[Paddlewise] SPOT Coast Guard New Procedures

    While I was gone I see the SPOT thread really gotr kicked around a bit. I
decided to do a little more reasearch.
    I just spoke with the US Coast Guard command in Juneau about the SPOT
system. Just yesterday they set new procedures for responding to SPOT
messages.
    In the case they receive a call from someone saying that someone has not
reported in with their SPOT system the Coast Guard will treat it as an
Unreported Vessel as opposed to an Overdue Vessel or a Vessel In Distress, the
latter two require a more immediate response.
    For Unreported Vessels they will call the different harbors to see if the
person has checked in and put out an announcement over channel 16 asking if
anyone has seen the boat in question.
    For kayakers especially they will check the weather figuring if the
weather is bad the kayaker is probably hold up on a beach somewhere.
    Only if the kayaker remains unreported for "several days" will they begin
to treat it as a more urgent issue.
    The CG logic is that this is a new system that everyone is getting used to
and satellite coverage is spotty (no pun intended) at best in Southeast
especially in steep fjords.
    The CG officer I spoke with said they had just located a kayaker whose ex
wife had reported him missing. He was "found" safe and sound by a fishing boat
who knew the CG was looking for him. Incidentally I was checked out by a boat
about the same time wandering if I was "the missing kayaker". The officer
noted that he had a VHS, an Epro system and flares. In other words if this
person needed help he could surely have gotten a hold of the CG. This made me
realize that the persons most likely to use SPOT are somewhat of a bunch of
tech geeks and more likely to have other proven tech gadgets I.e. VHS also.
    This is at least the fourth time they have searched for someone on account
of SPOT and each time the person was " found" alive and well.
    Obviously the weak link in the system is the human element. i.e. worried
friends and relatives. Those of us who use the system need to chose carefully
who we chose for our contact lists. In my case I have chosen my wife and my
son (I included Jackie Meyers on my last trip)
    My family and I sat own before the trip and went over procedures and
established the following guide lines
    First the "I'm O.K. " contact was to be used to track my progress only.
    There are multiple reasons for not getting and "I'm O.K. signal, unit
failure, poor signal reception, lost unit my forgetting to push the button so
do not panic if you receive no message.
    Second if I need to send an message for help I will use my VHS or flares
before I rely on SPOT.
    Third if after four days no "I'M O.K." message is received my wife will
contact the CG and inform  them that  I am Unreported and allow the CG and SAR
to determine the level of urgency.

    Putting on my SAR hat for a moment on advantage of the SPOT system is that
it gives SAR the LKP. (Last Known Position) of the individual which helps us
know where to begin the search.
    Recently our local SAR unit was called out for a search that proved to be
a false alarm. Someone thought they saw a man in skiff flip over and they
didn't not see him again . Without going into details we determined after
interviewing them that they had made an honest error in what they saw. They
apologized and we said an apology was not necessary that we would prefer they
call in a situation like that in case it was a real emergency.
    Despite the false alarms the system has saved lives. Despite the risks of
solo trips I take, I do not want to die out there and if SPOT can give me a
survival edge in a desperate situation then I will carry one. I will continue
to use the SPOT system because despite its flaws. I still believe it has
benefits especially the 911 button. Also I an currently tracking a couple of
kayakers who are on trips in Southeast and it is fun to watch the progress of
their trips.

Heading North tomorrow for 7 days to look for whales

Bob
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