| |
SAREX, Caesar Creek Lake: September 6, 2008
 |
 |
| Letcher
Langston seated and David Stover set up Langston's new mobile command post |
Bob van Patten working his Division Mobile Communications Facility kept
the boats connected to the Coast Guard
|
 |
 |
| Coxswain
Larry Steinke in Charlie Everhart's boat, Everhart at the helm, screams down
the lake to locate a simulated missing boater |
Dave Stover plays disabled
boater for a towing drill by Larry Steinke with Charlie Everhart at the
helm and Bob Clancy, Georgetown, on the skiff hook
|
|
Photos above and summary below by Loren
Gannon |
|
Division 6 Search and
Rescue Exercise
Caesar Creek Lake
experienced a dramatic increase in Coast Guard Auxiliary activity Saturday,
September 6, 2008, as Division Operation Officer LaRue Turner of Hillsboro put
five boat crews through their paces in the annual Division Six Search and
Rescue Exercise. Caesar Creek is a good central location for the exercise.
Communications Officer Bob van Patten, Bellbrook, used his
mobile radio facility to provide shore side communication to every corner of
the Lake and the Coast Guard Operations Center in Louisville, KY.
David Stover of Centerville and crew scurried around the lake setting up
exercise situations for Auxiliary Coxswains and crews to solve.
PATCOM (Patrol Commander) LaRue Turner controlled boats spread out all over
Caesar Creek Lake solving exercise drills using the new mobile command
post built by Letcher Langston of Hillsboro. Coxswain John Bentley of
Eaton and company used a search pattern to locate an elusive victim of a
simulated boating catastrophe. Coxswain Larry Steinke of Vandalia in Charlie
Everhart's boat, Bainbridge, raced from one end of the lake to a location
identified only by map coordinates at the other end to rescue "Oscar" reported
missing. Larry Steinke's crew returned in time to put David Stover's boat
under tow to cap the exercise. Crews were as geographically diverse as their
skippers coming from every corner of the Division's sixteen county area
in South Western Ohio serving Indian, St Marys, Caesar Creek and Rocky
Fork Lakes and a 60 mile stretch of the Ohio River.
In an unscheduled
event Division Commander Gary Branstetter of Kettering and crew Mike and Sarah
Meineke of Blanchester dropped their exercise duties to provide assistance to
a boater and his family. The boat had lost power and the boater called for
help. Mike skiff-hooked the disabled boat's trailer eye and Gary towed the
family to safety. Few Auxiliary days on the water are event free. It is
quite normal for a patrol to make at least one rescue and training very often
stops to assist a boater in distress. The exercise debriefing gave everybody
a big thumbs up for the day's activities. However, as is expected, some rough
spots were uncovered giving the volunteer members some improvements to work
on.
Anyone wanting to provide a public safety service to boaters and wanting
dramatically to improve their personal boating skills please contact Division
Personnel Officer Mary Clem of Lakeview at 937-843-5146, E-mail
pmclem@bright.net to join a Flotilla near you.
15OCT08
|
