Photo By Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer | Peruvian Coast Guardsmen prepare to board a Naval vessel during a search and rescue...... read more read more
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The Peruvian Coast Guard (PCG) conducted a joint search and rescue (SAR) exercise during Resolute Sentinel 2024 off the coast of Ancón, Peru, while the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) observed their procedures, May 31, 2024.
The SAR initiative aimed to strengthen international relationships and facilitated real-time analysis of tactics, techniques and procedures. This allowed the USCG and PCG to streamline communications, thereby enhancing real-world search and rescue operations in the Pacific.
“This exercise has helped with interoperability within the rescue coordination centers,” said PCG Capitán de Fragata (Commander) Miguel Navarro, head of the Information Fusion Center for Latin America. “We need to improve the networking with authorities from other countries … and become more efficient on search and rescue operations, or any operation.”
Peru and the U.S., among several other countries in the area of responsibility, communicate with each other on a regular basis. Rescue coordination centers will sometimes get distress calls that are more suited for another nation’s Coast Guard to respond to. This exercise provided these countries a chance to build connections to improve communication channels for the future.
“My group from District 11 command center is here specifically for a SAR conference,” said USCG Lt. Nico Muzo, District 11 command duty officer. “We’re here to do a SAR exercise with the PCG, to see what their capabilities are, their best practices, and what their processes are for conducting SAR within their area of operations.”
Leading up to the SAR exercise, the two partner nations shared information on operating procedures between their subject matter experts. They also conducted briefings on modern SAR technology and toured facilities utilized by the PCG in an effort to improve communications between the two nations.
“We work with partner nations pretty often,” Muzo said, referring to SAR operations in their area of responsibility. “Those partner nations are usually reaching out to us or we have to communicate with them so that they know when there’s a search and rescue event they need to take charge of.”
Communication is pivotal in SAR operations, as constant radio transmissions are necessary to keep all parties updated on the status or location of an injured or missing person. In this scenario, the U.S. and Peru maintained communication channels on land and sea.
Operating out of the command center at Callao Naval Base, the USCG monitored the SAR exercise as it unfolded. Aboard a PCG maritime patrol vessel named B.A.P. Rio Pativilca, the team set course to a point of interest approximately 20 miles west of Ancón where they began sweeping the ocean to locate a vessel with a simulated injured individual.
Once located, the PCG dropped two teams on rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB) to board the distressed ship and retrieve the injured patient. They then expeditiously transported them back to the B.A.P. Rio Pativilca and set course for port.
Lauren Cefali, USCG District 11 rescue program manager, said this scenario is a common occurrence in the world of SAR, which is why they wanted to observe how the PCG conducts it. By observing the SAR exercise, they are able to share subject matter expertise to increase SAR capabilities for future real-world operations.
“SAR cases that happen in this area are usually in hard-to-reach locations, like an injured fisherman 400 miles offshore,” Cefali said. “None of us can really reach that point, but we have to work together to arrange the right assets to get there and get that person medical attention fast enough so that they can save their life or whatever ailment they have. SAR is a team sport.”
In line with the team mentality, the USCG brought equipment that may be of interest to the PCG, including the Self-Locating Datum Marker Buoy (SLDMB). The buoy is a device that can be dropped from aircraft or tossed from a ship to measure surface ocean currents, transmitting invaluable information to the Search and Rescue Optimal System (SAROPS). The system produces higher resolution gridded environmental data for superior accuracy in search object drift.
“You upload the information, and you get a good idea of where the particles can spread through the water with the winds and currents,” Navarro said, describing SAROPS. “Then we can deploy Coast Guard units to conduct the operation.”
But while the two Coast Guards may use different equipment and techniques, the purpose is still the same - save lives and protect water borders. Exercise Resolute Sentinel 2024 offered a chance for participating nations to realize that these goals are worth all the hard work, long hours and inclement weather.
| Date Taken: | 06.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2024 10:59 |
| Story ID: | 472982 |
| Location: | ANCON, PE |
| Web Views: | 154 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Resolute Sentinel 2024: PCG, USCG join forces for SAR scenario, by TSgt Devin Boyer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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