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Info On USCG Tower
An open letter from RESCUE 21 Commanding Officer Steven "Sid" Osgood
February 14, 2009
Dear Residents of Tahoma, California,
Along with Mr. Eisner, the United States Coast Guard would like to thank you
for your interest and concern regarding our proposed communication tower on
Conservancy land situated west of Chinkapin Road in the community of Tahoma.
The purpose of my e-mail is to provide you with an update on the Coast
Guard's effort to deploy the Rescue 21 communications system to Lake Tahoe,
and to clarify the operational necessity for the system and the anticipated
public safety and security benefits that it will provide for the people who
live, work, and play on or near Lake Tahoe.
Rescue 21 is the Coast Guard's advanced Search and Rescue communications
system that is being deployed regionally along the U.S. coastline. The
Rescue 21 system replaces the current Very High Frequency (VHF) National
Distress Response system that the Coast Guard uses as its primary
communications system to conduct all missions, including Search and Rescue.
Rescue 21 revolutionizes how the Coast Guard uses radio communication
capabilities for all missions within the coastal zone and will improve the
ability to save lives and property at sea. Rescue 21 will not require
boaters to purchase or install any new or specialized equipment.
Now operational in 18 regions in the U.S., (covering nearly half the U.S.
coastline excluding Alaska), Rescue 21's impact has been significant, having
been used in over 4,600 search and rescue missions. Specifically, the
Rescue 21 system:
- Greatly increases communications coverage and system reliability,
providing coverage out to 20 nautical miles (based on 1 Watt transmission, 2
meters above sea level) and 99.5% system operational availability. These
are significant capability enhancements considering the existing system has
many communication gaps, is obsolete, suffers frequent casualties, and is
difficult to maintain and repair. Specifically, there are areas on Lake
Tahoe where the Coast Guard communications watch at Station Lake Tahoe can
not hear a mariner distress call or talk to its own vessels or other first
responders.
- Incorporates new direction-finding and Digital Selective Calling
equipment enabling the Coast Guard to pinpoint the location of mariners in
distress, greatly reducing search times and improving survivability,
especially in cold water locations such as Lake Tahoe. The existing system
has no direction finding capability, often resulting in
"needle-in-the-haystack" type searches as Coast Guard rescuers and
communications watch standers often attempt to discern a mariner's
approximate location through qualitative means such as proximity to
landmarks. There have been numerous cases where lives were saved using
Rescue 21 after a single "mayday" call was made with no position
information.
- Significantly improves interoperability amongst federal, state, and local
agencies. Rescue 21 enables use of multiple simultaneous frequencies,
communication on designated Department of Homeland Security command and
control first responder frequencies (VHF and UHF), and phone patching that
enables interoperability on frequencies outside of Rescue 21's designed
range (e.g., 800 MHz). Locally, this enhanced interoperability will greatly
improve first responder agencies' ability to execute efficient and
coordinated incident response to natural and man-made disasters on or around
Lake Tahoe, including forest fires.
As part of the deployment of Rescue 21 to Coast Guard Sector San Francisco,
the Coast Guard began the preliminary planning process (e.g., analyzing site
alternatives) for the installation of Rescue 21 on Lake Tahoe in May 2008.
In order to comply with the Coast Guard's cost and schedule constraints and
to minimize visual and environmental impacts, the Coast Guard's planning
goal has been, and continues to be, to identify a one-tower site solution
that provides full, or nearly full, communications coverage of Lake Tahoe.
To date, the Coast Guard has evaluated over 17 alternatives in pursuit of
this goal.
Understanding the rigorous review process and requirements by Federal,
state, and local regulatory agencies, the Coast Guard engaged with several
land owners of potential sites, including California Tahoe Conservancy
(CTC), and the Tahoe Regional Planning Association (TRPA) to informally
assess site feasibility and gather information, analyze alternatives, and
gauge the level of impact of a given site.
It is important to note that, to date, the Coast Guard's Rescue 21 Lake
Tahoe planning efforts have been very preliminary in nature. The Coast
Guard continues to assess alternatives, including the Tahoma site owned by
the CTC, in an effort to identify a preferred site. When this site has been
identified, the Coast Guard will proceed with development of detailed
designs to be submitted for formal review and consultation in compliance
with all federal and state environmental laws, including National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), public notice requirements, and formal TRPA
review. Through these preliminary planning efforts, as well as feedback
from TRPA, CTC, and the residents of the community of Tahoma, the Coast
Guard has been provided information regarding several potential alternative
sites. These sites include, but are not limited to a location on US Forest
Service land within the Heavenly Ski Area, the Homewood Ski Area, Sugar Pine
Point State Park, DL Bliss State Park, and two locations near existing water
tanks on Lakeridge Drive and Highview Drive in the vicinity of Rubicon Bay.
Let me assure you, we are analyzing all of these alternatives, to identify
the Coast Guard's preferred site, based on cost, schedule, performance, and
environmental factors, so that we can begin formal federal, state, and local
coordination and consultation with regulatory agencies and the public.
Lastly, I would like to address the issue of radio frequency exposure safety
hazards, a concern that many of you raised in your written correspondence to
the CTC and Coast Guard. Please know that, as maritime guardians, public
safety is part of the Coast Guard's ethos; we would not contemplate
installing equipment in a manner that posed a threat to the public. Rescue
21 equipment is of relatively very low power (e.g., <0.1% of the level of a
typical television broadcast). Radio frequency exposure at the base of
Rescue 21 towers does not exceed the Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE)
levels established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for
uncontrolled exposure by the general population. Additionally, Rescue 21
installations include locked perimeter security fencing, enclosing the
communications tower and associated equipment to further ensure public
safety. The Rescue 21 project has an excellent safety record, with over 100
tower sites in operation, including several located near residential areas,
and there have been no injuries due to RF exposure.
Again, I truly appreciate your interest in the Rescue 21 project and the
concerns you have regarding safeguarding your property and loved ones, and
preservation of Lake Tahoe's natural beauty. It is my sincere hope that,
through our extensive planning and alternative analysis efforts, and
continued dialogue with the public and applicable regulatory agencies, we
will identify a site that meets the Coast Guard's operational requirements,
thereby enhancing the safety and security of the residents of Lake Tahoe,
while minimizing visual and environmental impacts to the surrounding area.
For additional information on the Rescue 21 project, please visit:
Rescue 21
Sincerely,
Sid
CDR Steven "Sid" Osgood, PE, PMP
Commanding Officer
RESCUE 21 Project Resident Office
Scottsdale, AZ
PH: 480-421-0299
FAX: 480-421-0290
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