Coast Guard urges mariners to carry ‘rescue me’ transmitters
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
The EPIRB device, above, is designed to transmit a distress signal for mariners in trouble to emergency responders anywhere in the world through a satellite system called COPAS-SARSAT. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Cooper, above, shows a PLB device.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
The PLB, or personal location beacon device, above, functions the same way but is meant to be carried.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
A U.S. Coast Guard response boat prepared to leave port for a simulated mission Thursday in Honolulu in preparation for the next day, April 6 — otherwise known as 406 MHz Day — to demonstrate the importance of emergency positioning indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs).
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took advantage of Friday’s date — 4/06 — to remind mariners about the unique saving power of a 406-megahertz signal.
406 MHz Day was a national effort to promote the proper use and retention of emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) devices, which are designed to transmit powerful distress signals in offshore emergencies
EPIRBs connect boat and aircraft operators to emergency responders worldwide via COSPAS-SARSAT, an international satellite tracking system. Hand-held personal locator beacons, like those used by hikers and paddlers, can also access the system.
According to the Coast Guard, 275 people were rescued after transmitting distress signals via EPIRB devices last year.
Within the Coast Guard’s 14th District, encompassing Hawaii and the Pacific, six people were rescued thanks to successful EPIRB transmissions in 2017.
So far this year there have been 111 distress signals transmitted, two of which required rescue operations; nine people in all were assisted or rescued in these cases, according to Coast Guard spokeswoman Tara Molle.
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On March 25, commercial fishermen aboard the longline fishing boat Princess Hawaii transmitted a distress call using an EPIRB device when the vessel took on water and sank roughly 400 miles north of Hawaii island.
The ensuing rescue effort was delayed, however, because the device was still registered under a previous owner. Fortunately, that person was able to provide rescuers with the new owner’s information, allowing them to properly identify the vessel in distress.
A Coast Guard rescue crew located the fishermen and an onboard NOAA observer in a life raft, and coordinated a rescue effort with the vessel’s sister ship.
Molle said the incident highlighted the importance not just of having an EPIRB device aboard, but also making sure that proper registration is maintained.
“It worked out but that’s time (wasted),” she said.
Should a person accidentally activate an EPIRB device, Molle said the person should call the Coast Guard at 855-406-8724 to cancel the alert.
Molle said it is up to individuals to determine when it is appropriate to send a distress signal and that people are sometimes reluctant to use the device even when they need help.
“At the end of the day, if it’s used — if a distress signal is sent — we will come and assist you,” she said. “That’s what it’s for.”
