RADM Kunkel

They came from all over the Caribbean and Central America – some from as far away as the United Kingdom – and others from the United States. Clearly, the much anticipated Third Caribbean Volunteer Maritime Search and Rescue Conference (CSAR) had become an international bellwether for those Caribbean nations committed to improving safety of life at sea.

Building upon the success of two previous CSAR conferences (Miami in 2002 & 2004), this year’s conference at the Miami DoubleTree Grand Hotel on June 8 - 10 increased participation to over 80 delegates from 24 different countries. The conference was hosted by the Coast Guard Auxiliary International Affairs Directorate in conjunction with the U.S. Southern Command and the U.S. Coast Guard.

According to Commodore Everette Tucker, Director of the International Affairs Directorate, the purpose of the conference was to "enhance the security, stability, and safety of life on the sea in the Caribbean Region through the establishment and/or strengthening of government affiliated volunteer maritime search and rescue (SAR) organizations and the strengthening of existing volunteer SAR organizations. It was also to institute boating safety education and public awareness programs, and to develop maritime domain awareness programs."

A mixture of languages reflected the diversity of representatives and the area. Spanish, French, Dutch and English could be heard as participants from twenty-four nations met and shared ideas and successes (and an occasional failure).

Over the three days of the conference they attended sessions covering search and rescue techniques, leadership development, and establishing a marketing and outreach program. They shared ideas in sessions on local control of SAR operations and risk management. All the attendees participated in a table-top SAR exercise led by CWO Scott Clendenin, USCG Retired and other SAR and risk management experts.

One of the high points of the conference was an on-the-water demonstration of towing procedures by Auxiliary vessels, followed by a helicopter demonstration in which a diver was dropped and retrieved. That was finished by a "chase" of an Auxiliary boat by a CG rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB). Arrangements for the demonstration were made by District 7 Commodore Peter Fernandez who lives in Miami. The Auxiliarists participating were obviously enjoying the experience as they showed off their skills at boat handling.

At the Opening Session on Thursday, June 8th; Rear Admiral David Kunkel, USCG, Commander USCG 7th District, welcomed participants. He concluded his remarks by challenging the attendees to work with one another and to learn from each other. "Failure is not an option; failure means lives are being lost, and that is a statistic that none of us want to hear about."

Updates on progress in providing search and rescue services were given by representatives from Grenada - CG Auxiliary, Curacao - CITRO, and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard. Auxiliarist Stuart Robinson also covered the "2006 Tradewinds Exercise" held in Jamaica.

Following the opening session, participants had a choice of breakout sessions. One of these: "Assessing the need for SAR capabilities and prevention" was led by Alex Hewitt-Jones, one of the strongest voices for establishing volunteer lifesaving agencies in the Caribbean during her twelve-year tenure with British Virgin Islands SAR (VISAR). Beginning with the first step: determining the need for a volunteer organization, she involved the audience when asking "how do you determine a need?" Building on the answers, -- create a need; point out the potential political impact from accidents, etc. she led the audience to "how do you start?" Having led this process herself, she was very able to provide advice and assistance to participants. Her recommendation is to work by "baby steps" to create a response organization.

Auxiliarist Jim Campbell, a veteran instructor from the Coast Guard Search and Rescue School at Yorktown guided an intent audience through the basics of search strategies and procedures. He began with the premise that ideally, we can prevent recreational boaters from becoming SAR targets, -- but as the participants knew, this is not always possible. For some of the audience, this was their first exposure to the language of search patterns and there were lots of questions and notes on the handout accompanying his presentation.

Alex Hewitt-Jones and LT Brian Beltz, USCG RCC San Juan, gave a presentation on "Local Control of SAR Operations and Risk Management" to a large and attentive audience. After an overview of how a SAR case works at the local level (with input invited from participants), they covered various procedures. In response to questions, LT Beltz explained that Coast Guard personnel are limited to "rote" questions and answers whereas the local response agency can get right to "the heart of the matter." In covering the role of the Coast Guard’s RCC at Sector San Juan, he explained that they are not permitted to give boating advice, such as steering information, to callers. Within the framework provided, participants used the forum for a lively exchange of information and ideas.

"Training of SAR Crews & Coxswains – Risk Management in SAR Operations" led by John Chomeau, Captain, USN Retired and President, Association for Rescue at Sea and CWO Scott Clendenin, USCG Retired, brought home in a dramatic way the consequences of inadequate preparation. Following a brief overview and explanation of the material they were about to run, an amateur video showed the tragic results of a SAR gone wrong. The gasps from those in the packed room were followed by shocked silence. The presenters drew out comments from the audience as they bought out the many misunderstandings, lack of preparation, and lack of communication which had such tragic results. Both Chomeau and Clendenin used the "GAR" method to evaluate risk levels. "GAR" stands for "Green, Amber, and Red" and can be used to rank a SAR from low to high risk.

National Auxiliary Chief of Staff, COMO Carol Urgola, conducted a workshop, "Leadership and Management for Volunteers." She explained that the workshop was a brief excerpt from the full 3-4 day leadership workshops conducted by the USCG Auxiliary. Helpful hints including a hands-on format for writing a "help wanted ad" were discussed. Feedback from her attendees indicated a need for a follow-on session on "Ways to deal with Problem Members."

In addition to those already mentioned there were some very practical workshops conducted by Auxiliarists Richard Clinchy, Department Chief for Education and John VanOsdal, National Chief, Maritime Domain Awareness. Clinchy was very ably assisted by Mr. Curd Everstz, an honorary USCG Auxiliarist and Vice President of CITRO (Curacao). The Clinchy/Everstz workshop focused on "Creating a Caribbean Boating Safety Program and Public Outreach." Featured in the presentation were statistics and ideas for incorporating a modified vessel safety check program in the nations where the program does not exist. Mr. Clinchy described how the USCG Auxiliary public education programs could be adapted to meet the needs and local laws of several Caribbean nations. He invited other nations to tap into the knowledge and experience the Auxiliary has to offer.

Mr. VanOsdal’s presentation was centered on the topic of "Marine Domain Awareness" (MDA). He was joined by CDR Armin Cate, USCG District 7. They described the use of the incident command systems and presented the Coast Guard’s "America’s Waterway" program. Specific successes were featured in a video presented to the attendees.

Interspaced among the breakout sessions there were other, general ones providing presentations on such organizations as the French MRCC in Martinique and National Sea Rescue (SNSM) volunteer lifeboat operations in Martinique, Guadeloupe, and St. Martin, and the Caribbean SAR Federation in the Netherlands Antilles consisting of volunteer lifeboat organizations in Curacao, Aruba, Sint Maartin, St. Eustasius, Saba, and Bonaire. At one such session, Auxiliarist Jeff Mahl gave the group an update on "Resources Available via Electronic Means" and introduced them to NASBLA, NSBC and others.

Friday’s events concluded with the on-the-water demonstration described earlier.

Saturday morning was allocated to the Table Top SAR Exercise led by CWO Scott Clendenin. It was designed to closely simulate an actual SAR case. … And it did. The participants were divided in a group running the RCC (Rescue Coordination Center), Rescue Boats 1 and 2, a police boat named "Sparks," and a fire boat. All the various units communicated from separate rooms via VHF radios. In the RCC Chris Lloyd from the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) handled communications. His cool, crisp interaction with the rescue units made it clear he has done this many times before. The case was based on an actual one in which twenty-six crew and passengers were forced to abandon a sinking vessel. They were reported to be in four life rafts. As the rescue units were deployed to the scene, predictably another crisis was called in – three girls caught in the surf off a beach and washed out to sea. The fire boat responded, retrieved them and reported one had medical problems, -- then reported that it had engine failure. The comment of participants was "typical." The group representing the RCC took on various roles. Two members of the RCC team had laptops with search pattern software installed and they tracked as reports came in from the search units. After about three hours, the case was satisfactorily resolved, all twenty-six people in the water recovered and the three girls safely delivered for medical attention. Evaluation of the exercise was that it was close to reality and, although some changes could have been made, the case was well handled.

In the afternoon, a closing session included a presentation by Captain Richard Moore, Florida Boating Administrator, on their assistance following Hurricanes Katrina. Remarks by National Commodore Gene Seibert built on his presentation and addressed contingency planning. Input was solicited by COMO Tucker from participants, who were very appreciative of the entire conference. Ideas for sessions for the next CSAR brought several good suggestions. Captain Robert Hurst, Chief of Response, Seventh CG District, and Brigadier General Ricardo Aponte, USAF, J-7, U.S. Southern Command, gave the final remarks which closed the conference.