Please find the link here to the ITMCC Service Area – Monthly Activity Report – June 2016
Category: System Overview
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2016-06-28 Helping to take the ‘search’ out of search and rescue
This first-person account of a Cospas-Sarsat aided rescue in Honolulu was originally told by the author, who is from the U.S. Coast Guard, to Cospas-Sarsat Officials in Kyoto, who encouraged him to share it in written form.
We are glad that he did!
Read this ‘magical’ story of an uncharacteristically foggy day in Honolulu and a local fisherman adrift with a dying CB radio here:
http://mycoordinates.org/rescue-magic-a-true-tale-of-search-and-rescue/
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2016-06-23 Dramatic rescue after abseiling fall – PLB used to call for help
Two men have been hospitalised after an abseiling (rappelling) accident, which triggered a massive rescue operation near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia.
A young man fell several metres and injured his head, so his friend stayed with him on a cliff ledge while the others in their group abseiled down to set off their PLB.
Remote and rugged terrain hampered rescue efforts, with two aircraft needing to refuel, but a rescue helicopter managed to hover over the top of the mountain as a doctor and two paramedics jumped off.
“Paramedics camped overnight, with both of them assisted by police and the Volunteer Rescue Association.”
The young man suffered a head injury and his friend was treated for mild hypothermia.
The well-coordinated efforts of the rescuers helped to ensure the safety of all involved, including the rescuers themselves.
Read more here:
http://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/3966238/dramatic-rescue-after-abseiling-fall/ -
2016-06-21 Group of three includes diabetic, rescued when boat with EPIRB goes aground
An unregistered EPIRB was detected by satellite in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
Rescuers located a small recreational vessel stranded on a sandbar at Useless Loop, with three persons onboard, including one Diabetic in need of medical care.
The vessel had gone aground, after experiencing an engine and electrical breakdown.
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2016-06-20 Australian man sets off PLB after being gored by wild bull
The man had been working on his farm in Queensland, Northeastern Australia when the bull attacked.
“After the attack he was semi-conscious and was able to drive himself to help to some extent but we were able to hone in on the EPIRB beacon and locate him to extricate him from the vehicle.”
Read more here:
http://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/breaking-cq-rescue-route-possible-rescue/3039621/Posted 20 June 2016
update here:
Wild bull attack victim recovers in hospital and encourages farmers to carry GPS distress beacons
Gored by a wild bull attracted to his cows, the farmer drove until police met him with his PLB broadcasting his location.
“I felt really relieved because at least I had found somebody who could help me, and I was pleased because he was the bloke who talked me into getting that GPS in the first place.”
The police officer, who had also recommended a year earlier that the farmer get the PLB, then visited him in hospital.
While the beacon device played a pivotal role in saving his life, it also recently helped save the life of his elderly mother when she fell and called for help after breaking her pelvis.
“I just think that people who are poking about the bush, take an EPIRB with them … it’s such an efficient service.”
Read more here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-10/bull-attack-victims-encourages-farmers-to-carry-epirbs/7499932Posted 23 June 2016
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2016-05-25 2016 Task Group Meeting on Second-Generation 406-MHz Distress Beacon Specifications_
The 2016 Task Group Meeting on Second-Generation 406-MHz Distress Beacon Specifications was held in Montreal, Canada from 4 to 8 April 2016. Mr. Tony Foster of the NASA Search And Rescue Mission Office (USA) chaired the meeting.
53 people, including members of 11 Cospas-Sarsat Participants, two Observer Organizations and the Secretariat took part in the meeting.
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EPIRB activated when boat had capsized overnight
Posted 29 April 2016
A rock likely foiled their plans for a three-day fishing trip to Kimberly River, Australia, when two men awoke to find their boat loose from its mooring and capsized after an afternoon of fishing the previous day.
The pair set off their EPIRB and waited for rescuers who brought them to safety, healthy but with “damaged pride”.
They were thankful to have been prepared for the worst with supplies, EPIRB and flares – which they credit with their rescue.
Read more here:
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/31436279/two-rescued-from-kimberley-river-after-boat-capsizes/ -
2016-04-28 New Zealand experimental MEOSAR System aids rapid rescue: Quick response prevents a difficult night out in the open for injured hiker
The MEOSAR satellite system covering New Zealand has only been operating in test mode for three days, but has already enabled the potentially lifesaving rescue of an injured hiker in the Tararua Ranges.
He broke his leg in two places and after assessing it, set off his PLB.
The signal was received via the new satellite system, currently operating in test mode, just four minutes later.
That was an hour earlier than would have been the case under the system it is replacing – time that proved crucial in getting the man to safety.
The rescued man, an educator and father of three, says he is an experienced solo-tramper and mountain runner.
He takes safety very seriously, and when hiking with his sons they know where the beacon is carried and how to operate it.
Read more here:
http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/news/media-releases-2016/20160426a.asp -
2016-04-26 Florida Encourages EPIRB Ownership by Reducing Pleasure-Boat Fees
The U.S. state of Florida passed legislation (House Bill CS-CS-HB 427) that for a year between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017 will give pleasure boaters a reduction in vessel registration fees upon proof of ownership of a Cospas-Sarsat type-approved emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or personal locator beacon (PLB) that has been properly registered with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Media attention on the recent deaths of fishermen off of the Florida coast, including two 14-year-old boys last year and a 9-year-old boy in early April, has heightened public and political awareness of the lives that can be saved with a relatively inexpensive Cospas-Sarsat distress beacon.
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2016-04-26 Vigilant but unreachable – important to register your beacon and then also stay in touch
An inadvertently-triggered PLB in New Zealand had rescuers coming to the rescue, because the boaters had not activated their radio or cell phones.
The family had registered their beacon and advised they would be wearing their lifejackets, but were unreachable when it accidentally went off.
It is important to register your beacon and also to keep the lines of communication open and stay vigilant, because help may be coming or might even be needed by another boat in your area.
Read more here:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1604/S00423/everything-done-right-except-turning-comms-equipment-on.htm