Wed, Apr 22, 2009
Man Hoisted From Remote Beach On Catalina Island
A Coast Guard air crew from Air Station Los Angeles rescued a
man early this morning from a remote beach on Catalina Island.
Shortly after 6:00 a.m. the District 11 Command Center located
in Alameda, Calif. received a distress alert from a personal
signaling device, coming from Catalina Island. Because the signal
was coming from the Los Angeles area, the case was relayed to the
Sector Los Angeles – Long Beach Command Center in San Pedro,
Calif.
An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter was launched from Air Station Los
Angeles. Once on scene, the helicopter crew spotted a man firing a
flare from a beach on the south side of the Island. The man
reported that his boat had caught fire last night and he had
abandoned ship. He reached the shore in his dinghy where he spent
the night.
The man was hoisted into the helicopter and transferred to Air
Station Los Angeles, where he was met by paramedics to be treated
for hypothermia.
"This really turned out to be a picture perfect scenario with
respect to what to do in a survival situation," rescue swimmer
Chief Albie Amescua said, "The use of the personnel locator beacon
and flare, without a doubt, allowed rescuers to be notified and the
survivor to be found. Without the PLB and flare, it is uncertain
just how long it may have taken to locate and rescue the
individual."
Although recreational boaters are not required to carry distress
alerting devices, The Coast Guard advises that devices such as an
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or Personal
Locator Beacons (PLBS), are strongly recommended for ALL boaters,
including kayaks and other paddle craft, along with a VHF-FM marine
band radio.
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