SAN DIEGO — U.S. Coast Guard, San Diego Lifeguards and numerous other emergency response and health services agencies participated in a mass rescue exercise near Mission Bay, Wednesday and Thursday.
The exercise, sponsored by the San Diego Lifeguards, was designed to assess the participating agencies' ability to work together to respond to a major maritime disaster resulting in a large number of injured people in the water.
The scenario used for the exercise was a collision between a charter vessel and a panga boat near Mission Bay that caused both boats to sink and critically injured several people. Response agencies worked together to rescue nearly 40 people from the water and treat their simulated injuries. During the second day of the exercise, Coast Guard and Lifeguard divers worked together to locate and recover simulated casualties from the incident site.
"This exercise is a valuable way to build relationships with our partner emergency responders and test our ability to effectively respond to a mass rescue incident like this when one happens for real," said Lt. Van Vu, a Coast Guard Sector San Diego Contingency Planner.
Click the photo below or follow this link for video: http://www.dvidshub.net/video/323067/emergency-response-agencies-participate-mass-rescue-exercise#.UxpPVPSwLQA
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| SAN DIEGO – A boat crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station San Diego works with Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter’s crew and San Diego Lifeguards to recover simulated survivors from the water during a mass rescue exercise near Mission Bay, March 5, 2014. |
Click each photo below to download high-resolution versions.
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SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul Cano, a coxswain at U.S. Coast Guard Station San Diego, pilots a 45-foot Response Boat during a mass rescue exercise near Mission Bay, March 5, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Henry G. Dunphy. |
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Coast Guard crews and San Diego Lifeguards work together to recover simulated survivors during a mass rescue exercise near Mission Bay, March 5, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist Rey Armstrong. |
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SAN DIEGO – U.S. Coast Guard crews and San Diego lifeguards work together to recover simulated survivors during a mass rescue exercise near Mission Bay, March 5, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Connie Terrell. |
SAN DIEGO – A boat crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station San Diego works with Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter’s crew and San Diego lifeguards to recover simulated survivors from the water during a mass rescue exercise near Mission Bay, March 5, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Henry G. Dunphy. |
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SAN DIEGO – A boat crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station San Diego works with Coast Guard Cutter Sea Otter’s crew and San Diego lifeguards to recover simulated survivors from the water during a mass rescue exercise near Mission Bay, March 5, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Henry G. Dunphy. |
SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 2nd Class Zack Satterlee, a diver from Maritime Safety and Security Team San Diego’s Regional Dive Locker West, prepares to deploy a side scan sonar module during a mass rescue exercise in Mission Bay, March 6, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Connie Terrell. |
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| SAN DIEGO – Petty Officer 1st Class Mike Pearsall, a diver from Maritime Safety and Security Team San Diego’s Regional Dive Locker West, prepares to enter the water during a mass rescue exercise in Mission Bay, March 6, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Connie Terrell. | SAN DIEGO – Divers from Maritime Safety and Security Team San Diego’s Regional Dive Locker West recover a simulated casualty during the salvage phase of a mass rescue exercise in Mission Bay, March 6, 2014. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Connie Terrell. |