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Safety - April 1999 THE FLOAT PLAN: When Every Minute Counts A float plan gives you a safety net. No one is going to come looking for you if no one knows you're lost. A float plan first sets a time for a search to begin, then it makes the search for you more effective by giving the searchers a starting point and anticipated route. When my friends and I go paddling, before we launch we prepare a float plan. Never heard of it? Count yourself in the majority. In six years of paddling, guiding and instructing, I had never heard the term "float plan." Yet it's becoming the buzz word for responsible paddlers. When talking to different members of search and rescue services, the strong and consistent message I got was that they want the paddling public to:
A float plan sets a time for a search to begin, then it makes the search for you more effective by giving the searchers a starting point and anticipated route. Finding the starting point is one of the most time-costly factors in a search. Rescue personnel will initiate a search by looking for clues as to where the missing paddler could be. When you consider that the area of water covered by rescue personnel can be enormous, finding a missing paddler can be a regular detective thriller. (In British Columbia, Canada, the Rescue Coordination Center's domain includes over 27,000 kilometers of sometimes-treacherous coastline and 560,000 sqare kilometers of ocean.) A lot of valuable time might be spent looking for clues, running down phone numbers, interviewing people and calling airports and ferry terminals. That sort of high drama could leave you in a wet, cold and dangerous predicament for longer than you'd like. A float plan identifies your intended route, narrowing the search area dramatically, saving valuable time, which could save your life. Pilots always file a flight plan. You may already let someone know when you go backpacking in the wilderness-where you're going, when you expect to return. Why wouldn't you do the same thing when you're taking on the ocean, a lake or a river? Filing a float plan involves filling out a form such as the example on page 11-it can be a quick exercise by just checking the appropriate box. Make two copies of the form and leave one with a responsible friend. Establish your expected return time with him, and the time at which he should become concerned by your absence. The float plan should include the phone number of the agency in charge of search and rescue operations. It may be the Coast Guard, Park Service or sheriff's department. Find out before you go. Instruct your trusted friend to contact rescue authorities and report you as overdue if he hasn't heard from you at the appointed hour. Then he should provide the rescue agency with all of the information in your float plan. This simplifies the job of the rescue crew by providing the information needed to establish the starting point for the search. Before launching, place the second copy of the form in your on-deck chart case. This will provide positive identification in the event that the boat becomes separated from you and is adrift or washes up onshore. If found, the float plan can provide valuable clues as to your location. For the same reason, it is also a good idea to identify gear with your name. If you encounter difficulties during a paddle and become overdue, your friend will call the rescue authorities, beginning the search. Rescue personnel will refer to charts, taking into account the time elapsed, the area, and drift factors of wind, tide, current direction and speed. A search area will be determined and rescuers will be dispatched. Appropriate radio broadcasts will be made on VHF channel 16 to alert mariners that assistance is needed. Although the quickest response may be from the closest vessel, which will often be a pleasure or commercial vessel, the command of the search operation still remains in the hands of the emergency rescue headquarters, no matter who performs the actual rescue. Would-be rescuers will have enough details to identify you because your float plan will have identified you with descriptive words such as, "Jane Doe wearing an orange PFD and an orange hat, paddling a light blue single kayak by herself, and carrying a strobe light and flares." (Excellent color choices by the way, these have the longest range for visibility.) Information such as your vehicle license plate number and launch site will allow search and rescue personnel to check out the launch site and see if your car is still there. If it is, that indicates that you are still out there somewhere, and they will leave a note on your windshield to inform you that a search is underway. Should you return to your vehicle and discover such a message, call the indicated number immediately. This allows emergency personnel to call off the search, freeing up limited resources that may be needed elsewhere. On windy days in the coastal waters of BC, we've listened to streams of distress calls on our VHF radio from every type of boat-kayak to commercial vessel. If you're carrying a VHF radio and find that you need to alter your float plan, you should patch through to the radio operator and phone your contact about your change in plans. If you can't reach your contact, call your rescue response headquarters and inform them. If you carry a VHF radio you may ask, "Why bother with a float plan?" A VHF radio is a vital piece of equipment that can save your life. The down side is that they have limited range, and mountains have a habit of getting in the way of transmissions. They also depend on batteries, which do die. It is prudent for every paddler to carry a VHF radio and flares. The cost for VHF radios has come down to an affordable range: They can now be found for as little as U.S. $150. You can also rent one from some outfitters or, if you are a member of a kayak club, clubs often have VHF radios available for loan. When you return from your trip at the appointed time, remember to inform your trusted friend. If he doesn't know that you're back, he's going to initiate a search. Float plans should be a part of your paddling protocol. By giving the information needed to focus a search as well as alerting help, it makes you that much more prepared for the "what ifs" that could befall you while you're out exploring. Not only can a float plan make a search for you more effective, it also dramatically cuts the costs incurred by rescue services (read taxpayers). Even if your float plan never needs to be put into effect, it acts as a terrific checklist to ensure that you've remembered to pack important gear in the chaos of getting ready to go. A float plan should be filed for every trip; even two-hour paddles in local waters have ended in disaster. Being prepared for eventualities is what separates experienced outdoors people from novices. You never know what might happen-Mother Nature is far from predictable. Safe paddling! Lee Hindrichs lives with her husband and daughter onboard their sailboat in Sidney, BC, Canada. She is a former sea kayaking guide. An R.N. with experience in field medicine, she is currently working in alternative medicine and freelance writing.
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