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After searching for the missing kayaker Alex Gallant, I got to thinking there has to be a better way of communicating things like this. I talked to boaters on the water that didn't know there was someone missing.
In the case of a boat in distress or overdo, a swimmer missing, anything that could be a life or death situation on the water there needs to be quick almost real time communication not only between first responders but to the general public.
In the case of Alex, many of us were home that day that live on the water, it happened in our backyard not five minutes away. The only way I knew about it because I decided to go fishing and was flagged down by a Galveston PD officer. I was fishing less than a 100 yards from where his buddy Brandon was rescued.
Could I or anyone of us that's a boat lift switch away from being there made a difference I don't know but I know one thing, if anyone of us got a call that there was someone in danger in my our back yard we would stop whatever we are doing and be there.
Time is critical, especially in the winter time. Even with a life jacket on if you dropped into 45 deg water like it was that day and you floated across West Bay for 3-4 hours you are going to be lucky to survive, that's harsh but that's reality.
I have come up with an idea, it might be dumb, some might have thought of it already. You can tell me , Gater, that's the dumbest thing I have ever heard, don't worry, I get that in the jungle all the time lol
My idea is to add a missing boat/swimmer, fisherman to the Amber Alert system.
A simple text, "Missing boater, Galveston West Bay".
This way you can get text messages sent to your phone almost the instant the call is recieved. This way if I'm at the house and there is an alert for an overturned boat in the ICW at Harborwalk I could be there in minutes. Where it comes in best is if you or I are already on the water and say fishing the north jetty and there is an alert for a swimmer in trouble on the bolivar beach you could be there in minutes. We have the advantage over the CG and many other agencies because there are so many of us on the water all the time.
Some will say I don't want to be bothered by Amber Alerts if I live in Pearland or Huntsville. This would not be just for saltwater, it could and should include inland lakes and water ways. I don't know the exact number but between boating accidents, swimming, and fishing there are probably close to a hundred fatalities every year. For me, I have Amber Alerts set up on my phone, it doesn't bother me, and getting an alert for a missing swimmer on Lake Sam Rayburn wouldn't either, especially if it saved a life or even it meant recovering the body of a loved one. Though I can't be a help in that situation, neither can I with the Silver Alert for a missing elderly lady in Midland. The text messages are harmless but can be life saving
How you would go about this is another thing. If it's a good idea I know it can be done. Let's here some feedback, your not going to hurt my feelings if you don't agree.
Sorry for the long post.
Gater
In the case of a boat in distress or overdo, a swimmer missing, anything that could be a life or death situation on the water there needs to be quick almost real time communication not only between first responders but to the general public.
In the case of Alex, many of us were home that day that live on the water, it happened in our backyard not five minutes away. The only way I knew about it because I decided to go fishing and was flagged down by a Galveston PD officer. I was fishing less than a 100 yards from where his buddy Brandon was rescued.
Could I or anyone of us that's a boat lift switch away from being there made a difference I don't know but I know one thing, if anyone of us got a call that there was someone in danger in my our back yard we would stop whatever we are doing and be there.
Time is critical, especially in the winter time. Even with a life jacket on if you dropped into 45 deg water like it was that day and you floated across West Bay for 3-4 hours you are going to be lucky to survive, that's harsh but that's reality.
I have come up with an idea, it might be dumb, some might have thought of it already. You can tell me , Gater, that's the dumbest thing I have ever heard, don't worry, I get that in the jungle all the time lol
My idea is to add a missing boat/swimmer, fisherman to the Amber Alert system.
A simple text, "Missing boater, Galveston West Bay".
This way you can get text messages sent to your phone almost the instant the call is recieved. This way if I'm at the house and there is an alert for an overturned boat in the ICW at Harborwalk I could be there in minutes. Where it comes in best is if you or I are already on the water and say fishing the north jetty and there is an alert for a swimmer in trouble on the bolivar beach you could be there in minutes. We have the advantage over the CG and many other agencies because there are so many of us on the water all the time.
Some will say I don't want to be bothered by Amber Alerts if I live in Pearland or Huntsville. This would not be just for saltwater, it could and should include inland lakes and water ways. I don't know the exact number but between boating accidents, swimming, and fishing there are probably close to a hundred fatalities every year. For me, I have Amber Alerts set up on my phone, it doesn't bother me, and getting an alert for a missing swimmer on Lake Sam Rayburn wouldn't either, especially if it saved a life or even it meant recovering the body of a loved one. Though I can't be a help in that situation, neither can I with the Silver Alert for a missing elderly lady in Midland. The text messages are harmless but can be life saving
How you would go about this is another thing. If it's a good idea I know it can be done. Let's here some feedback, your not going to hurt my feelings if you don't agree.
Sorry for the long post.
Gater
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