Suspected spinal injury east of Tiritiri Matangi
You are the skipper of the 11 m launch Kōwhai, 6 nautical miles east of Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf. It is 1540 on a Saturday in February. The wind is southwest 15–18 knots, sea 1.5 m, visibility good. Four people are aboard. Ten minutes ago a crew member fell down the companionway and is now lying on the cabin sole. He is conscious but cannot move his legs, complains of numbness in his hands, and has vomited once. You suspect a spinal injury. The nearest ambulance is at Whangaparāoa; an Auckland-based rescue helicopter is reportedly available but will take at least 25 minutes. Your fixed VHF has DSC and a GPS feed; you also carry a 5 W handheld. The patient's breathing is steady but he is pale and frightened. Your partner says, 'Just call a mayday.' You must decide what level of priority this deserves and what to transmit first.
1. Decide whether to transmit MAYDAY, PAN PAN or a routine call, and justify the classification.
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Use the definitions rather than the emotion of the moment. MAYDAY is for grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance. PAN PAN is for a matter of urgency concerning safety, but without immediate grave danger. A routine call has no urgency.
A suspected spinal injury with neurological signs is serious and potentially life-threatening. However, at this moment the patient is conscious and breathing steadily, and the helicopter is at least 25 minutes away. The main immediate risk is aspiration if he vomits again, which you can manage by keeping him still and monitoring his airway. The priority is to obtain medical advice and start the evacuation process.
I would transmit PAN PAN with the words 'medical emergency', request urgent medical advice and helicopter evacuation, and state that I will upgrade to MAYDAY if his breathing, consciousness or airway deteriorates. If he stops breathing, loses consciousness or you cannot maintain his airway, transmit MAYDAY immediately. The fact that your partner says 'just call a mayday' is not a classification; the conditions are.
2. Write the spoken transmission you would make on Channel 16, including the information Maritime Radio or Coastguard Radio needs.
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The call must be short enough to be copied under stress, but complete enough to task help. I would say:
PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN. All stations, all stations, all stations. This is Kōwhai, Kōwhai, Kōwhai, callsign [your callsign]. My position is 6 nautical miles east of Tiritiri Matangi Island, in the Hauraki Gulf. I have a medical emergency: one crew member with a suspected spinal injury, conscious but unable to move his legs, has vomited once. Four persons on board. I require urgent medical advice and helicopter evacuation. I am listening on Channel 16. Over.
I would not read out the whole medical history on Channel 16. Once a coast station answers, I would move to the working channel it nominates and give age, medical history, medications, allergies, vital signs and the patient's condition. I would also give the vessel's course and speed, sea state and any hazards for a helicopter, such as rigging or a crowded deck. If there is no reply after a short interval, repeat once and consider a DSC urgency alert to the coast station.
3. What do you do after the reply? Include channel management, DSC, and preparing for evacuation.
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The reply is the start of the operation, not the end of the radio work. I would:
- Note the time and the coast station's instructions. Move to the nominated working channel, keep a listening watch on Channel 16 with dual watch, and keep the handheld switched on as a backup.
- Send a DSC urgency alert only if the coast station asks for it or if voice contact has not been established. Channel 70 is not a voice channel, and a voice mayday or pan pan on 16 is what other vessels will hear.
- Appoint one person as radio operator and another to care for the patient. Keep the patient still, monitor breathing, and be ready to manage vomiting. Gather name, age, medications, allergies and pulse.
- Prepare the vessel for a helicopter: clear the deck, secure loose gear, brief the crew on approach directions, have a strobe or torch ready, and keep everyone clear of the winching area unless briefed.
- Keep a written log of times, positions, instructions and the patient's condition. If the patient deteriorates, do not wait: transmit MAYDAY on Channel 16 and say you are upgrading.