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Ruskin-Based Rescue Crew Gets Boost

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT

yhammett@tampatrib.com

Published: February 18, 2009

RUSKIN - When somebody is unwillingly bobbing in the water between the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and McKay Bay, more than likely, members of Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 75 will spot him and pull him from the drink.

Auxiliary members make those lifesaving runs thanks, in part, to a "radio watch" at E.G. Simmons Park.

The Flotilla got a leg up recently by extending the height of its radio tower to 50 feet, giving members a broader frequency range to communicate with fewer glitches.

"It improves our ability to communicate over a wider area," said Oscar Kramer of Sun City Center, the auxiliary's finance officer and a radio operator. "When we have boats in the water, we provide radio guard. If a boat needs help of any kind, we get it for them."

In one case, auxiliary members came upon a boat that had run out of gas and was stranded in the middle of the channel off Tampa, Kramer recalled. "It had no markings, the people on board had no life jackets and spoke no English." All the red flags went up.

The auxiliary radio watch contacted a Hillsborough County park deputy, who met the flotilla after members towed the boat to a dock. "We later found out the drug-sniffing dogs went aboard and went crazy," Kramer said. "Apparently, when they got into trouble, they ditched the drugs and sent out a distress call."

"We've had our spot at Simmons Park for several years now, but the antenna wasn't high enough to give us the range we needed to keep the guard," said Ray Stewart of Apollo Beach, the flotilla's staff officer for public affairs. "We have boats out there day and night in various locations."

Anytime the flotilla has boats out patrolling, the radio guard keeps in close contact, said Flotilla Commander Joseph Gonzalez of Temple Terrace. "By us keeping in contact using one radio frequency, it frees up the Coast Guard channels for other pressing business. We're the front line for the Coast Guard, but they don't have to worry about us."

In addition to keeping radio watch, the auxiliary also offers training to its members and to the boating public. To join or learn more about Flotilla 75, contact Guy Mandigo at (813) 641-2488.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 865-1566.

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