rain and/or fog, and even the inner bay starts to seem like the open ocean. And then there’s the traffic. On any given day or night, one will meet with watercraft that range from kayaks to tankers. Some of the vessels are relatively slow, like kayaks or barges, but sport boats, charter boats, and pilot boats can travel as fast as 25 knots/hour or more. Assuming that those driving the boats are sober and alert (which is a manifestly untenable assumption much of the time), still they may not be experienced, or if experienced, they still might not abide by the rules of the road. Finally, even if you navigate your way through the above-mentioned hazards, boats are themselves inherently tricky environments. Slick decks, ropes and lines, knives, gaffs, fish clubs, huge barbed hooks, firearms, etc. are generally present on even small pleasure boats. On larger vessels, added stability is balanced by the additional hazards of gangways, bulkheads, ladders, booms, and perhaps commercial fishing gear. All things considered, the lure of the ocean must be incredibly strong. Otherwise, a land-based species such as ours would never venture into such a dangerous environment.

The mixture of beauty and danger creates a certain social dilemma in this area. Residents are eager to share the beauty of the bay with visitors, whether they are friends or clients, but if that experience goes beyond looking out a picture window, they are also introducing those visitors to real risks. Drownings are frequent here. And you don’t have to be way out to sea, over the horizon, to get into trouble. In recent years people have succumbed to the icy waters even in the harbor or within easy sight of diners at the resort restaurant at the tip of the Homer Spit. And this is not unusual. Indeed, any old salt will tell you that the most dangerous place in the sea is next to the shore. Generally speaking that’s where the rocks are. And even if there are no rocks, the shallows create waves that can pound boats apart in short order. Or if nothing else goes wrong, people sometimes just fall in. And so, the urge to share this beautiful marine environment with visitors should be tempered by a realistic assessment of the risks involved. Common sense goes a long way in such situations, but no one can anticipate all potential accidents, and so it is a good thing that we have an incredible array of lifesaving assets at our disposal in Kachemak Bay.

First and foremost is the educational asset. It is true, ignorant people can be saved. But it is also true that well-informed people need saving less often. Some of the educational assets are minor, though helpful, such as public service announcements reminding people to wear life vests while boating. Several in the community are more substantial. The Harbor Master’s Office is a wealth of information regarding water safety on Kachemak Bay. They have even been known to give out advice as to whether the conditions would be safe for family outings, for example. Additionally, there is the Kids Don’t Float program initiated by Homer’s Fire Chief that educates the public about the dangers of the harbor ramps and docks, especially for children. All the ramps have stations where child-sized life vests are made available for use, whether it’s just for a walk around the docks, or for an outing on the bay: keep the kids safe and warm and return the vest when you are done with it. This program is so sensible and valuable that it has been modeled in other Alaska communities. Another local educational asset is South Peninsula Hospital’s annual Safe Kids Fair, which features, among other things, a water safety program designed to educate and protect children. Additionally, local area schools instruct students in swimming at the indoor high school pool. Because the waters of Kachemak Bay are too cold for almost anyone to swim in, most children do not have the opportunity to learn to swim, and so are especially at risk if they should fall into the water. Homer Community Schools regularly offers classes in various levels of kayaking skills. An annual kayak festival has also been established in Homer for the past few years, and it too provides valuable opportunities for paddlers to learn essential safe boating skills and to consider the relative merits of different kayak designs for local conditions, etc. The local campus of Kenai Peninsula College/University of Alaska Anchorage has for years offered courses in seamanship taught by experienced local pilots. A sailing regatta in Homer also provides educational opportunities, including hands-on crew experience for aspiring or accomplished sailors. The U.S. Coast Guard annually sponsors a boat safety "rodeo" in Homer which features various events designed to highlight basic seafaring skills necessary for safety on the water. Immersion-suit swim races and line-heaving contests are just a couple of the events. But the local favorite has to be the helicopter rescue demonstration performed in a basin on the Homer Spit. A thundering Mustang, black-clad divers, rescue baskets, and clouds of saltwater spray vividly remind people that they don’t ever want to see such a thing for real, unless of course one’s life is at stake! Perhaps one of the most valuable, because most sensible, educational opportunities in the area is provided by the Homer Flotilla of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. It is known as a "courtesy check" but is indeed a full-fledged examination of the vessel and its operator to determine whether they meet the basic legal requirements for safety equipment and procedural knowledge. The wise boater will take the opportunity to go beyond the basics, and ask about what might be sensible, useful, or handy. Their annual course on boating safety has educated hundreds of boaters over the years.

In addition to the educational assets available to boaters in the area, there is a vast array of technical assets as well. Some of them fit into the category of self-rescue assets, just the sort of thing the Coast Guard Auxiliary is looking for in their courtesy checks. Naturally, the list of assets will vary from vessel to vessel, but a short list might include the following in no particular order: properly rated and fitted personal flotation devices for each person aboard; lifesaving throw ring or cushion; life raft; properly rated and inspected fire extinguisher; strobe, VHF marine radio; cellular/satellite phone, EPIRB (locating device), compass/gps, fathometer, charts, radar reflector, air horn or whistle, fresh flares (hand held and rocket), auxiliary propulsion, extra anchor and line, fresh water, rations, foul weather gear, towline. As mentioned this list will vary with the boat, but the more complete your assets, the better your chance of self-rescue. And note well that if you are not prepared to self-rescue, you could be making your last trip on the water. Finally, when it comes to safety equipment, money is no object.

Beyond the technical assets that fall into the category of self-rescue (what you can carry on your person or boat) are those of the governmental and volunteer organizations devoted to keeping people safe on the water. The first to be mentioned is the highly trained and dedicated crew member. Crew members work under the direction of various agencies and organizations, but in the event of an emergency, they all work together with a common aim—the preservation of human life. These crews could belong to any of the following groups: US Coast Guard; US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Homer Flotilla; Alaska Air National Guard; Civil Air Patrol; Alaska State Troopers; Kachemak Bay State Parks; Homer Police; Homer, Anchor Point, and Kachemak Firefighters and EMSs; or Good Samaritans. Each of these groups has members with differing skills and degrees of local knowledge (a helicopter pilot who is new to the area, might be weighed against a longtime resident with a skiff, for example). Coordination of these assets is critical, for of course these "assets" are actually persons themselves, and to lose a life even in the attempt of saving another is not a favorable equation. Nevertheless each person, no matter what group he or she belongs to, is legally bound to render assistance in the event of an emergency. Yes, even the private person, minding his or her own business out on the bay is required by law to aid another person in need. That’s the so-called Good Samaritan, protected by Alaska law against legal liability. But, if there are no private citizens available or willing to lend assistance, others are there to help. But before they can bring their considerable array of lifesaving technical assets into play, they need to know. Communication is the key.

The communication can come in numerous forms, but unless the message is sent and received, no help will be forthcoming. First and foremost, file a float plan. Leave word with a family member, neighbor, friend, or the Harbor Master’s office. Don’t just say it either? Write it down, and be specific, including listing alternative plans. It does not help one jot for an army of rescuers to be looking for you where you aren’t. Second, have visual and audible signals for distress, such as flares, whistles, strobes, etc. Also learn how to wave for help: two hands over the head, not one. Third, have a means of remote communication, preferably a VHF marine radio that can be picked up by any radio-equipped boat in the area. Cell phones work when they work, but in any case they are a person-to-person device and not an open form of communication. That means if you can’t reach the person you are trying to get, no one else can hear that failed attempt. Not so with CB or VHF—others will be listening. Redundancy is to be preferred in matters of communication, English teachers notwithstanding: have a radio and a phone, for example.

But you also need to get the message right. No one can help you if they don’t know where you are. If you are making the call, then, you have to know where you are. If you don’t know where you are, make that clear. Don’t be embarrassed about being lost. Don’t guess. If you are unsure of where you are, you are by definition, lost. You must say so. You also need to say who you are, or rather what boat you are in (or were in), and how many are with you. This is critical for two reasons. First, you might not know where you are, but if someone else has seen you (going by the description or name of the vessel), they may well know where you are and can convey that information. Second, if the rescuers don’t know how many people are aboard, they will not know how many need to be saved. A vessel with a large number of passengers (even 8 or 12) creates a whole different scenario than one with just two aboard. Additionally, if the boat should go down, or you should get separated from it, rescuers need to know how many people to look for. Next, you need to convey the condition of your vessel and its passengers. Be specific. If the boat is sinking, say so. If the motor has conked, say so. If you are on fire, say so. If everyone is safe, and you think you’ll be okay for some time, say so. And, if no one responds to your call, repeat it. They might be able to hear you, even if you can’t hear them. That’s true even if you’re just yelling, or using a whistle, or firing a gun. If you do get a response, stay in communication. Whatever your means, stay on the line. That can aid greatly in the search and rescue effort.

If your message is well crafted, and if rescue responders hear it, and if it’s humanly possible, help will be on its way. From satellites to divers, all assets will be used. Helicopters, and ships, and the like cost a lot of money to deploy, but you will not be charged for it if you are in need. Unlike other countries, the United States provides its citizens with highly trained, dedicated, and well-equipped rescue personnel free for the asking. What is true on the federal level is also true on the state, borough, city, and community levels as well. You are as safe as these people can make you. But, in the end, it comes down to you. So, when in doubt, don’t go out.

And, oh yes, what goes for the water, goes for the land and sky as well.