 By USCG Petty Officer Christopher S. Grisafe July 27, 2002
The Coast Guard intercepted a 406 MHz Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) signal at 5:04 a.m., notifying the Coast Guard of a possible distress in the Gulf. Using the up-to-date information registered to the activated EPIRB, the Coast Guard used the registered contact information to determine that Jim Bingman, 39, his son Justin Bingman, 13, and their dog Honey were currently steaming from Kodiak to Ketchikan in their 32-foot fishing vessel. A Kodiak-based helicopter crew, staged in Cordova, launched at 6:30 a.m. to search for the three. "Because they had current registration information, we were able to quickly determine the route they (Bingmans) were taking, the number of people on board, and their vessel's description," said Petty Officer Doug Green, of the 17th Coast Guard District Rescue Coordination Center here. "You'd be amazed at how much having that information helps us do our job." The helicopter crew located the Bingmans in a life raft at 7:40 a.m. "I was pretty scared," said Jim Bingman. "I tried to pretend I wasn't to keep Justin centered. It was a great sight to see that helicopter." The helicopter crew lowered 22-year-old rescue swimmer Petty Officer Chris Mann to conduct his first rescue. "When JJ (Justin) saw the rescue swimmer being lowered from the helicopter, his eyes opened up and he told me 'that's the job I want,'" Bingman said. Mann rescued the three from their life raft and swam them to the rescue basket one at a time as Petty Officer Jeff Kaschalk hoisted them into the helicopter. "The dog was the most difficult to rescue out of the three," said Mann. "He didn't want to get in the water. I grabbed a hold of the dog, he put his paws on my arm, and I swam him to the rescue basket," said Mann. "Today is my birthday," said Jim Bingman. "This is a pretty good birthday present." "The Bingmans did 90 percent of the work being prepared by having a registered 406 (EPIRB), having survival suits on, and having their life raft ready," said Coast Guard pilot Lt. Cmdr. Guy Pearce. "When you see that, it takes a lot of stress out of the rescue because it means these guys are well prepared."
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