Newfoundland Fishers Returned Home by UCTE members at Canadian Coast Guard
Late on Friday July 19, more than a day into the search, hope was running low. Other than some floating debris along the way, a heavy fog had prevented search and rescue crews on three Coast Guard vessels from seeing any sign of the missing fishermen – even their flares.
The Elite Navigator, out fishing for turbot with a crew of seven, had last been heard from late Wednesday night, July 17.
Brad Sommers was chief cook on the CCG ship Teleost at the time: “I got off work at 6:00, but they offered work to help on the bridge. We took binoculars and helped with searching – the more eyes the better.… I had to get up to work the next morning, it was sort of disheartening leaving the bridge at 9:00 with no sign, but it was just about then the fog was lifting.”
Then, later Friday night, a flare went up, leading rescuers to the location of the life raft. Wisely, the crew on the raft had saved their last flare for when visibility improved.
It had been a frustrating ordeal. “They could hear choppers before that, but with the fog the way it was, they couldn’t see them,” recounts George Herritt, a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Rescue Specialist.
It was the breakthrough that the Search and Rescue controllers and crew on CCG ship Teleost, members of UCTE local 90915, needed. The seven crew members of the Elite Navigator had just spent about 50 hours on their life raft after evacuating because of a fire on board.
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Herritt explains that a Rescue Specialist is the Coast Guard equivalent of a paramedic. He and his co-workers reached the raft and began treating the fishermen and heard more about what had happened to their fishing boat. Herrritt: “The Elite Navigator burned; it was a total loss. The roof of their raft was actually burned. The wind was holding it to the side of the Elite Navigator; one fellow had to get in the water and push the raft away from the boat.”
Summers says that the raft had also been damaged by flying embers as the crew drifted alongside their boat, watching it burn until it sank.
The CCG crew on the Teleost gave them medical care and brought them to safety.
Summers made them their first meal after their time on the raft. “They all didn’t want to leave each other. Some said they were afraid this was just a dream, that they would wake up back on the raft.”
The story gripped the local community, and when the “lucky seven” were returned home, the national and local media celebrated.
Search and rescue crew details heroic rescue of ‘Lucky Seven’ fish harvesters – NTV
And needless to say, the local community turned out:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10169742028100227
The CCG rescue specialists onboard SAR vessels are part of a multitalented system. Teamwork is critical during operations. UCTE Local 90915 represents members involved in all aspects of public safety at sea. The CCG Search and Rescue vessels are deployed by the SAR controllers in the Maritime Rescue Sub-Center in St. John’s, NL. UCTE members were in the crew of the Teleost; as well as the crews of Coast Guard vessels Ann Harvey and Conception Bay who were also on this operation. The MRSC also deploys any other privately-owned vessels in the area that can aid in the Search. At times the MRSC can involve the local light keepers in a search area to provide visuals, short range contact and up-to-date local information on the area.
This is where we see how critical staffing, proper training, and proper equipment are when lives are on the line. In this case, our members at the Coast Guard had what they needed to do their jobs, and all seven fishers got home to their families.
That’s about as good as the outcome can be, but it’s not always the way things turn out. There are over 600 calls per year, and not many end in “a miracle,” as some locals have called this rescue. The stress and long hours take a terrible toll on our members’ mental health, and our MRSC members at the centre are the ones responsible to notify families and others – whatever the result of the operation.
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Local 90915 members working for Transport Canada as Marine Safety Inspectors inspect vessels to ensure that vessels comply with all applicable regulations, including proper safety equipment, like the life raft, immersion suits, and flares that the Elite Navigator crew relied on to survive. Transport Canada inspectors also ensure that safety equipment meets all applicable standards and approvals and is serviced as per the regulatory requirements.
Transportation Safety Board investigating fire aboard boat abandoned by ‘Lucky 7’ (citynews.ca)
Since the rescue, UCTE members working with the Transportation Safety Board as Marine Investigators have been deployed to investigate the incident to determine the root cause, investigate contributing factors and make recommendations for safety improvements.
Stories like this just underscore what we all know: our members’ conditions at work are fundamentally linked with public safety. The Maritime Rescue Sub-Center in St. John’s, which was key to this operation, had been closed by a Conservative federal government 2012, but fortunately was reinstated after the province lobbied for it.
There are many issues that aggravate the pressure of these critical life-saving jobs. CCG Crew members are one of the groups hit hard by Phoenix, which still hasn’t been fully corrected. Even when they’re paid properly, they’re aware that private-sector seafarers are making significantly higher wages.
Herritt tells us that many co-workers find that the extra compensation for the Rescue Specialist positions, compared to the extra work and stress involved, is not worth it: “It’s a special skill. The Coast Guard is always trying to get more out of us. People are just giving it up. You never know what you’re going to face, you never know what the next call is going to be.”
Summers adds, “I’ve worked in the private sector before. Being with the Coast Guard you always have the stress of this stuff happening. Working on a supply vessel [in the private sector], you never have to worry about rescuing anyone, yet you’re making more money. Coast Guard is one of the lowest-paying jobs for cooks, and yet you have all these extra stresses.”
There’s a global shortage of seafarers currently, and sometimes vessels are tied up for lack of staff.
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Recently, Search and Rescue technicians were recognized for their demanding, stressful job and made eligible for pension reform – enabling members to retire after 25 years’ service in certain jobs. Still, it’s not clear whether this covers all of our members in SAR operations, who all face the mental and physical toll.
Also, we cannot forget the UCTE Local 90915 members who ensure the search and rescue vessels are maintained ready to deploy. Maintaining a fleet of aging vessels is challenging work. CCG Marine Superintendents must ensure that the vessels are available when the call comes out. Rescue Specialists on vessels work long hours and must be ready to deploy at any time.
Mariners need to know that this service will be there when they are in peril. The “lucky seven” crew of the Elite Navigator weren’t just lucky, they benefitted from strong public services and qualified, organized workers. When it comes to public safety, good working conditions – including training, equipment, compensation, and other benefits – mean lives saved.