What would you do and how would you do it?

For those who were in Boy Scouts while growing up, the motto "Be Prepared" is easily remembered. It is a motto that all of us can use in our daily operation while working on the water.  Being prepared can be facilitated by planning and practicing your reactions to emergency situation.  Here is a man overboard situation that brought up some questions and considerations that can help us be prepared:

 Recently I participated in a real life man overboard situation with the crew of the M/V CUMBERLAND. The crews' quick actions were instrumental in the rescue of a deckhand from another company's boat who went overboard during a routine operation.  Here was the situation:

From the Channelview office, Capt. JJ Conner and I walked to our dock to visit his boat, the M/V CUMBERLAND. Just as we boarded, there was a commotion off of the port side of the vessel. A non-Higman harbor boat had just eased up, about 20 yards away, to shift a barge from the dock. In a second, the towboat's deckhand fell overboard while transferring himself from the tow knee to the moored barge. The CUMBERLAND's Pilot, Michael Thompson was up at the wheelhouse level and saw the deckhand going into the water. He quickly assessed the situation and lowered the ring buoy down to the crew on the main deck.

M/V CUMBERLAND

Practical Consideration #1

The deckhand was floating about 30' away, amidships from the CUMBERLAND. He was slowly moving his arms and appeared confused. He was conscious, kept his head above water and said his leg was broken. How do you get him to safety?

In this case, the first step was to talk to the victim. He was not in immediate danger so there was time to think things through.

Can he swim toward the boat? Does he need assistance?

Back to my scouting days, the lifesaving adage that I have always remembered was "Reach, throw, row, go". This means reach for the victim first; use a spike pole, a piece of lumber, whatever you can find.

If he is too far out to reach with a pole, then throw a ring buoy. Still too far to reach, get the skiff out.

The final adage, "go", is a last resort. Company policy states "If an emergency occurs and an employee enters deep water to save a life, he must carry some type of flotation device in addition to wearing one". Think very carefully if it comes to entering the water.  Unless you are expirienced in lifesaving, leave this one to the experts and find another way.

In this case, we threw the ring buoy as close as possible to the victim.

The technique is to throw past and as close to the victim as possible so it can be grabbed as you are pulling it in. With this rescue, it took one throw to get ring buoy to the victim.

Practical Consideration #2

Ring Buoy with clip on MOB light

Most of our ring buoys have MOB light attached. A "Jim Buoy" brand MOB light with batteries weighs about 3.3 lbs. With this weight hung on the ring buoy, it becomes difficult to make an accurate throw. Also care must be taken to not hit the victim in the head with the light when trying to get the ring buoy to him. A 3.3 lb. light with a hard plastic case when thrown from thirty feet is bound to make more than just a mark on the victim's head.

Some Higman boats have attached the MOB light to the ring buoy with a snap shackle.  In a daylight rescue the light can easily be removed.

How are your ring buoys set up?

Practical Consideration #3

In this case, our victim weighted over 200 lbs. He had a leg injury that potentially prevented him in assisting in his own rescue; he was possibly in shock. How do we get the victim onboard?

Every situation is different so your ingenuity is important here.

In our case, we pulled the victim gently to the boat's side. The crew retrieved a step ladder and secured it to the timberhead on the stern quarter. While the ladder was being rigged, one crewman (me) held the victim above the water and continued to talk to him. With an injury it is important to calm the victim down and continually assess his medical situation.

We moved the victim close to the hanging step ladder and explained to him how we were going to get him onboard. With one person lifting on each side of the victim, we coached him to use the good leg on the ladder. With some help from him, we were able to get him over the bulwark. It was not an easy task.

Practical Consideration #4

What happens if you have to use the skiff to retrieve your victim? It will not be easy to get a fully dressed, wet and unresponsive person onboard. The manpower needed to get the person onboard adds too much weight in one section of the low freeboard boat. The chance of swamping is great.

In this case you may have to tow the person alongside to a nearby bank or to the side of the towboat to continue the rescue. Give great consideration to using the outboard with a person alongside the boat.  If possible, paddle to the shore or to the boat.

High freeboard make getting an unresponsive person aboard difficult.

Practical Consideration #5

There has always been discussions about using the skiff hoist to bring an unresponsive victim aboard. In reality, a harness would have to be rigged around the victim while they are in the water.

How would that be accomplished?   

Practical Consideration #6

Are you ready to deal with the first aid requirements of the victim? You have now gotten the person aboard; what is the next step?

The first consideration is to assess the victim's condition. Are they responsive? Are they injured? Do you need professional medical assistance? Do you call the USCG or do you call 911? Here your first aid training pays off.

In the end, the deckhand in our example was taken ashore by emergency personnel.  Thanks to the quick thinking and the positive actions of the M/V CUMBERLAND crew, this deckhand should be able to work again soon. 

Is your crew ready for action when needed in a emergency?

Crew Truck Inspections

A "Vehicle Inspection Form" follows company crew trucks.

  

When a truck is loaded for crew change, a shore side employee will issue a "Higman Barge Lines Vehicle Inspection Form" and sign off on its condition. 

 

The crew receiving the truck should inspect it, note any damages and sign off on the form.  The crew returning from the vessel will note any new damages and sign off.

 

For example, the ongoing crew of the M/V SAN ANTONIO gets a rock in the windshield on the way to the boat.  Once at the boat, they will note the new damage and off going crew will also sign off on it.

 

If you notice any damages that are not already listed, please note it on the form and call the office to let us know.

 

If you have any questions about the process, please call Kayla or Vickie 

Finding Information in the TNL Archive

Stern Shots

LAVACA BAY and MISS SARAH at Lemont, IL

Capt. Juan Espinoza - M/V MISS CYNTHIA

Tankerman Mark Minor - M/V MISS CYNTHIA

Capt. Jr. Risinger - M/V POINT ISABEL

Tankerman Ben Tyson - M/V POINT ISABEL

Tankerman Donnie Williams - M/V POINT ISABEL

Nautical Trivia  

Galveston Causeway Bridge.....1883 to 2012. 

Prior to the 1900 hurricane that devastated Galveston, the only connection with the mainland was a wagon bridge completed in 1883 and a railroad bridge. Both were heavily damaged during the 1900 storm.

1883 wooden wagon bridge to Galveston.

In 1909 construction began on what we know as the Galveston Causeway Bridge. The design called for twenty eight 70-foot-long reinforced-concrete arches to span the 2 mile distance across West Bay.  A drawbridge would offer a 100 foot wide passage for commercial and non commercial traffic.

The Causeway would rise 17 feet above the water, and accommodate two railroad tracks, the rails for the Electric Interurban passenger line, a 19 foot wide road for cars, trucks and pedestrians, and a 30" water main. It was designed to withstand future hurricanes, by being anchored to a foundation of concrete pilings driven 16 feet into the bottom of the Bay. Its design would also eliminate any future problems with fires.

 

Construction of a separate span just for cars and trucks began in 1935, and it opened in 1938. With the addition of this new span, the 1912 Causeway could be used exclusively by the railroads.

 

By the 1980's, the original steel RR bridge had deteriorated to the point that it was replaced in 1989 with a new bridge, but still only 100' wide.  The original 1909 design was based on single barge tows being 35' wide back then.  The bridge was quite a bottleneck for marine traffic. 

Doubled up in the old Causeway Bridge.

In 2001, the Coast Guard deemed the bridges an "unreasonable obstacle to navigation" and ordered the bridge's owner, Galveston County, to alter the causeway providing a 300' wide opening and a 73' vertical clearance.  Construction of replacement bridges for both auto routes began in 2003 with completion of the new northbound bridge in 2005. The construction of a new southbound bridge began in 2006; however Hurricane Ike delayed completion until November 2008.

 

On February 14, 2012 a new lift bridge span for the railroad was floated into place between two new lift towers that increased the opening for tows to 300 feet.

New railroad span being placed, FEB 2012.