VIGILANT EYES
Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Luke Clayton, U.S. Coast Guard District 14
From watching for illegal fishing activities to listening and responding vigilantly to mariners in distress, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) controllers are the eyes and ears of the Coast Guard.
The Fourteenth District area of responsibility (AOR) includes an area from 1,500 nautical miles east of the Main Hawaiian Islands west to the tip of South Africa. Within this AOR lies search and rescue responsibility for more than 12.2 million square miles, including the maritime boundaries of four independent Pacific island countries (Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Kirbati).
District personnel also serve in Guam and at Far East Activities (FEACT), which is located in Yokota, Japan.
Forty percent of the United States' Exclusive Economic Zones, which are maritime boundary lines that strive to stave off illegal fishing, are closely watched. The AOR also covers the Northwestern Hawaiian Island National Monument, established in 2006 as the largest marine sanctuary in the United States.
"You could fit two continental United States size land masses in District 14's AOR," said Richard Roberts, system branch chief of the JRCC. "It would be like a New York unit responding to a Los Angeles case."
The JRCC is based in Honolulu where 18 men and women are always ready for the call. Controllers diligently wait for anything to happen, keeping a close eye on Coast Guard District 14's enormous area of responsibility (AOR), which spans eight time zones. There are a minimum of two controllers on vigilant watches at all times.
"We're on watch 24-7, 365 days-a-year," said Lt. Kevin Floyd, command center chief of the JRCC.
"The controllers must attend the National Search and Rescue School in Yorktown, Va.," said Floyd. The school is an intense four-week course where controllers learn search and rescue tactics, Floyd said.
JRCC personnel have 182 years of combined experience, and they complete an average of 700-to-900 cases a year, which span across the Coast Guard's mission areas of maritime safety, maritime security, maritime mobility, protection of natural resources and national defense.
"It's a team effort, particularly on the (Main Hawaiian) islands," said Floyd. "We work with fire departments, police departments and numerous other agencies. We couldn't do it without them."
"We conduct many medical evacuations, but we will always tend to our missions of marine safety, port security, law enforcement etc.," said Roberts. "Our cases are more in depth than those on the mainland (continental U.S.). Planning is longer and we have limited resources. We cover the largest area with the smallest amount of resources."
The Coast Guard also holds an annual Pacific Island Countries and Territories Search and Rescue conference in November.
"We all congregate together to express ideas, discuss policies, agreements and resources to enhance the readiness in the Pacific area," said Petty Officer 1st Class Peni Motu, a JRCC SAR controller.
"There are around 17 different nations that attend the seminar including New Zealand, Australia, Japan, French Polynesia and Palau," said Floyd.
Some of the JRCC's goals are to improve search and rescue capabilities around the Pacific Islands and increase boating safety awareness. The JRCC is a fully equipped, modern command center that was created to enhance mariner's age-old passion for the ocean. From marine life to saving life, the eyes and ears of the Coast Guard are there.
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