En route from St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada to France, the two were forced to shorten their trip and aim for the Irish coast.
250 k out, rough seas flipped their boat and the EPIRB disappeared, but was activated.
“That’s what saved our lives, to be honest. Without the EPIRB, we wouldn’t be here today. We’d still be on the boat.”
Read more here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/brian-conville-joseph-gagnon-rowers-1.4218706
Two fishermen struggled in the dark for four and a half hours before deciding to try retrieving their EPIRB from the overturned boat.
There had been warnings to stay out of the water due to rough conditions, and the men were not wearing their lifejackets.
Within 45 minutes, an ambulance helicopter spotted the pair and treated them for hypothermia.
Read more here:
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/two-men-rescued-after-boat-capsizes-off-cronulla-20170722-gxgrdf.html?csp=0f0be3250a8d97ce8e6eb05de10414fb
The 2017 Task Group Meeting on Second-Generation Beacons (SGB) and SGB/FGB ELT(DT) Development Of Operational Documents, Development of C/S A.003 (System Monitoring and Reporting), and QMS was held in Montréal, Canada from 20 to 26 June 2017.
Mr. Edwin Thiedeman (USA) chaired the meeting.
69 people, including members of 15 Cospas-Sarsat Participants, 2 Observer Organizations and the Secretariat took part in the meeting.
25 years ago, on 7 July 1992, Spain deposited its letter of Notification of Association with the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme as a Ground Segment Provider.
The National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA) was designated as the official organisation responsible for fulfilling the commitments, and INTA’s Maspalomas Satellite Tracking Station as the site for the Local User Terminal (LUT) and the Spanish Mission Control Centre (SPMCC).
At the time, Colonel Julio Melián was the Maspalomas Station Director and key architect of this association.
Please join us in congratulating Spain on 25 successful years of service to international search and rescue!
After several high-profile fatal incidents where boaters lives likely would have been saved with a low-cost emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or personal locator beacon (PLB), Florida in May passed HB711 into law with unanimous approval from the Florida House and Senate. The goal of the bill is to encourage boaters to have a device on board which can help the Coast Guard and other search-and-rescue authorities locate boaters in distress. The “Beacon Bill” offers Florida boat owners a discount between 15 and 30 percent on their vessel registration if they have a registered EPIRB or PLB. The beacon must be a Cospas-Sarsat-approved 406-MHz type of beacon. (Use the search terms “406 EPIRB” and “406 PLB”.) The law is permanent and will not need to be renewed.
Read more here:
http://www.injupiter.com/jupiter-florida-stories/in-honor-austinblu-foundation/140
Please find the link here to the ITMCC Service Area – Monthly Activity Report – June 2017
35 years ago on 30 June 1982 the first Cospas-Sarsat LEOSAR satellite was launched (Cospas-1).
So far about 44,000 persons have been rescued using Cospas-Sarsat alert data.
02 June 2017
The United Kingdom require the mandatory fitting of 406 MHz on all SOLAS vessels, fishing vessels of 15 metres or more in length and vessels under the Large Commercial Yacht code. The voluntary fitting of 406 MHz EPIRBs on non-SOLAS and pleasure vessels is actively encouraged.
The United Kingdom’s legislation Statutory Instrument 2000 No 1850 – Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations 2000, requires the compulsory registration of all 406 MHz EPIRBs carried on UK vessels.
The UK Distress & Security Beacon Registry is located at CGOC Falmouth and is responsible for the registration of UK encoded EPIRBs. Upon successful registration, the beacon owner is issued with a copy of the database entry and two “proof of registration labels”. ELTs
Regulations introduced within Europe and also by the UK CAA require 406 MHz ELTs to be registered on the UK Distress & Security Beacon Registry. The CAA regulations also specify that the UK country code of 232 to be used and details the acceptable coding protocol options.
On 4 October 2012, the UK CAA, National Air Traffic Services, issued a new Air Information Circular, AIC P 134/2012 replacing AIC 57/2003 (Pink 55), (available from: http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php.html) which provides guidance to the aeronautical community on the coding and registration of UK-coded ELTs.
The UK has filed a Notification of Difference with ICAO to ICAO Annex 10, Volume III, Part 2, Chapter 5, Paragraph 2.3, Sub-paragraph 2.3.3, which specifies the setting of bit 26 in the digital message transmitted by an ELT.
The Licensing authority (OFCOM) has agreed that PLBs are licence exempt in the UK for use in maritime, aviation and overland environments as long as the vessel or aircraft that they are carried onboard has a radio licence. All UK encoded PLBs are to be registered on the UK Distress & Security Beacon Registry.
| Country / Territory | Country recognizes PLB Activations | ||
| For terrestrial applications | In maritime environment | On aircraft | |
| TBD | Y | Y | Y |
| Comments | Nil. | Nil. | Nil. |
Similar information is avalable in the new table on the Cospas-Sarsat website (www.cospas-sarsat.int) with the status indication in colours (Y = green, allows / N = red, not allowed / Restrictions = amber (see comments) and with the note that the national beacon regulations can be found on the Cospas-Sarsat website in document C/S S.007).
For information relating to the registration of Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) beacons and Simplified-Voyage Data Recorder (S-VDR) beacons please contact the UK Distress & Security Beacon Registry, Tel: +44 (0) 20 3817 2006.
A registration database for RLS beacons and the assignment of serial numbers for these beacons is:
| Provided by the National Administration | Provided by the Cospas-Sarsat Secretariat |
| Y | Y |
| Country Code (1) | USER PROTOCOLS | LOCATION PROTOCOLS | |||||||||
| Maritime User | Serial User | Radio Call Sign | User Location | Standard Location | National Location Serial Number | RLS (Return Link Service) Location Protocol | |||||
| MMSI | Radio Call Sign | EPIRB with Serial Number | Radio Call Sign | MMSI | EPIRB with Serial Number | Radio Call Sign | MMSI | Serial Number | Assigned by Competent Administration | Assigned by Competent Administration | |
| 232 233 234 235 |
Y | N | Y | N | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Note 1: MIDs 232, 233, 234, and 235 are allowed, in order to match the encoded MMSI as necessary.
| text centered |
Country Code USER PROTOCOLS LOCATION PROTOCOLS
Serial User Aviation User User Location Standard Location National Location
Serial Number RLS (Return Link Service)
Location Protocol
ELT with Serial Number Aircraft Operator Designator and Serial Number Aircraft 24-bit Address Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marking ELT with Serial Number Assigned by Competent Adminis-tration Aircraft 24-bit Address Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marking ELT with Serial Number Aircraft Operator Designator and Serial Number Aircraft 24-bit Address Assigned by Competent Adminis-tration
Assigned by Competent Adminis-tration
232 Y Y Y Y N N N N Y Y Y Y Y
2.3 PLB Coding Methods
Country Code USER PROTOCOLS LOCATION PROTOCOLS
Serial User User Location Standard Location National Location
Serial Number RLS (Return Link Service)
Location Protocol
PLB with Serial Number PLB with Serial Number Assigned by Competent Administration Assigned by Competent Administration
232 Y Y Y Y
3. LIST OF BEACON MODELS TYPE APPROVED BY UNITED KINGDOM
Not available.
4. BEACON TESTING REGULATION
Not available.
5. POINT OF CONTACT FOR BEACON MATTERS (CODING, REGISTRATION AND TYPE APPROVAL)
The point of contact for all administrations are available at https://www.cospas-sarsat.int/en/contacts-pro/contacts-details-all.
6. BEACON REGISTRATION FORMS
Online beacon registration forms are available at: www.gov.uk/406beacon (EPIRBs, PLBs and ELTs (maritime / aviation / overland use).
Please note this does not currently provide direct customer access to the UK database.
Two Cadets working with Civil Air Patrol SAR volunteers were part of a team responding to two back-to-back ELT alerts near Watertown, South Dakota.
“Two ELTs active at the same time within 40 miles of each other is an extremely rare occurrence”, the incident commander said.
“The [Civil Air Patrol] Cadet Program accepts children at age 12, and it has members of all ages, from all walks of life, and you don’t have to be a pilot.”
“The reason I’m wing commander today is I very passionately believe in what CAP does for our young people. The quality of young people we turn out is just absolutely incredible”.
Read more here:
https://www.brookingsregister.com/article/sd-cap-called-to-help
ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW
The International Cospas‑Sarsat Programme is a treaty‑based, non‑profit, intergovernmental humanitarian organization governed by a Council. Participants are composed of delegates from 43 national governments and two additional administrations. The Programme is dedicated to providing accurate, timely, and reliable distress alert and location information to support search and rescue (SAR) operations worldwide.
Cospas‑Sarsat is based on a satellite‑aided system that detects and locates 406-MHz radio beacons activated by aircraft, vessels or individuals in distress, and forwards this information to appropriate rescue authorities, in over 200 countries and territories, at no cost to beacon owners or receiving government agencies.
The Programme also co-operates with other international organizations (including ICAO, IMO and ITU) to ensure the system addresses and meets internationally recognized standards.
The Cospas-Sarsat Secretariat is the administrative body of the International Cospas-Sarsat Programme, providing administrative coordination, technical expertise, and policy support to the Council, subsidiary bodies, and Participants.
For further information on the Programme, please visit its website at www.cospas-sarsat.int.
JOB OVERVIEW AND CONDITIONS
As Technical Officer, you will assist the Head of Secretariat and the Principal Technical Officer on technical matters addressed by the Secretariat, with a primary focus on Cospas‑Sarsat distress beacon development, technical specifications, and certification process.
The incumbent will share responsibility for the expeditious review of beacon certification applications and the formulation of technical recommendations to the Cospas‑Sarsat Council to ensure compliance with applicable standards and specifications. The position involves regular interaction with beacon manufacturers, accredited test laboratories, the Cospas‑Sarsat Council and Participants.
This is an in‑person position based at the Cospas‑Sarsat Programme Headquarters in Montréal (Québec), Canada. The role requires periodic international travels, several times per year, sometimes for periods of up to two weeks.
This position is intended to be long-term. The initial appointment is for a period of three years, with possibility of renewal based on performance and organisational requirements.
ELIGIBILITY
This position is only open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Furthermore, to be eligible, applicants shall reside or be willing to relocate to Quebec.
The successful candidate must be free of criminal convictions that would restrict international travel or the performance of the essential duties of the position. A criminal background verification may be required following a conditional offer of employment.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES
The Technical Officer will:
EDUCATION
LANGUAGES:
KEY EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:
The Technical Officer shall have at least five years of working experience in the design, testing, certification, or compliance assessment of electronic, radio‑frequency, or telecommunications equipment.
The following are considered as additional assets:
The Technical Officer shall demonstrate the ability to:
CONDITIONS AND BENEFITS
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: CAD $100,000-$150,000 per year (commensurate with experience and qualifications).
Benefits include:
Please provide résumé/curriculum vitae together with a cover letter explaining your interest to:
International Cospas-Sarsat Programme
1250 René-Lévesque Blvd West, Suite 4215
Montréal (Québec) H3B 4W8 Canada
