MSC.1/Circ.1289
ADOPTION OF AMENDMENTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL AERONAUTICAL AND MARITIME SEARCH
AND RESCUE (IAMSAR) MANUAL
(9
December 2008)
1.
The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), at its eighty-fifth session (26 November
to 5 December 2008), having been informed that the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) had approved the amendments to the IAMSAR Manual prepared
by the Joint ICAO/IMO Working Group on Harmonization of Aeronautical and
Maritime Search and Rescue, and that they had been endorsed by the
Sub-Committee on Radiocommunications and Search and Rescue (COMSAR) at its
twelfth session (7 to 11 April 2008), adopted the annexed amendments in
accordance with the procedure laid down in resolution A.894(21).
2.
The Committee decided that the amendments should enter into force on 1 June
2009.
Section 1.
AMENDMENTS TO IAMSAR MANUAL VOLUME I
- Add the following text on page viii:
"TMAS...
Telemedical Assistance Service"
- Add the following text on page xi:
"Telemedical
Assistance Service (TMAS) A medical service permanently staffed by doctors
qualified in conducting remote consultations and well versed in the particular
nature of treatment on board ship."
- Replace the existing paragraph 1.4.1 with the following:
"1.4.1
Any SAR system should be structured to provide all SAR services:
- Receive,
acknowledge, and relay notifications of distress from alerting posts;
- Coordinate
search response;
- Coordinate
rescue response and delivery of survivors to a place of safety; and
- Provide
medical advice, initial medical assistance or medical evacuation."
- Delete paragraph 1.4.3.
- Add the following text in paragraph 2.1.2 after " SAR
facilities, including SRUs with specialized equipment and trained personnel, as
well as other resources which can be used to conduct SAR operations;":
"-
medical advice and medical assistance and evacuation services;"
- Add the following text in paragraph 2.3.7 to Required column as
the last two items:
"ability
to coordinate provision of medical advice ability to coordinate provision of
medical assistance or evacuation"
- Add a new paragraph 2.5.6:
Add new heading
Medical Advice and Medical Assistance
"2.5.6
The International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue provides for parties
to the Convention to provide, on request from Masters of ships, medical advice
and initial medical assistance and, as required, to make arrangements for
medical evacuations for patients. An RCC should establish a relationship with a
maritime Telemedical Assistance Service (TMAS) to ensure that medical advice
can be provided to Masters at sea within its SRR 24 hours a day. The RCC should
have the means to coordinate medical assistance and evacuation in consultation
with a TMAS. It is desirable to have a doctor or paramedic who has been briefed
by the TMAS on board the evacuation craft. The RCC may establish contractual
arrangements with a suitably recognized medical authority to provide this Telemedical
Assistance Service. A sample text of a contractual arrangement between an RCC
and a TMAS is at Appendix N."
- Amend in paragraph 2.7.1 "Medical assistance" to read
"Medical facilities"
- Replace the existing paragraph 4.2.3 with the following:
"4.2.3
Publications which can be used to assist in overcoming language barriers and
communication difficulties between vessel and aircraft crews, survivors and SAR
personnel include the International Code of Signals, the IMO Standard Marine Communication
Phrases (Assembly resolution A.918(22)), Annex 10 to the Convention on
International Civil Aviation, and PANS ATM (ICAO Document 4444). These
documents should be included in RCC libraries and be understood by the staff
who should be able to comprehend and transmit messages using these phrases.
Ships should carry these documents. SRUs should carry the International Code of
Signals."
- Add at the end of paragraph 4.7.1 the following:
"RCCs
should be able to communicate 24 hours a day with a designated Telemedical
Assistance Service (TMAS) to coordinate the provision of medical advice and
medical assistance and to arrange for medical evacuations from vessels at
sea."
- Replace existing paragraph 6.4.3 from the title "Using SAR
Committees to Improve SAR Services" to "...by efforts such as the
following:" with the following:
"6.4.3
An effective process for SAR coordination is the establishment and use of SAR
Coordinating Committees (SCCs) comprising SAR system stakeholders. These can be
established at SAR agency, national, or regional level and, ideally, at all
three levels. SAR agency SCCs should
deal with local operational SAR issues and have the ability to refer matters
higher if required. Committees established at a national level may consider
strategic SAR policy matters and should have the ability to take matters to
their respective governments for consideration. Regional SCCs should be able to
refer SAR matters of a regional nature to their incorporated national
committees for consideration. The establishment of these SAR committees can
improve and support the SAR system in a number of ways, including:
- develop and recommend national strategic policy to their
respective governments;"
-
Amend C.1.1 (g) to read: Health Departments. Hospital and first aid facilities,
ambulances and medical stations in remote areas, Telemedical Assistance
Services (TMAS).
-
replace existing paragraph G.7.1 in section G.7 with:
"G
7.1 The primary systems now used for SOLAS compliance are Cospas-Sarsat and
Inmarsat."
-
add new paragraph G.7.5 after G 7.4, as follows:
"G.7.5
New satellite systems are emerging which can relay distress alerts. Many
vessels are equipped with systems that provide comprehensive online connections
to Internet, voice, facsimile and data communications for such functions as
online E-mail, Short Message System (SMS), video conferencing and medical
examination and reporting. These commercial satellite systems are not primarily
designed for alerting but may be used for subsequent SAR communications between
ships or aircraft and RCCs or RSCs, or as a link to the On Scene
Coordinator."
-
Replace the existing text with the following:
"National
Self-Assessment on Search and Rescue
Chapter 1 - GENERAL SYSTEM CONCEPT
1.
Is the Government party to the following Conventions:
(i) Convention
on International Civil Aviation, 1944?
(ii)
International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979?
(iii)
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, as
amended?
(iv) Convention
on the High Seas, 1958?
(v) United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982?
2.
Has the State established an entity, which provides on a 24-hour basis, search
and rescue (SAR) services within its territories to ensure that assistance is
rendered to persons in distress?
(a) If no, has
the State arranged with another State or group of States to provide SAR
services?
3. Which government agencies have authority and responsibility for
coordination of aeronautical SAR?
4. Where is this authority and responsibility described (law,
regulation, agreement, etc.)?
5. Is the same agency responsible for coordinating aeronautical
SAR over both land and sea?
6. Which government agencies have authority and responsibility for
coordination of maritime SAR?
7. Where is this authority and responsibility described? (law,
regulation, agreement, etc.)?
8. Has the State established a joint RCC to coordinate
aeronautical and maritime SAR operations?
9. Does the State ensure the closest practicable coordination
between the centres where separate aeronautical and maritime rescue
coordination centres (RCCs) serve the same area?
10. Has the State ensured the closest practicable coordination between
the relevant aeronautical and maritime authorities to provide for the most
effective and efficient SAR services?
11. Does the State have a national SAR Plan, which describes the
roles of all government and non-government organizations which have resources
that can support SAR?
12.
Have there been any problems encountered when working with RCCs outside your
region?
If
so, have steps been taken to solve these problems?
13.
Have ICAO and IMO been provided with up-to-date information on your RCCs, RSCs,
SAR resources and areas of responsibility?
14.
(i) Does your
State have both aeronautical and maritime SAR regions (SRRs) or SAR subregions
(SRSs) established?
(ii) Do the
geographical limits of your State's aeronautical and maritime SRRs or SRSs
coincide?
(iii) If your
State has an aeronautical Flight Information Region (FIR), does your
aeronautical SRR have the same limits?
15.
Have the aeronautical SRR or SRS limits been formally agreed to by neighbouring
countries or jurisdictions?
16.
Have the maritime SRR or SRS limits been formally agreed to by neighbouring
countries or jurisdictions?
17.
Are there any gaps, overlaps, or size or shape problems with national SRRs or
SRSs?
18.
Has the State established a RCC in each search and rescue region (SRR)?
19.
Do your RCCs regularly work with other RCCs outside your region?
20.
Do provisions exist to keep maritime SAR authorities informed of aeronautical
distress situations, and to coordinate SAR responsibility to them when an
aircraft has an actual or potential ditching at sea?
21.
Has the State made arrangements for the use of SAR units and other available
facilities to assist any aircraft or vessels or their occupants that are, or
appear to be, in a state of emergency?
22.
Are RCC(s) or RSC(s) assigned to perform other tasks which might detract from
their ability to handle SAR responsibilities?
23.
Are emergency plans and recovery resources in place at all airports located
near water for rescue of survivors in the water?
24.
Do facilities that serve as alerting posts for receiving aeronautical and
maritime distress information operate on a 24-hour basis?
25.
Does each RCC and RSC have full information about the capabilities (range,
number of persons they could rescue, alert status, launch authority point of
contact, etc.) for all the primary rescue units in their area of
responsibility?
26.
Does each RCC or RSC have an operations manual which provides procedures and
guidance material for handling all foreseeable SAR situations?
27.
Do your RCC(s) and RSC(s) use international systems that assist SAR, e.g.,
AMVER, Cospas-Sarsat, computer assisted search planning?
28.
Can your RCC(s) monitor progress of a SAR response and adjust search planning
if necessary?
29.
Can the RCC(s) or RSC(s) order the deployment of all primary SAR units?
(a) If not, does
the coordination for use of SAR resources take place in a timely manner?
30.
To what extent have voluntary SAR resources, including privately-owned aircraft
and boats, fishing vessels, industry-owned helicopters and boats and
professional organizations been organized?
31.
Do the RCCs and RSCs operation manuals include guidance on use of voluntary SAR
resources?
32.
Do SAR units in your State have special equipment for medical evacuations?
Chapter 3 - TRAINING, QUALIFICATION,
CERTIFICATION AND EXERCISES
33.
Has the State ensured that each RCC and RSC has a sufficient workforce skilled
in SAR coordination and operational functions?
34.
Have written job descriptions been developed for all staff?
35.
Has the State ensured that each RCC and, if appropriate, RSC established a
training policy and programme for its staff?
36.
Is each RCC or RSC staff fully trained to do the following:
(i) Recognize
the stages and phases of a SAR mission?
(ii) Determine
search datum, search areas, and probability of success?
(iii) Account
for aerospace and ocean drift?
(iv) Develop
search action plans and rescue action plans?
(v) Allocate
resources?
(vi) Arrange air escorts, ships and other
assistance for aircraft situations involving potential ditching?
(vii) Carry out
international SAR obligations?
37.
Does the State provide for regular training of its SAR personnel and arrange
appropriate SAR exercises?
38.
Do crews of primary rescue units participate in regular SAR-related training or
exercises?
39.
Is there a formal planning and evaluation process for these exercises?
40.
Do your RCCs or RSCs carry out exercises involving other RCCs and RSCs and
rescue units on a regular basis?
41.
Does each element in the SAR organization regularly evaluate its staff training
status and take steps to correct all identified training needs?
42.
Are training records or files maintained for the RCC staff?
43.
Are complete records (sufficient to reconstruct the incident) maintained of all
SAR events?
44.
Are SAR case records used to analyse and improve the SAR system?
45.
Do SAR case records satisfy legal requirements?
46.
Are there rapid, reliable means for communications between RCCs and between
RCCs and RSCs?
47.
Does your national landline communications system provide full coverage of your
State and rapid, reliable service?
48.
Do your RCC(s) and RSC(s) have reliable radio communications capabilities
covering their entire area(s) of responsibility for working with ships,
aircraft and SAR units?
49.
Do your RCC(s) or RSC(s) use satellite communications?
50.
Do the RCC(s) have continuous and capable English language capabilities?
51.
Are RCC personnel involved in the conduct of radiotelephony communications
proficient in the use of the English language?
52.
Which categories of aircraft and ships registered in your State are required to
carry 121.5 MHz radio distress beacons, 406 MHz beacons, or EPIRBs?
53.
Are 406 MHz beacon registrations maintained in a database?
54.
Is the database maintained for ELT, EPIRB and PLB 406 MHz distress beacons?
55.
Is that database available on a 24-hour basis to SAR authorities?
56.
Has the State designated an H24 SAR point of contact (SPOC) for the receipt of
Cospas-Sarsat distress data?
57.
Has the State made arrangements for further distribution from the SPOC to the
proper authorities of the ELT, EPIRB and personal locator beacon (PLB) distress
beacon alerts?
58.
Is the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) or Aeronautical
Fixed Network (AFN) co-located or readily accessible to your RCC(s) and RSC(s)?
59.
Is your State implementing the provisions of the IMO Global Maritime Distress
and Safety System (GMDSS)?
60.
Do the RCC and RSC operations manuals include procedures for establishing
communications with civil ships and aircraft?
61.
Do ships and aircraft that are used for SAR have communications and electronic
direction-finding capabilities covering all frequencies likely to be used?
62.
Do ships and aircraft that are used for SAR have accurate navigation systems?
63.
What means are most often used to notify your RCC(s) or RSC(s) of a distress?
64.
What means are used to alert and inform rescue units of a distress, and to
direct them?
65.
Do all SAR units have mutually compatible communications?
66.
Is your State planning to change communications or direction-finding
capabilities in any of the following areas?
(i) Medium
frequency (MF)
(ii) High frequency
(HF)
(iii) VHF-FM
(iv) VHF-AM
(v) UHF
(vi) Telephone
(vii) Telex
(viii) Satellite
communications
67.
Do your RCC(s) and RSC(s) have procedures for providing timely and competent
medical assistance and advice to ships?
68.
Which national agencies or organizations are responsible for:
(i) Aircraft
registration and safety?
(ii) Air traffic
safety?
(iii)
Investigation of aviation accidents and incidents?
(iv) Maritime
vessel registration and safety?
(v) Investigation
of maritime accidents and incidents?
(vi) Regulation
and enforcement of radio frequency usage?
(vii) Serving as
the national SAR point of contact for receipt