About U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue

Search and Rescue (SAR) is one of the Coast Guard's oldest missions. Minimizing the loss of life, injury, property damage or loss by rendering aid to persons in distress and property in the maritime environment has always been a Coast Guard priority. Coast Guard SAR response involves multi-mission stations, cutters, aircraft and boats linked by communications networks. The National SAR Plan divides the U.S. area of SAR responsibility into internationally recognized aeronautical and maritime SAR regions. The Coast Guard is the SAR Coordinator for U.S. aeronautical and maritime search and rescue regions that are near America's oceans, including Alaska and Hawaii. To meet this responsibility, the Coast Guard maintains SAR facilities on the East, West and Gulf coasts; in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico, as well as on the Great Lakes and inland U.S. waterways. The Coast Guard is recognized worldwide as a leader in the field of search and rescue.

For more information, please visit U.S. Coast Guard website.

U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Programs

Rescue 21
The Coast Guard currently uses the National Distress and Response System to monitor for maritime distress calls and coordinate response operations.  The system consists of a network of VHF-FM antennae high sites and with analog transceivers that are remotely controlled by regional communications centers and rescue boat stations providing coverage out to approximately 20 nautical miles from the shore in most areas.  

Salvage Assistance & Technical Support
The Marine Safety Center Salvage Assistance and Response Team provide on-scene technical support at maritime catastrophes in order to predict events and mitigate their impact.

Operational Command, Control and Communications
The NSFCC provides oversight and strategic direction to the Strike Teams, ensuring enhanced inter-operability through a program of standardized operating procedures for response, equipment, training, and qualifications. The NSFCC conducts at least six major government-led spill response exercises each year under the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program; maintains a national logistics network, using the Response Resource Inventory; implements the Coast Guard Oil Spill Removal Organization program; and administers the National Maintenance Contract for the Coast Guard's thirty million dollar inventory of pre-positioned spill response equipment.

Amver
Amver is a ship reporting system for search and rescue.  It is a global system that enables identification of other ships in the area of a ship in distress, which could then be sent to its assistance.  Amver information is used only for search and rescue and is made available to any rescue coordination center in the world responding to a search and rescue case.  The Coast Guard actively seeks to increase participation in this voluntary reporting system. Each year, more vessels participate in the system and more lives are saved.  Currently, ships from more than 143 nations participate.

Amver represents "free" safety insurance during a voyage by improving the chances for aid in an emergency. By regular reporting, someone knows where a ship is at all times on its voyage in the event of an emergency. Amver can reduce the time lost for vessels responding to calls for assistance by "orchestrating" a rescue response, utilizing ships in the best position or with the best capability to avoid unnecessary diversions in response to a MAYDAY or SOS call.

Pollution Control

The Response Operations Division develops and maintains policies for marine pollution response.  They also coordinate activities with the international community, intelligence agencies and the Federal government in matters concerning threats or acts of terrorism in U. S. ports and territorial waters.  

The National Strike Force (NSF)
The National Strike Force (NSF) was established in 1973 as a direct result of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972. The NSF’s mission is to provide highly trained, experienced personnel and specialized equipment to Coast Guard and other federal agencies to facilitate preparedness and response to oil and hazardous substance pollution incidents in order to protect public health and the environment. The NSF’s area of responsibility covers all Coast Guard Districts and Federal Response Regions.

The Strike Teams provide rapid response support in incident management, site safety, contractor performance monitoring, resource documentation, response strategies, hazard assessment, oil spill dispersant and operational effectiveness monitoring, and high capacity lightering and offshore skimming capabilities.