image provided courtesy of Cospas-Sarsat

Back on February 1^st 2009, though boat owners and ship riders didn’t hear it, there were celebrations all over the rescue world as the COSPAS-SARSAT system stopped processing and reporting 121.5 distress signals.  The hours of lost sleep spent chasing after ghost 121.5 EPIRB signals that were actually some other transmitter (like a radio tower or an ATM machine…seriously) is beyond measure. While I appreciated racking up flight hours on the government’s dime; the Coast Guard, along with SAR organizations the world over, have turned a lot of fuel into noise searching for….well…nothing.  Only one out of fifty 121.5 alerts have been genuine distress situations.  An end to all that warrants at least a little celebration.  But even as the date came and went and the chatter about the switch increased – the first problem with the 406 EPIRBs is already showing itself: news release after news release touts the 406 as the “digital” beacon; more powerful, no-waiting, and accurate to just a few yards.  The problem is that none of that is completely true – not mostly – and only sort-of.  And since recreational boaters and professional mariners are making purchasing decisions about the things, and they are lifesaving devices, I wanted to clear a few things up about the “able-to-leap-buildings-in-a-single bound” 406.

MISNOMER

Most Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons do not actually “Indicate” their “Position.”  Without an onboard GPS – your EPIRB, any EPIRB, simply transmits a signal that contains the exact same data regardless of where in the world you happen to be. While the position of a non-GPS enabled 406 is calculated with greater accuracy than the old 121.5 beacons – it is done in exactly the same way – by relaying the analog (that’s right – I said it) 406 signal back down to earth for calculation – just like the 121.5s did.

It’s About the Birds

To understand the real benefits of the 406, you really have to understand the satellites they talk to.  The COSPAS-SARSAT system is made up two very different types of spacecraft:  geosynchronous and low earth orbiting.  Geosynchronous (synched up with the geography below them) stay fixed above the equator at specific longitudes – looking straight down at the earth below them from around 22,000 miles high – giving them a very wide look at the earth.  Low earth orbiting satellites (LEOSAR) travel around the planet at different rates, and because they fly much lower than their geo-synched brothers (between 500 and 550 miles above the earth), they see a much smaller picture of the surface.  If all that seems like too much information – the important points are that one kind of satellite orbits the earth, and the other kind stays fixed in space above it.

One big advantage to the 406 is its ability – with its higher power – to reach out (22,000 miles into space) and be heard by the GEOSAR satellites.  You know, the ones way up there above the equator that don’t move and see HUGE pieces of the earth. Positioned around the globe so they can see everything between the 70^th parallels – these high fliers are the real engine to the 406 machine.  Just as soon as these guys hear that 406 MHz pulse (a half-second long every 50 seconds), encoded with that “digital” information, it immediately retransmits it back down to earth – including the beacon number and your exact latitude and longitude provided by the on-board GPS.  The signal also includes your course and speed giving rescuers very accurate – real-time data – to get straight to you.

Without an On-Board GPS – Everything Changes

Without GPS data in the pulse, the GEOSAR Satellites – and all that extra power spent sending them a signal – do nothing.  Though they hear the signal, you could be anywhere in their massive window on the world so they have no idea where the beacon is coming from.  Your super-digital, high-powered 406 just digressed and the LEOSAR’s do all the work.  The position of the beacon is determined by Doppler shift.  As the satellite passes over the beacon (and just as with 121.5s, you may have to wait for it) and hears the 406 MHz signal, it retransmits the signal back to earth to one of forty-five Local User Terminal (LUTs) around the earth.  Some very serious math is then applied to determine where exactly the beacon is (or was) as the satellite passed overhead.  Though much more accurate than the 121.5 signals, and immune to old LEOSAR blind spots, these positions can still be off by as much as 3 miles and may be up to 40 minutes old; older if the satellite picked up the 406 outside the view of a LUT (see map).  And while this is way better than the 121.5 accuracy (up to 12 miles off) and timeliness, you should consider the benefits of the on board GPS 406 over the other varieties before making a decision.

What 150 Bucks More Gets You:

I’m not talking about brands; I’m talking about types. So the price difference may be more or less.  But given that we are talking about an “emergency” beacon – usually used from the water (meaning your boat is gone) let’s just call the price difference “peanuts”: The difference between a 406 with an on board GPS and one without is best expressed this way. You can let the rescuers know where you are – accurate to within yards and including drift data – every 50 seconds; or you can let the rescuers know where you might have been – accurate to within a few miles – a while ago with a non-GPS 406.  Sure, you’ll meet the requirements with the less expensive model, but I promise you won’t miss the extra money sitting (hopefully) in your life raft.

Some readers will notice I haven’t even mentioned the third kind of 406 – the GPS-linked variety that uses data from your vessel’s on-board navigation device.  It’s a great idea so long as you’re staying with your vessel, and you’re under power, and the batteries last.  How likely is that in an emergency that requires an EPIRB?  If you have to abandon ship, or the ship abandons you, the on board navigation system isn’t coming with you….and neither is accurate GPS data.

Bottom Line:

The advantages of global coverage and registration data available with 406 EPIRBS are phenomenal– but consider the following when deciding which type of 406 to purchase:

• 406 EPRIBS are four times more accurate than the 121.5 EPIRBS were.
• 406 EPIRBS with on board GPS are two-hundred times more accurate.

So all 406’s are not created equal (not even close) – and if you want the fullest digital advantage available and really want to help rescue crews get more sleep, make sure yours has a GPS.

For more information on the COSPAS-SARSAT System, approved devices, proper beacon registration, and more information about digital and analog signal processing than any one person should know – visit www.cospas-sarsat.org

disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.

Note: This article was first published in February of 2009

How quick could you remove this ring from the cradle? Have you tried?

Standing on the bridge wing of a container ship years ago, a captain was telling me all about the Williamson Turn and how effective it was at putting his massive ship on a line straight back from whence it came. He practices them at every man overboard (MOB) drill on his vessel (and logs the training, thank you) and seemed very pleased with himself and his crew’s ability to find find me should I fall overboard. Laying out the details of his MOB procedures, he got to the part where a mate would release the smoke float and life ring from the bridge wing.

“Let try it,” I said. Grabbing the ring to prevent it from falling , “Pull the pin.” I’d been looking at the release mechanism – a simple pin through the bulwark at the end of the bridge wing – and wondered how easily the ring would fall. With a confidence in his stride, the third mate walked past his skipper and grabbed hold of the red handle. “I’ve got the ring, don’t worry,” – then he gave it a twist and pull.

Nothing – nothing happened. The pin was stuck, enlarged by too many coats of paint and expanding corrosion. A full minute and thirty-eight seconds later, after desperate grunting and twisting, he got the pin out. The captain just looked at me and said, “You’re kidding me.” (though he used a different word than kidding – I was feeling his pain.)

“Now do we start that turn,” I asked?  Oddly, I was the only one smiling.

Right now, many of you are thinking “lack of maintenance,” but that wasn’t the problem. I believe it was cause by a lack of practice. Until I said “Let’s try it.” the idea of pulling that pin during every MOB had never occurred to them. It was always done as a simulation. The idea of the gravity-dropped life ring deployed by a simple pin pull is so simple, that nobody thinks to practice it. They hadn’t violated any rules or established maintenance practices. The ring was just replaced a few months prior. But how often do you pull that pin? Why would you?

Of all the tools that mariners use at sea, the things they may need the most are used the least. Survival gear and rescue equipment – basically everything in the LSA Code – is stuff you really need when you need it, but rarely get the chance to use. It doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. Lowering and running of the lifeboats happens enough I suppose, sure; but when was the last time all hands fired off a flare, lit off the EPIRB, or….deployed the smoke float and life ring from the bridge wing? They aren’t always things you can do all the way, but those first steps can usually be practiced at any time – scheduled or not – making everyone a little safer and more informed about their use.

How is the spring behind your EPIRB cradle? You can remove that thing and re-cradle it anytime you want. Why would you? So you can be really good at removing it for one, and also because you get to know how the spring behind the cradle looks. Don’t just walk by the pyro locker on the way back to the bridge: open it up. pull out a parachute flare – check out it’s condition – and read the instructions. Why? Well besides the obvious, you get to see that the instruction label is still even there and legible; an important feature of the device if you ask me. And don’t even pretend that all hands can use that line throwing device.

I believe two things about handling survival equipment during an emergency -

1. It is always tougher than it may seem; and

2. It is not something you want to do for the first time (or second or third) during an actual emergency.

You don’t always have to go all the way to full use of the gear to make things better. But why not do what you can when you can? The entire crew is wearing a Type I PFD during a drill, yes? Do they turn on the light? Will all the lights work?

There is only one way to find out, and it’s free. Lots of stuff on your boat is like that. So consider doing more than just walking by the emergency stuff. Do more than simulate when you can. Open the fire extinguisher box to see how easily or not it opens. Removed the cap on the tube containing the fire plan – that is the only way to make sure it’s in there. And, for the sake of anyone who might fall overboard, hold onto the ring and pull that pin.

What other things can be done without being completely done aboard your vessel? Because, going through some of the motions is better than going through none of them at all.

Beyond Boot Camp; Rescue, Recover, Rewarm -  is a follow up DVD to Cold Water Boot Camp on the best techniques and practices used to safely recover hypothermic victims from cold water.  My job?  Easy.  Get in the water and stay there until I am hypothermic.  If you read my last article, then you know it will take at least an hour in the sub 40 degree lake to get my core temperature to drop that far.  I sign the form and think one more time, “what the hell am I doing here?”

Two days later I’m lying on a stretcher, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, violently shivering and in considerable pain.  The water temp on lake Eerie had dropped to 32.6 -  the effect freezing water has on your hands, feet, and other ….parts… is amazing.  Dr. Gordon Geisbrecht – the project’s medical director and the world’s leading authority on environmental injury – had lowered the max immersion time (thanks Doc) to insure that the pain was not accompanied by real damage. Still, me and the other idiots who signed the release form were in considerable pain and discomfort.  Looking up at the professional medics, firefighters, Coast Guard, and other municipal rescue workers ; I realized exactly what the hell I was doing there.  We were all learning things.

Being recovered from Lake Eerie – December 2010

It turns out that there are as many misconceptions about the treatment of hypothermia as there are myths about the condition itself, and if this project would help save lives like Cold Water Boot Camp did before it, then that was reason enough to be cold and wet just one more time.

The National Water Safety Congress released the DVD last winter, but I thought I’d share to gCaptain readers what we  learned about caring for victims of accidental cold water immersion.

Important Note: What follows is advice about caring for victims pulled from cold water – specifically tailored for mariners at sea.  This is because “at sea” is a place that often also means “hours, if not days, from a advanced care”.  That makes “at sea” a much different place than say “at the marina – or beach” where professional medical assistance is nearby.  As working mariners – the average gCaptain reader may need to handle victims from the water to full recovery – so this advice is for you.

Be careful getting them out: Approximately 20% of those that die from accidental cold water immersion – do so during the rescue phase. There are ways to get victims out of the water right and ways to do it very wrong.  That’s because depending on a number of variables including time in the water, age, health, and half a dozen others – victims of cold water immersion may be in a very fragile physiological state.

Just being in water does things to the human body that change it. The pressure of the water on the limbs – particularly the legs (because they are deeper) – forces blood out of the legs and into the core and this raises blood pressure. When the water is cold, we get the added effect of constricting blood vessels in the outer skin layers and extremities (vasocontriction – see The Truth About Cold Water) and this also raises core blood pressure.  The body is trying to keep the core warm and more blood in the core and less every where else helps.

Without digging in too deep – you should know that when a person spends long periods of time in cold water, they have changed physically.  Their bodies contain warm blood and very cold blood; their heart has a decreased ability to speed up when it needs to, and veins and nervous systems have been temporarily altered in such a way that may have them on an edge very close to significant heart malfunction.  They are fragile – and must be treated carefully: Here are some best practices for the recovery from the water phase:

• Recover them as horizontally as possible: If you can avoid lifting them out of the water vertically, do it.  If you must lift them out vertically, get them laying down immediately once on board.  The hydrostatic pressure on their body has made it easier for their bodies to maintain blood pressure – as soon as they are removed, the heart has to work harder – and a cold heart doesn’t do well at working harder.
• No walking: They shouldn’t be walking around until the are completely recovered.  There is some very cold water in those limbs and for the time being, you want it to stay there.
• Don’t make them work for it: Don’t ask them to “pull” or to exert themselves in their own rescue if it can be avoided.  Remember, they are in a fragile cardiovascular state and climbing that net after being in the freezing water may be the last thing they ever do.
• Remember – None of this is as important as getting them out: If you’re at sea, and the only way to get them aboard is by hauling them over the rail like so many pounds of tuna – then haul away. Just do it….carefully, and be very gentle with them once they’re aboard.
• Stay calm – move slow: They do have to get out of the water – but doing things slow will make them smooth and smooth is what you want. If recovered to your rescue boat, do not rush at full speed back to the ship.  Pounding through waves is just as bad for them as any other rough handling.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Get Them Dry:

Just because you got them inside and out of the elements, doesn’t mean that they aren’t still cooling off.  Wet clothes will continue to cool them off and hinder their recovery.  Getting them dry sounds easy enough, but this is another area where there is a right way and a wrong way to do things:

• All modesty and dignity can be reserved for another day – once you have them inside the cabin – absolutely every stitch of wet clothing comes off.  It is also better to cut clothing off (safely – medical bandage scissors are best) rather than have them endure the flexing and stretching of the limbs that occurs by pulling it off the regular way.  You want them laying down and moving as little as possible.
• Use towels to gently pat the water from their skin and hair – NEVER rub them dry.  Trying to rewarm a victim by vigorous rubbing of their skin actually has the opposite effect.  It makes them colder.  A victims skin contains the coldest blood in their bodies and by rubbing it, you essentially push it back into play before the body is ready for it.
• Thickness equals warms:  wrapping them in layers of loose fitting blankets and keeping them inside a warm, dry place is the first goal after removal from the water.  Everything you have done so far has been about preventing further heat loss: If they are out of the elements, dry, and covered up – you have done at least that.

To get an idea how being wet in a cold environment can effect the human body, watch this video shot during the first day of “Beyond Boot Camp”.  This section was filmed to show rescuers how to remove a victim from the water and to a waiting ambulance.  I was only in the water for a minute – but after exposure to the 24 degree air and blowing wind for just a few moments – my wet clothes really did a number on my ….comfort…the intense shivering is not an act.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Keep Them Down

Now that they are dry and out of the elements – the recovery can begin.  If they are intensely shivering, that’s good.  But for those who have never seen it before, it is a little disconcerting.  It looks awful and feels even worse, but it is just the body trying to regulate temperature.  What I can tell you from experience is that the first ten minutes out of the water is far more painful than any ten minutes in it – but that if they are down and dry and shivering – things are looking very good.  What you want to do next is help them….wait for it…keep shivering

Get Them Calories:

If your recovered victim has been in the water long enough to be shivering violently, then they have been burning an awful lot of calories.  Depending on when they last ate, they may be running low on available fuel and need a boost.  Knowing that, what do you think is better for your freezing – shivering – crew member; a warm cup of water, or an icy cold soda?  (pick the soda) A warm sugary cocoa is better, but the point is that calories are more important than the temperature of the drink.  They need the calories to fuel the shivering until they are fully recovered.

Warm Them Up (maybe):

There are many methods and devices for adding heat to help rewarm hypothermic victims.  They range from complex medical devices like warm air infused blankets to simple heat packs or hot water bottles.  But if it was my ships hospital, I’d just make sure I had a simple heating blanket.  Put on low to medium they will provide radiating heat and everyone knows how to use them. Forced air systems have lots of parts to go bad, and heat packs can cause problems – even blistering – if they stay in contact with very cold skin.  Simply cranking the heat up in the cabin is another way to assist in recovery.  A warm bath or shower may seem like a good idea, but it isn’t.  Remember, the blood in their skin will be cold and not moving for a while.  What feels warm to you may be scolding hot to them.

One of my favorite myths about treatment is the old “climb in the sleeping bag with them” idea.  Don’t – do not – back off.  That may be a good idea to stay warm but not a good idea to re-warm a victim of cold immersion.  They do not need anyone pressing up against their cold skin and agitating their cold muscles.

Watch Them:

People recovering from cold water immersion can look miserable.  Their skin may be a red like a bad sunburn, they can shake violently, and they just sound like they are in pain – and they are.  But here is the thing: If you have done everything above and they are red and shivering and complaining about how miserable they are – they are probably just fine.  They are as uncomfortable as they have ever been in their lives, sure, but they are fine.  All you can do is let them lay there and get over it. Just watch them  until they are absolutely bored from laying there.  None of this “get back to work” stuff until hours have passed.  Of course, contact your medical authority and pass all pertinent information for recommendations.  Did they injest or inhale sea water? If they did, it can cause problems unrelated to the cold that may require a medevac just the same.

Continued Training:

To view the entire video series from Beyond Cold Water Boot Camp, USA – or to order the DVDs for use as a training tool at sea, please visit www.coldwaterbootcampusa.org.  Though produced primarily for professional medics and rescuers – the series is full of useful advice for anyone who works on or near the water.

disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.

I’m drowning myself in a flood of emails, comments, and now bandwidth/WordPress process issues and I’m working through them all just as fast as I can.  For all of you who have sent me questions and requests, I promise I’ll get back to you directly just as soon as I can.  You are asking very good questions and bringing up excellent points.

I’ll be posting a video (hopefully this weekend) along with a suggested safety checklist for swimming pools – particularly when children are at play.  Thanks again for all the support.

Best,

Mario