Rescue teams hold successful ‘rescue’

Different rescue teams successfully rescued a “stranded kayaker” in an exercise held west of the Pacific Islands Club in San Antonio yesterday morning.

“The assessment was everything went smoothly,” according to Sgt. Juan Diaz, chief of the Department of Public Safety’s Boating Safety Section.

Diaz said U.S. Coast Guard chief Doug Samp and Lt. Lee Patnum were impressed that the rescue operation turned out perfectly.

“Even though we are doing good now, we are still trying to conduct more trainings and there will be another one next year in March,” Diaz told Saipan Tribune.

Yesterday’s search and rescue exercise was participated by the Boating Safety, U.S. Coast Guard, Navy helicopter, Commonwealth Ports Authority police, Fish and Wildlife, DPS Search And Rescue Unit, and the Emergency Management Office.

Based on the exercise, at 8:47am, EMO received a simulated phone call from the manager of PIC that a guest was missing.

The guest was last seen riding a kayak near the reef. Another guest reported seeing the kayak overturn in the reef.

The kayak was recovered at the PIC beach. The missing guest, who was wearing a red life jacket, was last seen outside the reef of PIC.

At 8:49am EMO contacted the Boating Safety by phone and asked for the initial report. After verifying that it was a “true report,” Boating Safety launched its 30-footer Zodiac rescue boat at 9:07am and proceeded to the scene.

During the course of organizing the rescue effort, Boating Safety led by Sgt. Diaz contacted the CPA police to assist them in the search and rescue.

At 9:25am, CPA police also launched their rescue vessel and went over to the scene.

The DPS SARU officers also conducted a cliff line search over at Agingan Point in San Antonio. Two personnel from the Division of Fish and Wildlife observed the whole operation.

At 9:49am, CPA police spotted the victim identified as Oscar (a mannequin). CPA police brought the unconscious Oscar on board their vessel where they applied CPR on him.

EMO coordinated with the U.S. Navy in Guam to airlift Oscar. It took 45 to one hour for a helicopter to arrive to Saipan from Guam.

The helicopter, which was actually parked at the Saipan International Airport, responded for the airlift and Oscar was brought to the airport.

Sgt. Diaz, another officer, and two CPA police officers were lifted to the helicopter one after the other.

The whole operation ended up at 11am. At 1pm, the Coast Guard officials conducted the briefing.

“Overall, the operation was good,” Diaz said.