By Rosalinde Compton

What happens at the Coast Guard Facility in James Bay? I walk by there almost every day and notice the coloured bouys and piles of chains in rows but never knew what really goes on in there. It’s a big and busy place with a variety of functions and buildings to house them on the other side of that chain link fence.

Captain John Palliser, Superintendent Marine Search & Rescue, invited some of his neighbours to a tour and I was one of them! The Coast Guard Station has programs featuring technical, operational and maritime services to support the fleet of ships that carry out duties on our BC coast. For example, Environmental Response (ER) provides preliminary action in the event of an oil spill; Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) monitors shipping; Search and Rescue (SARS) offers training for staff and auxilliary members (including advanced first aid and navigation skills); and Marine Communications & Traffic services (MCTS). And in addition to this facility, the Coast Guard shares space at the Institute of Ocean Sciences at Pat Bay and between them they cover the distance from Washington State to Alaska as well as off-shore booms.

STORES AND LAUNDRY

We started off our tour in the Stores Building which houses engine parts for vessels large and small, including ships for refuelling larger vessels (easier and cheaper to take the fuel to them), lifeboats and patrolling vessels. The Stores Building also keeps uniforms, safety clothing, stores and provisions for ships, light-stations and their personnel. Ship workers who are flown to and from their ships, (rotating 28 days at sea and 28 days on land), can even get their laundry done here!

Occasionally ships do come into Victoria to pick up buoys, beacons and supplies. In June the “medium icebreaker” ship Sir Wilfred Laurier arrives for a refit before heading to the arctic.

In matters of security, we learned the Coast Guard itself does not undertake enforcement but does work closely with the Dept. of Fisheries Oceans Conservation Protection Program and with the RCMP over issues at sea. In an emergency, for example, when the Queen of the North sank, crews were flown out to patrolling vessels in the area.

LIGHT STATIONS

The 27 light-stations on our BC coast that have light-keepers are serviced by both ships and helicopters from here; they deliver groceries and supplies and also transport and move (re-locate) light-keepers from time to time. Light-stations (some now being considered for heritage site designation) used to have big generators to shine warning lights to sailing ships for up to 20 miles away. While they still require generators to provide power to accommodations, most lights and beacons are now solar-powered and only required to shine for 5 miles to warn pleasure boats and smaller fishing vessels which are easier to slow down and turn.

PAPERWORK, PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS & CHARTS

Next we moved on the the Administration Building which is so low-profile that you might not know it’s there. Built in 1982, it’s below street level on the corner of Huron and Dallas with green grass on the roof and a big willow tree outside. Once inside you can see it is light and spacious but since “admin” is all about paperwork, they have acquired cubicles so you know you are in an office. They process applications, staffing, fleet shipping info…you know, paperwork! Our attention was distracted by many excellent historical framed photographs related to Coast Guard vessels and locations displayed on the walls of this building. And of course, one room was full of maps and charts where staff cheerfully monitor comings and goings of the fleet.

COMMUNICATION AND WIRING

Next building was the Electronics Shop and sure enough, there were plenty of gadgets in bits and pieces here. Radio communication being vital to shipping and remote sites, the personnel in this place perform maintenance on computers, microwave repeaters, VHF radios, radar units, etc. It was noted that good old Morse Code was finally phased out at the end of 1999 and replaced by a modern communications distress system.

BUOYS AND BEACONS AND MORE…

Stepping outside, we reviewed up close those big conical red and green buoys. We learned they are made of steel and come in several kinds; bell buoys have bells that move and sound with the tossing of waves while whistle buoys make their sound via air pressure pushed by water through a tube in their base. Smaller buoys are made of plastic and they all have different chain lengths and use concrete blocks for anchors. You can see tidy piles of these big chains heaped in long lines out in the yard. A long way out at sea, yellow weather buoys send back metereological information via satellite.

Moored alongside we noticed an interesting little orange vessel that looked like a cartoon submarine. It actually is a self-contained submersible lifeboat built to withstand extreme heat. It can be used in hazardous situations, for example in oil rig fires this unit can be lowered or dropped into the middle of the fire and is built to withstand the heat..

WELDING AND PAINTING

Did you know there is a blacksmith shop at the Coast Guard facility? The sign over the door made me think we might see carriage horses dropping in to be shod, but actually it’s where they weld cages and repair buoys. And from there they go for refinishing to a very large paint shop which has two enclosed bays and a crane for lifting them.

RUBBER BOATS

Back outside in the yard on the other side of these buildings we looked at high-speed rubber boats – my notes say they are “733-type” which probably means they are quite large zodiacs. A zodiac-type boat is also on board all large Coast Guard ships to carry out a variety of duties, for example, staff are trained to perform light replacements on beacons at sea (these “leading lights” are positioned high and low for centering when navigating). Zodiacs also assist in search and rescue missions.

WHITE-OUT AT SEA!

Next we entered the “Enviro Response” building, the place where our tour group had the most fun. This building houses the prototype simulator (made by Virtual Marine Technology) which was developed as a learning tool to train Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers. The Auxiliary has approximately 1200 members and 59 vessels providing valuable search and rescue assistance.

A four day navigational course, called SARNAV, features lots of practice in the simulator which gives you the exact feeling of being out at sea with all the instruments for co-ordination, navigation and communication you need in a rescue. Several of our group sat in the pretend cabin and experienced all manner of speed, hazards, and of course severe weather conditions. We saw red lights flashing, tankers looming, snow blowing and heard realistic thunder while our little vessel rocked through the waves. Worst of all was the fog!

We disembarked and went behind the scenes where, like the Wizard of Oz, we could watch the next group’s weather conditions being manipulated by the instructor and see their reactions on a monitor. The young specialist instructor told us he loves his job! Obviously it’s a thrill to experience the simulated conditions of a stormy white-out at sea when you can step outside onto dry land immediately, however it gave us a very real perspective on some of the hazards faced by men and women who volunteer their services to rescue others in trouble.

HELICOPTERS

The last building we visited housed two helicopters (with room for more) in the process of being taken apart and reassembled. One of them was a shiny red twin-engine Messerschmidt with four rotor blades instead of two, This helicopter is considered a “sports car” in the helicopter world! The other was a Bell 212 twin engined helicopter with two blades. Primarily used for support to light-stations to transport food, supplies and technicians, hoist generators, etc., helicopters are also used occasionally to perform medical evacuations and participate in search and rescue operations. They fly with only a pilot or a pilot plus engineer on board

This concluded our visit to the Coast Guard facility. What an eye-opener! Living in James Bay surrounded by the ocean, I’d never give much thought to life on the ocean wave, but this tour gave me a whole new view of our marine environment, the equipment and the personnel who operate on land and at sea. And now I know a bit more about what happens right across the road from where I live, thanks to Captain John Palliser and assistant Carol!