Radio English Practical English 2

Day 11 Emergency Urgency Security/Safety Part One! This topic will take three days.

About distress and emergencies Primarily the job of the Coast Guard HOWEVER, the nearest merchant vessel is legally obligated to assist other vessels in distress. THEREFORE, you must know how to respond to distress, emergency, and safety transmissions.

About Distress and emergencies Distress communications have absolute priority over all other transmissions! Casual boaters (e.g. recreational boats like sailboats and yachts) will probably not use prescribed procedures during a distress to their vessel. They may not even be familiar with the term MAYDAY.

About distress and emergencies The form here is from the “International Telecommunication Union” It is only slightly different from SMCP. BOTH USCG and SMCP distress calls are based on the ITU standard. So, they are mutually intelligible. ▫That means a person speaking USCG English or SMCP can understand each other.

DISTRESS PROWORDS PROWORDEXPLANATION (MEANING) MAYDAYIndicates that a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle is threatened by grave and imminent danger, and requires immediate assistance. PAN-PANUsed to signify that there is an urgency on board a boat, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle but that, for the time being at least, there is no immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself. This is referred to as a state of urgency. SECURITYWhat follows is important safety information. (The most common use of this is by coast radio stations before the broadcast of navigational warnings and meteorological information.)

MAYDAY MAYDAY is used for very serious emergencies in which the ship and crew are in grave and imminent danger. It comes from the French expression m’aidez, which is the imperative, “You [must] help me!” In fact, if you hear a mayday call, you are legally and morally obligated to help. ▫The only exception is if it puts your vessel in grave danger also.

MAYDAY Upon hearing a MAYDAY transmission, all other transmissions must cease. Call MAYDAY on VHF channel 16 (158.8) MHz, 2182 kHz. If you have Digital Selective Calling (DSC) use (Channel 70). If you hear a MAYDAY on channel 70, you must respond on Channel 16

MAYDAY Procedure Speak MAYDAY three times Identify your ship. Say ship’s name three times Give information that can help rescue ships find you and provide the correct help. ▫Position ▫How many persons on board ▫Type of distress ▫Identifying features of your ship  Vessel type, color(s), etc ▫Type of assistance required

MAYDAY example MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY THIS IS SWAMPER SWAMPER SWAMPER MY POSITION IS TWO MILES ONE-TWO-SIX DEGREES TRUE FROM WINDY POINT THREE PERSONS ON BOARD I LOST POWER AND THE SEAS ARE ROUGH REQUEST IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE I’M A FOUR-TWO FOOT CABIN CRUISER WHITE HULL WITH BLUE TRIM – OVER.

Receiving MAYDAY Say MAYDAY once. The distress vessel’s name and/or call sign THIS IS (your vessel’s name and call sign) Then RECEIVED MAYDAY Repeat information heard, so sender knows you understand

REVIEVED MAYDAY EXAMPLE MAYDAY SWAMPER THIS IS BLACKBIRD SIX-NINER CHARLIE FOXTROT RECEIVED MAYDAY. YOUR POSITION IS TWO MILES ONE-TWO-SIX DEGREES TRUE FROM WINDY POINT. YOU HAVE THREE PERSONS ON BOARD. YOU LOST POWER AND THE SEAS ARE ROUGH. YOU ARE A FOUR-TWO FOOT CABIN CRUISER – WHITE HULL WITH BLUE TRIM – OVER.

Follow up At this point, you should set up a communication schedule with the distressed vessel. Start your Search and Rescue (SAR) checklist Record messages in the ship’s radio log. Place additional peopl eon watch and radio watch. IF THE COAST GUARD (OR NEARER VESSEL) RESPONDS TO THE VESSEL, YOU ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO HELP.

Next week, more about MAYDAY, PAN-PAN, and SECURITE