Last week, I toured the US Coast Guard’s brand spankin’ new Joint Harbor Operations Command (JHOC) in Seattle. In Part 1, I described the Vessel Traffic Center.

Nextdoor, the main JHOC Sector Command Center is truly impressive; imagine NASA Mission Control and you’ve got the right idea. My host, Operations Specialist Chief William Knudson, practically beams with pride about this facility he has helped to create. During my visit, seven or eight people were seated at consoles throughout the room. Chief Knudson explained that five duty stations are staffed 24 hours a day:

• Watch Supervisor/Command Duty Officer
• Communications
• Search and Rescue Response Coordinator
• Homeland Security/Environmental Response Coordinator
• US Navy Liaison

In addition to these five, there are several duty stations that can be assigned to supplemental staff or other agencies as appropriate. In the event of a natural or environmental disaster, for instance, the JHOC might host liaison personnel from FEMA, the USGS, the EPA, the governor’s office, local fire departments, etc. All the stations face one wall, which features several very large flat-screen monitors capable of displaying various kinds of data. (Do they ever use it to watch the game? “No, not really.”)

The only odd thing I noticed was a strobe light in one corner, which flashed every couple of seconds. That thing could get really annoying, it seemed to me. “Why is that light flashing?”, I asked.
“Oh, it indicates that persons without security clearance are on the floor,” replied Chief Knudson.
“You mean me?”
“Yes, sir.”

I also got to see how Rescue 21 works. Ross Anderson of The Seattle Times has summarized the system nicely in this article. In Puget Sound, the system relies on five communication towers scattered around the region. These towers are equipped with direction-finding (DF) radio receivers. When a vessel transmits on channel 16 (or any monitored channel), an interactive map instantly displays a line-of-position reaching out from the receiving station. The source of the transmission lies along this line. If lines from two or more DF receivers cross, a fix is established. This is a major enhancement, because even if the transmitting vessel can’t indicate its position, the Coast Guard has a pretty good idea where to look.

In practice, a single transmission often generates multiple lines, because radio signals sometimes bounce off other objects on their way to the receiver. Rescue 21’s DF receivers might receive the same transmission from two or more directions; the equipment doesn’t know which line represents the “real” line-of-position for the transmitting vessel, so it displays them all. Chief Knudson says that with experience, it isn’t too difficult to identify the right line to use, however.

Let me leave you with a message Chief Knudson asked me to impress upon my readers: If you install a DSC radio on your boat, connect it to a GPS, and register your MMSI number! Even with the enhanced target location capabilities of Rescue 21, DSC is the hot technology to ensure fast rescue response. I know my radio’s ready!

By the end of my tour, I was impressed. This is what “Homeland Security” ought to look like! A responsible blending of priorities ranging from law enforcement to search & rescue to environmental protection to disaster recovery. Powerful technology, sensible protocols, and effective coordination between agencies. When I pay my taxes, I’d like to think all the money was spent on programs this valuable! I thanked my hosts, gathered my cell phone and camera, and left the facility feeling pretty darned good about the United States Coast Guard and the new Joint Harbor Operations Center.