‘Any means necessary’
June 23rd, 2009 | Coast Guard | Posted by Susan Schept
Paul Conner, the search and rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. (Lt. Lauren Trochio/Coast Guard)
The wonders of modern communication.
Coast Guard Sector Northern New England was searching Sunday for a possible overdue fisherman out of Cobscook Park in Eastport, Maine, until a search on Facebook helped locate information which ultimately closed the case and saved up to $30,000, according to Coast Guard officials.
A park ranger who spotted a lone vehicle and trailer without a boat sitting in an empty parking lot passed along the license plate number to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard traced the name, address and phone number of the vehicle owner but couldn’t reach him.
Before launching a costly search, Paul Conner, the search and rescue controller, decided to use Facebook to check for any contact information on the missing fisherman or his relatives. Conner sent an e-mail to one of the man’s relatives, but Connor ended up hearing back first from the fisherman by phone. He was simply moored at a different location and was A-OK.
“Sometimes we have to be very creative in our information gathering,” said Conner. “A simple internet search can often help us locate a missing person before a boat or aircraft is even on scene.”
Later that day, in that very same district, the Coast Guard called off a search after a boater sailing from Block Island to Newport sent an e-mail to his family that he was safe after a storm.
“For over 200 years the Coast Guard has been using any means necessary to fulfill our mission,” said Captain Jim McPherson, commander at Sector Northern New England. “Now we can add social online media as another tool in our lifesaving kit.”