That's true. Well, I would. I'd rather be out squid-jigging than sitting here, believe me.
Figuring out where the money is best spent...from a family's perspective, I'm probably not going to find exactly where this is.
“Newfoundland and Labrador families slam internal search and rescue report”. I know I'm not supposed to pull something out like this, but this was actually dated October 7, 2008.
Families in Newfoundland and Labrador who have lost fishermen at sea said they are upset about a recent military internal report that recommends search-and-rescue squadrons should not be staffed round the clock.
[Me] Johanna Ryan-Guy lost two brothers when the Ryan's Commander capsized on the rocks near Cape Bonavista in September 2004.
[I]...said the internal report is “a tough pill to swallow”.
The study reviewed all incidents rated as a Category 1—defined by grave or imminent danger requiring immediate response and assistance to prevent the loss of life, between 2000 and 2004.
In those years, there were 1,054 Category 1 cases, and in nine of them, the department determined that reaction time of the search-and-rescue crews might have been a deciding factor in the victim survival.
At the heart of the study was the question of the viability of staffing crews at the squadron to hasten reaction time.
Guys, this is 2008. We're sitting here and this is 2011. I've had it up to the ying yang with most of this stuff, to be honest with you. But I know there's a lot of red tape and I know it takes time.
Status quo is a two-hour reaction time during the nighttime, when crews are off shift, and on call from their homes. During regular staffing hours, search-and-rescue crews have a 30-minute reaction time.
The report showed there would be little benefit and huge costs to reducing reaction time for nighttime shifts. The document also showed that keeping crews on 30-minute posturing times, 24 hours a day would cost [at that time] at minimum $200 million more per year.
I said that I was discouraged by the report. I'm still discouraged because we're still scrabbling at the same issues. Not much has changed. That boat went down in 2004. This stuff that we're talking about, Jack, that was an issue then and it's still an issue. And if it's 10 years from now, there are still going to be issues. You talk about money. I'm not rich but I'm not poor either. Do you think that money would make any difference to me with regard to Dave and Joe's lives? I understand that you cannot save everybody. Not even God can do that, okay? But whatever resources you do have, it can't always be about the money. What's right to do with the money that you do have?
Priscilla, how many years have you been up to the ying yang with this? Go for it.