| Semper Paratus |
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| The Coast Guard dock on the Pee Dee and Black rivers has a 25-foo and 42-foot boat ready to respond to emergencies. | |
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Coast Guard is always ready and always educating boaters |
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| By JACKIE R. BROACH COASTAL OBSERVER When two elderly men didn't return home from a boat trip, members of the U.S. Coast Guard were called out from the station in Georgetown. The men's boat had capsized in bad weather and they were stranded, at the mercy of the elements, waiting for rescue. The men were in the water for hours before they were spotted with the aid of a helicopter, said Brent "Mac" McCollum, a machinery technician second class with the Coast Guard. A big part of the reason the men got home safely, he believes, is that they made two very good decisions. First, they told someone where they were headed that day, so when they were reported missing, the Coast Guard knew where to begin its search. Second, they stayed with the boat after it overturned, clinging to the hull. That presented a bigger target to searchers. "It goes from looking for a needle in a hay stack to a baseball in a haystack," explained Dan Amen, a boatswain's mate first class. It's when someone goes missing in the water that folks most often hear about McCollum, Amen and their colleagues. But search and rescue is only a small part of what they do. A larger and equally important part of the job is education, so folks know things that will keep them safe while awaiting rescue, like telling someone where they're going and staying with the boat. They also advise having a handheld marine VHF radio, because the Coast Guard is always monitoring Channel 16 for distress calls. A GPS device is also recommended because the coordinates they provide allow searchers to go right to someone who is in trouble, even in the vastness of the ocean. The Coast Guard is a military branch involved in maritime law, mariner assistance, and search and rescue, among other duties. It's the smallest armed service and its mission is to protect the public; the environment, and the country's economic and security interests in any maritime region, including international waters and coasts, ports, and inland waterways. |
At any given time, there are about 11 people on duty at the Georgetown station. They operate on two-day shifts, like a firehouse, and they monitor the waters and maintain safety on the coast from McClellanville to Little River and up to 30 miles off shore. They might respond to anything from a report of a stranded boater to an oil spill. But with such a large area to cover, they can't do it alone. Getting from the station at Georgetown to a call in Little River might take up to 90 minutes. To cover the distance, their boats are trailered to Little River. "It's a good long way to travel to get there," Amen said. As a result, the Coast Guard relies heavily on the state Department of Natural Resources and local fire and police departments to help out until Coast Guard members arrive on the scene. Midway Fire and R:escue and the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office frequently offer assistance, which has been a big asset to the Coast Guard, Amen said. The Coast Guard doesn't have any set patrol times, Amen said. They go out at random when they think patrols will be most needed. But as their motto, Semper Paratus, states, they're always ready for any call that might come in at any time. "It could be the calmest day," Amen said, "where nothing has happened at all, but of the blue at 11 p.m., you get a mayday call. When it comes, you have to be ready." . Like anyone else tasked with law enforcement, they go out armed and wearing body armor, in addition to their life jackets. The summers are the busiest times on area waterways, but the winter brings a good bit of traffic as well, with boaters traveling down the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida. When the Coast Guard does patrols, recreational boating safety is something it focuses on. They do random boardings to check out safety gear and documentation. One of the most common problems they come across is boats with life jackets that have been on board, enduring sun and weather conditions so long, "you can grab a strap and pretty much rip them," Amen said. "It should be pretty clear a life jacket like that isn't going to be much help." |
"We're not trying to hammer anybody," Amen said. "Our job is to try and instruct people and keep them" safe." On average, they make more than 500 onboard inspections every year, Amen said. According TO McCollum, a lot of what they try to teach people "is common sense - things like wearing life jackets, and especially making sure kids wear them. Life jackets and fire extinguishers are "probably the two most important things on a boat," McCollum said. The Coast Guard also encourages folks to utilize engine kill-switches on their boats. The safety devices b can be connected to the person operating the boat and if n the person falls overboard, if it will automatically shut off the boat's engine. Without the switch, the boat will keep going on its own. If the operator is lucky, the craft will go straight, leaving the operator stranded. If the boat was in the process of turning when the operator fell, the craft can circle, running down the operator and anyone else who was thrown into the water. "There's not a summer that goes by we don't see a case of that happening and there's never a good outcome," McCollum said. Another common problem, Amen said, is people who "bow ride," which means sitting on the front of the boat with their feet hanging over the side. The problem with that is, even if the boat is moving at a slow speed, a sudden stop or change in speed can send the rider flying overboard. "If that happens, there's· no way you aren't going to run over that person," Amen said. "Boats are designed to pull the water back to the propellers. The person won't stand a chance." "It's pretty much all about safety," McCollum said. "That's the biggest goal for us - to keep search and rescue down." Amen and his colleagues don't usually make arrests, he said, because they would have to go through a federal magistrate and "the stuff we deal with isn't really that big." Continued on Page 2 Coast Guard |
At the end of a patrol, crew members empty their weapons.