Coast Guard Search and Rescue Testimony

We appreciated the opportunity to testify to the House T&I Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on our Search and Rescue mission performance. As RADM Brice-O'Hara, Deputy Commandant for Operations, stated in her written testimony, quoted from Pub One:

At the heart of the Coast Guard ethos is the belief that every man and woman in our service is a guardian. To guard is to watch over or protect from harm...The Coast Guard is renowned throughout the world for saving lives...Our reputation is based on personal courage and selflessness that goes back to [our] earliest days...Nothing fills us with greater pride than the stories of harrowing rescues in which professional Coast Guard men and women returned would-be victims safely to their families against all odds. It is no accident that these are stories of success. Preparation for the moment - born of excellent training, support, and equipment blended with courage, discipline, and selflessness - is our hallmark.

But she also stated:

Even with the best technology, however, search and rescue remains a mixture of art and science. A SAR case is impacted by human factors ranging from initial reports by anxious or panicked mariners to judgment calls by Coast Guard personnel working under the most pressing of circumstances. The sea remains a dangerous and unforgiving place. Given the nature of the environment, unfortunately, lives are going to be lost. I mentioned with pride that in 2008 we saved 4,912 lives; I mention with sadness that 825 lives were lost, 534 of which were lost prior to Coast Guard notification.

So the challenge is this: How do we continue to provide our people with the best training and technology to help mariners survive?

You can watch a video of the hearing here and read the subcommittee's full summary of the subject matter, as well as DCO's written and oral statements -- /SAROralStatement.doc

The hearing was being tweeted live @uscoastguard, below are the tweets:

Congressman Cummings is opening the hearing with some background on the USCG SAR efforts

Congressman Cummings is talking about USCG watchstanding procedures

USCG is implementing Rescue 21 and getting newer, more capable assets to the fleet

"Our motto Semper Paratus “Always ready” is constant reminder that we must retain a “bias for action,” - RADM Brice-O’Hara

"In 2008, the USCG prosecuted 24,000+ SAR cases, saved 4,910 lives & assisted 31,628 people in distress" - RADM Brice-O’Hara

USCG has made several significant technological advancements within the past 5 years to improve SAR operation - RADM Brice-O’Hara

SAROPS – one of the most advanced search and rescue planning tools in the world http://ow.ly/rRyR - RADM Brice-O’Hara

Rescue 21-the recapitalization & upgrade of the national distress radio communication system http://ow.ly/rRzt - RADM Brice-O’Hara

"Search and rescue is a mixture of art & science" - RADM Brice-O’Hara

Our servicemembers and employees are better equipped, organized and trained for worldclass SAR performance - RADM Brice-O’Hara

The sea is a dangerous & unforgiving place. Unfortunately, lives are going to be lost - RADM Brice-O’Hara

We will never be satisfied until our people are provided the best training & technology to help mariners survive -RADM Brice-O’Hara

Beyond watchstanders in the Command Center, several other people in the chain of command that are contacted - RADM Brice-O’Hara

All members in the SAR chain of response are qualified SAR personnel - RADM Brice-O’Hara

We have added scenarios into the SAR training programs to provide hands-on experience - RADM Brice-O’Hara

"Do you use real past cases during training" - Congressman Cummings

We do include historical and more recent SAR cases to train and educate members - RADM Brice-O’Hara

We are not staffed to have a full complement of fully training Command Duty Officers - RADM Brice-O’Hara

Even if/when we get the people, we will have the issue of juniority to deal with - RADM Brice-O’Hara

It takes time to train & adequately prepare these members to understand & manage the vast missions of the USCG - RADM Brice-O’Hara

VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) is a great SAR resource but it is not a SAR program http://ow.ly/rToN-RADM Brice-O’Hara

EPIRB is a very important tool to saving lives at sea http://ow.ly/rTuZ - RADM Brice-O’Hara

When a SAR call comes in, we have technology to record, slow down, clean up and playback the call - RADM Brice-O’Hara