By Sheriff Rob Nou
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office announced today that it has been awarded a Federal Port Security Grant of up to $785,000 to acquire an emergency response boat to be available to fire agencies and emergency medical services as well as for law enforcement.
Sheriff Rob Nou describes the project as a collaborative effort involving all EMS and Fire Departments throughout the County. The Sheriff’s Office is now working with the various agencies to craft an agreement on the joint operation of the boat.
“This is a great opportunity,” Sheriff Nou said. He noted that no state or federal agency maintains emergency marine response equipment on the islands. “Often, in marine emergencies, other agencies call us as first responders because of our proximity and local knowledge.”
The federal grant requires a local match which can be satisfied by staff time and other planned expenditures that should not increase costs to local taxpayers.
The initial design process is now underway for a vessel capable of serving as a marine ambulance for medical response to outer islands and medical transport to hospitals in weather conditions that make evacuation by air impossible. It will also be outfitted for marine rescue and dive response, equipped to fight marine, marina, and waterfront fires, and be an all-weather patrol boat for law enforcement and emergency response tasks necessary in San Juan County.
The new public safety boat is intended to replace two existing public safety vessels. From the Sheriff’s Office, the 28 foot Boston Whaler patrol boat on Orcas is due to be retired. The Whaler is 25 years old, and the foam between the inner and outer hull is saturated with seawater, making the boat overweight inefficient and potentially unsafe. San Juan Island Fire District 3 also plans to decommission its fireboat “Confidence” when the new boat, with greater fire-fighting capabilities, comes into service. The existing fire boat may be sold to another agency in the Puget Sound, helping to fund the project.
“San Juan County presents unique challenges to its public safety community because of its geography,” Nou said. “In an emergency, we must be able to move people between islands and to the mainland at all hours of the day and night and in all weather conditions. As the islands are one of the premiere boating venues in the world, a robust, all weather marine emergency response system is essential for the safety and well-being of residents and visitors alike.”
Commercial ship traffic, including oil tankers, transits through and around San Juan County daily, and the County includes nearly 50 miles of international border, and four state ferry terminals with up to 50 arrivals/departures daily.
Other marine response agencies operate in San Juan County waters, including the Coast Guard, Homeland Security, Customs, Border Patrol and State Fish and Wildlife officers are here intermittently, however, all of the marine operations are based on the mainland.
Currently, the Sheriff boat “Guardian” serves as a marine ambulance and emergency response vessel. However, Sheriff Nou notes that during the five years that “Guardian” has been in service, there have been occasions where there have been emergency medical calls at same time from different islands, all requiring “Guardian’s” EMS transport capabilities. “Having a second vessel, outfitted for medical transport is both necessary and prudent for the emergent care of people in our islands,” Nou said. “Guardian” is currently temporarily out of service for the repairs to damage incurred while responding to an emergency medical call in September.
When the new public safety boat comes into service, “Guardian” would be moved to Orcas Island, but remain available for emergencies throughout the county.
Every public safety agency in San Juan County has relied on the Sheriff’s Office to provide marine assets for EMS, firefighting, water rescue and search and rescue calls. Looking at the historical data, we know the percentage of time the vessels are used for each agency’s missions. Based on those percentages, we are proposing a proportionate “share” in obtaining, operating and maintaining the new vessel into the future. This model gives each participating agency a stake in the design, outfitting, and operating protocols of the new vessel. It also shares the costs of operation, maintenance, repairs, and training between the agencies that periodically utilize the boat.
San Juan Island EMS Chief Jim Cole, who is working closely with Sheriff Nou and the other agencies to create an operational plan and establish the specifications for the boat’s design calls the grant, “A tremendous opportunity to obtain a vital marine asset that will serve the public in providing enhanced emergency response capability to law enforcement, fire and EMS. The Port Security Grant represents a rare opportunity for San Juan County. The public has a chance to gain the use of a valuable public safety tool at a fraction of its cost in local tax dollars.”
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I think instead of spending money on new boats, the sheriff department should be more concerned with providing better maritime education and training to its officers. I was aboard the guardian when it ran aground in September and I can assure you that it was due to a complete lack of negligence and unprofessionalism by the skipper (an officer of San Juan County Sheriff department)