BAY CO., Michigan (WNEM) – A bipartisan effort is underway to restore the Coast Guard presence at a station in central Michigan.
Congressmen Dan Kildee and Lisa McClain send a letter to the United States Coast Guard urging them to ensure that the Saginaw River Station in Essexville can continue to conduct search and rescue missions to ensure the safety of Central Michigan.
The letter is a response to the Coast Guard’s nationwide reorganization plan, which calls for the relocation of equipment and personnel to stations like the one in Essexville.
Kildee and McClain are calling on the U.S. Coast Guard to provide details on its plan to coordinate with local first responders and its plan to restore its presence at the Saginaw River station.
“We know they’re under pressure. We just want to make sure they understand the priority of making sure we have the best search and rescue equipment and personnel available for Saginaw Bay,” Kildee said.
Kildee co-wrote the letter to the U.S. Coast Guard with McClain, who represents Michigan’s Thumb.
As TV5 reported, the Coast Guard station in Essexville has been made a scheduled response station. The Coast Guard is working there 40 hours a week. The Coast Guard will continue to respond to emergencies, but depending on the type of response, help may come from other areas such as Tawas, Traverse City or Detroit.
“Like the larger search and rescue boat that we’re moving away from Saginaw Bay. That puts us in a position where we have to rely on the Tawas station or the Detroit station, or as we saw over the weekend, the local fire department to respond to those cases,” Kildee said.
He is referring to a Facebook post from the Kawkawlin Fire and Rescue Station, which needed the help of two local charter captains to rescue two people whose boat sank in Lake Huron. According to the post, the Coast Guard was not in action on the Saginaw River, and the Tawas Coast Guard did not provide an arrival time.
McClain, for her part, made the following statement:
The U.S. Coast Guard’s recent decision to permanently relocate personnel assigned to Saginaw River Station has placed tremendous strain on search and rescue capabilities and unnecessary pressure on local first responders. The Coast Guard’s job is to protect people on the water, but this decision by the U.S. Coast Guard raises serious concerns about its ability to adequately fulfill that mission. Lives are at stake, and I expect the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure the safety of Michiganders who rely on and enjoy the region’s waterways.
“Representative Lisa McClain and I both represent the critical areas that are at play here,” Kildee said. “So we want to work together on this issue and really find a solution. We understand the pressure they’re under, but we want to engage with them so we can hear from them what they want to do to avoid getting into a situation that could potentially result in loss of life.”
TV5 contacted the Coast Guard for comment, which issued the following statement:
The Coast Guard continues to experience difficulties stemming from past recruiting issues that have resulted in staffing shortages impacting frontline operations and operational readiness. While the Coast Guard cannot maintain past readiness levels for all units, we have adjusted our operational posture to ensure predictable response to lifesaving missions, national security, and protection of the maritime transportation system in accordance with our mission requirements. These adjustments are temporary, and the effectiveness of these actions will be continually evaluated to guide future asset allocation. We are grateful for the cooperation of our first responder partners in Central Michigan, as well as all of our partner agencies along the Great Lakes. The safety of mariners at sea remains our top priority, and we will continue to work with our partners in a layered approach to ensure the safety of the public.
Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson said his office has been conducting search and rescue missions in the Saginaw Bay area for years and despite the changes at the Coast Guard, it’s business as usual there. But he knows there are other agencies that may have a different view.
“Up here in Huron County, we’ve always been pretty self-sufficient, if you will, as far as the active Marine division goes. And as far as ice rescue goes, we have the equipment. Our airboat is jointly owned with Tuscola County. We’re very active on this side of the bay, frankly, even when the Coast Guard was at full capacity, we were usually on the scene before them,” Hanson said.
The sheriff said Huron County has always done well in search and rescue operations in the Saginaw Bay area, but he is concerned about the Coast Guard’s personnel restructuring because it will take away its contingency plan for emergencies on the water.
“What we’re going to miss most is the peace of mind that comes with knowing they don’t have an airboat crew, they don’t have an airboat nearby. If we’re 10 miles offshore at Sebewaing or Thomas Road and we have a mechanical problem, we’re the only ones with an airboat,” he said.
Hanson is aware that the reduction in Coast Guard availability is having a larger impact in other parts of the bay, such as the Kawkawlin Fire and Rescue Station rescue operation over the weekend.
The Bay County sheriff said a search and rescue boat – which can travel on water and land and is equipped with sonar technology that can help identify drowning people or submerged vehicles – is expected to arrive in about a month.
As TV5 reported, there is an automatic assistance agreement between Bangor Township and Bay City. In the event of water or ice rescues, the control center will therefore link both departments together in order to get resources and personnel there in a timely manner.
The Coast Guard said these adjustments are temporary, adding that it is grateful for the cooperation of rescue partners in Central Michigan and all partner agencies along the Great Lakes.
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