By Karen Voyles
Staff writer
The U.S. Coast Guard said a predawn medical emergency on a fishing boat is a prime example of the importance of having safety equipment on board that is operating correctly.
At about 1:45 a.m. Thursday, a Coast Guard aircraft crew received a distress call over a VHF-FM radio. The crew of the fishing boat Scamp told officers they were in the Gulf of Mexico and a 44-year-old man on board was suffering stomach pains.
The aircraft crew relayed the information to the Coast Guard command center in St. Petersburg. Officials said that as a result of a consultation with a flight surgeon the decision was made to launch a 27-foot response boat crew from Yankeetown at 2:17 a.m.
The man was medically evacuated from the fishing boat at about 3:45 a.m. while the boat was about 15 miles west of Crystal River. The man was taken to the Halfway Boat Ramp in Crystal River, where an ambulance crew was waiting to take him to an area hospital. Details on his condition were unavailable later Thursday.
In a news release about the incident, Coast Guard officials said the "rescue illustrates the vital importance of safety equipment for all seasoned and recreational boaters. The Coast Guard reminds boaters that cell phones are not a reliable means of communication on the water, and recommends the use of a registered EPIRB, PPIRB, fully functioning marine band radio and proper use of life jackets."
More information on mandatory and recommended lifesaving equipment is available from the Coast Guard's Boating Safety website at www.uscgboating.org.
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