Seven from Sector St. Pete Earn SAR Controller of the Year Award
Story and photo by PA3 Sondra-Kay Kneen, PADET St. Petersburg, Fla., with contributions from PA2 Judy Silverstein, Rescue 21 Public Affairs
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A team of search and rescue (SAR) controllers from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg Command Center earned the Coast Guard's Search and Rescue Controller of the Year (COY) award for 2006.
Mr. Richard T. Hutchinson, Lt. Mia P. Dutcher, Lt.j.g. Richard C. Sansone, Lt.j.g. David B. Sandberg, Chief Warrant Officer Kevin T. Coyne, Petty Officer 1st Class Steve M. Heinzman and Petty Officer 1st Class Scott R. Leazott were commended for their superb investigative work, outstanding use of resources, comprehensive search planning, and cohesive efforts that ultimately resulted in the recovery of two men.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- District Seven Command Master Chief Ted Fuller, congratulates Lt. Mia Dutcher, along with Lt.j.g. Richard Sansone, Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Coyne, and Petty Officer 1st Class Scott Leazott, four of the seven winners of the Rescue Controller of the Year (COY) award for 2006. Not pictured are: Mr. Richard Hutchinson, Lt.j.g. David Sandberg, and Petty Officer 1st Class Steve Heinzman. Coast Guard photograph by PA3 Sondra-Kay Kneen, PADET St. Petersburg. |
Heinzman immediately began trying to determine the last known position of the vessel. He initiated preliminary communications, extended communications and put out an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast (UMIB) to area boaters. Heinzman notified his chain of command and watch-standers in the District Seven Command Center in Miami.
"Having an accurate last known position is vital because it allows us to narrow down a search area," said Coyne.
Coast Guard watch-standers used the little information provided to help them plot search patterns.
The SAR controllers interviewed fishing buddies, ran credit card numbers and cell phone records for any recent activity, estimated the amount of fuel onboard to determine the maximum range the vessel could travel and used local knowledge of the area to develop a search plan.
The planning phase continued for 36 hours. The Sector St. Petersburg Command Duty Officer and operation controllers continued to investigate every possible location of Broderick and LaMoore.
"I knew they were out there. We had good information and knew one of the guys was a firefighter and EMT," said Leazott.
The two men were finally found clinging to their overturned vessel by a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater C-130 aircraft, 25-miles off Lido Key, Fla.
An Air Station Clearwater HH-60 rescue helicopter was diverted to their location and the two men were safely hoisted aboard the helicopter. By then the two men had been in the 80-degree Gulf water for two days.
They were then flown to Air Station Clearwater where they were interviewed by Sansone and Coyne.
During the survivor interview, the two fishermen reported they had seen the rescue helicopter fly over them on the initial search.
"Having the proper emergency equipment like flares or an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) onboard would have shortened the search immediately, and minimized the fishermen's time in the water," said Coyne. "They were lucky."
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