woodscrew
Senior Member
In the event of a medical emergency along the ICW that can't be handled on board, what's the procedure? Who and how do you call? VHF, cell phone, Coast Guard etc? I have AIS with an emergency switch setup. Use that? Help.
One thing about the ICW........
There usually are hundreds and hundreds of EMT crews along the way and some are usually within minutes of any place you are. The USCG could be an hour or more away. ...or on another call.
If offshore or any large boady of water where you are an hour or more away from making landfall...sure.... the USCG is probably the best to coordinate...plus again cell phone coverage may be non existent or spotty.
I am not saying dont contact the USCG every time...just for me being involved in literally hundreds of MEDEVACs fron coordinator to pilot to boat captain..... I would bet my life on calling 911 first in the majority of the ICW or Great Loop.... thus kerping in mind that requirement as you cruise along as there is always exceptions.
Whether you call one or the other first may not matter as much as calling both to get everything rolling whether they are coordinating yet or not.
Overall, it's important to know the medical conditions of all passengers and to ensure that everyone has the medications they require.
Would a pan pan call on 16 work? Potential responders could take it from there,with services you may not know even exist, perhaps combining the efforts of several providers.
There's a lot to this. Plenty of physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals that I work with are out and about on their boats all the time. I myself am a critical care & trauma nurse and carry a kit wherever I go.When my Dad had a stroke at anchor in Telegraph harbor, my Mom did a Mayday call on 16. A sailboat anchored right next to them heard the Mayday and dinghies over to assist. An ER physician and ER nurse. They brought their emergency medical kit and checked my Dad out (not a lot they could do) and waited for the Canadian CG Auxillary to show up to transport him to shore and a hospital.
You never know why may hear the radio call and provide more help than you might otherwise expect.
The OP asked who to call along the ICW.
I noticed that someone sent you a SPOT link and I would just pass it by. Used to have SPOT but a big factor is that they only keep your map for 7 days, if you don't move the data to another spot you've lost it. inReach, keeps it indefinitely. Our map covers 3 years.
The link that you can share that goes to your shared web page will only keep tracks for a limited time (can’t recall the time) but the account page that we have as an account will show all the data. I have Spot data going back three years.
Just as a reminder, official SAR procedures would involve an EPIRB/PLB, the proper use of DSC distress via VHF or 911.
Other services are just middlemen.
They are great for a lot of things but still not officially recognized within the rescue circles.
If not I would ask those experts what they think they would bet their lives on to send emergency signals.
A float plan is just that, often changed and should left with someone who you trust with your life to keep track of you, but in the end, the switching of one switch can be more effective.