Question about 'mayday' situations.

[Dave_S]

On a side note about CPR and how long to administer,

I thought it interesting that people who have blue ring octopus or cone shell bites are actually paralysed not dead. Their heart stops and they stop breathing but are alive and quite conscious they are aware and can hear everything but appear dead.

If you can continue effective CPR for up to 2 hours the effects will wear off and they may return to full health.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

On a side note about CPR and how long to administer,

I thought it interesting that people who have blue ring octopus or cone shell bites are actually paralysed not dead. Their heart stops and they stop breathing but are alive and quite conscious they are aware and can hear everything but appear dead.

If you can continue effective CPR for up to 2 hours the effects will wear off and they may return to full health.

I watched a yacht crew administer CPR for almost 2 hours once...the victim was clearly already gone (no octopus bites involved)...but I wasnt about to say that to them.

[Mazu]

I lived in Puerto Rico for a couple of years and sailed the Virgins extensively. I was also married at the time. Wife and I took a cruise from San Juan down the Caribbean. We left SJ at around 10PM. All was well and the next morning we had breakfast on the aft deck. In looking at the surroundings I saw Sail Rock....no not possible...we’ve been cruising since 10PM. But I swore it was Sail Rock....
Turns out two philippino crew members were married and apparantly had a pretty good row that evening. The wife went to the rear of the ship and jumped. No one knew this until they couldn’t find her but found her shoes on the aft deck which I later learned is a sign that someone committed suicide by jumping.

We were still at sail rock the next day as the cruise ship was ordered to participate in the search and rescue operation. The captain came on later in the morning and announced a mayday was placed at XX hours after the discovery of the incident. The ship stayed on scene until they again made an announcement around 11AM that the coast guard had released them from the S&R operation. So, I guess if you go missing off a cruise ship it’s definately a Mayday situation.

[JMitchell]

Originally Posted by TheGoldenFleece

I’m not refuting what you’re saying here, I just found it interesting that you bring this up right after a post about a man who collapsed, was given CPR, and survived...

1- they were minutes from the dock with the possibility of have an ALS service waiting.
2- Most people suck at determining the need for CPR. I've seen people demand CPR be given to their relative after rigor and lividity had set in, and I've seen people trying to give CPR to people with full pulse and breathing... just because they collapsed. Fortunately most people dont know how to give adequate compressions.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by grantmc

Disagree, MOB is a mayday, especially if it were me that had fallen in. I would want every vessel in the area keeping a watch out. Once the ship establishes it's a false alarm then cancel. Always err on caution first.

Possible MOB. i.e. you don't know if and if, the when/where.


Pan Pan will have every vessel in the area keeping a watch out.

[waterdog]

If the body is pulled from cold waters, they’re not dead until they’re warm and dead...

[boatman61]

Has no one heard off "Pan Pan Medico".???
Its the call one uses for medical emergencies at sea.

[Sojourner]

Sounds like someone's planning to push someone over the side of a cruise ship, hey?*


*jk

[billknny]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Has no one heard off "Pan Pan Medico".???
Its the call one uses for medical emergencies at sea.

Nobody has heard of it (or heard it!) because it has long since been retired from active use. It is obsolete, and only of historical interest.

[boatman61]

Who retired it and when..???

[requiem]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Who retired it and when..???

Good question, but I would ask who added it and when.

If we assume that the ITU Radio Regulations would be the relevant governing rulebook, then I'm not sure "PAN PAN MEDICO" in this context ever actually entered it to begin with.

I did find an old reference to it in a marine radiotelephone procedure document from the UK's Radio Authority (since merged into Ofcom); my guess is that the UK may have run with the idea on their own for a time.

Note: "PAN PAN MEDICAL" does exist, but is restricted to identifying medical transports as defined and protected by the Geneva Conventions. It appears to have entered the regs in the '82 edition and remains in subsequent editions.

[rlevin73]

As someone who works for the USCG if you think you need immediate assistance for threat to life or boat than call Mayday and don’t hesitate. If it is not an immediate threat than use Pan Pan. Hopefully you have a VHF or HF SSB that is DSC capable as they have capability for designating the nature of distress of you have time. If not just send without designating

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by requiem

Good question, but I would ask who added it and when.

If we assume that the ITU Radio Regulations would be the relevant governing rulebook, then I'm not sure "PAN PAN MEDICO" in this context ever actually entered it to begin with.

I did find an old reference to it in a marine radiotelephone procedure document from the UK's Radio Authority (since merged into Ofcom); my guess is that the UK may have run with the idea on their own for a time.

Note: "PAN PAN MEDICAL" does exist, but is restricted to identifying medical transports as defined and protected by the Geneva Conventions. It appears to have entered the regs in the '82 edition and remains in subsequent editions.

Only ask as it was one of the calls in my UK VHF Course.. To be used for medical emergencies saving time and linking direct to medical advice and assistance.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Pan pan is for a situation of urgency -- an urgent problem affecting the safety of the vessel or crew -- which could escalate into distress.

What is urgent about having a corpse on board? What's the effect on safety of the vessel? His condition is certainly not going to worsen. I think it's routine traffic.

Dude. Just ... dude. A corpse on board is urgent. Unless you have a walk in freezer that person is going over the side. Soon. Smelly.

[requiem]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Only ask as it was one of the calls in my UK VHF Course.. To be used for medical emergencies saving time and linking direct to medical advice and assistance.

Ah, so to your original question I did find a 2012 thread on rib.net containing a few clues. A poster mentioned that the appended "medico" was the keyword for the BT Coast Stations to field such calls and link to medical assistance. Around the close of the century the Coastguard took over many of the Coast Station functions, and so the need for the keyword went away as all PAN PANs would be handled by them anyway. (Which also supports the idea that it was UK-specific.)