I saw this on Bay News 9 and thought I pass this good information onto THT. I'm sure this will save many lives !
New communications system to the rescueFriday, July 7, 2006
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg is the first in the state to use Rescue 21.Bay area boaters are a little safer now that Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg is operating a new communications system.
Rescue 21 is designed to bring search and rescue into the 21st Century. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg is the first in the state to use the new communications system. Some people said it will make search and rescue efforts much more efficient.
The new communications system has been up and running for less than a week, but Lieutenant Rich Sansone said he can already see the difference it makes.
"As a rescuer, it takes a little bit of the search out of search and rescue," Sansone said. "It gives us a position to go to if the boater has a good strong radio."
Under the old radio system, rescuers had to depend largely on the information boaters provided to locate them. Rescue 21 uses the radio transmission itself to automatically pinpoint their location making a successful rescue more likely.
"Seconds can mean lives," Sansone said. "The faster we know where the boater is, the faster we can get a Coast Guard asset or other agency out to the boater."
Sansone said while boaters can rest a little easier knowing Rescue 21 is in operation, they are still responsible for having the proper emergency equipment on board in case they encounter trouble.
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg covers the entire west coast of Florida from the Big Bend area to south of Naples. The sector is only one of four in the country to have the new Rescue 21 technology. One day the entire Coast Guard will be using it.
www.davitmaster.com 
Safer Boating on Florida's West Coast. 
