The United States Coast Guard - Sector Hampton Roads - and The Port of Virginia Maritime Incident Response Team are pleased to announce the 13th annual Steven Todd Dooley Search and Rescue (SAR) Forum to be held from February 25 - March 1, 2019, at the Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina in Hampton, Virginia.
The 2019 SAR agenda will follow the same format as in previous years, including classroom sessions, practical and advanced practical evolutions, two nighttime evolutions and one daylight SAR exercise. A Leadership and 9-11 Communications track is planned to provide information to regional command and dispatch staff. Vendors will be on-hand throughout the week to provide resources and technical assistance to vessel crews.
The Hampton Marina Hotel is located at 700 Settlers Landing Rd., Hampton, VA, 23669. The phone number is (757)727-9700, group name: VPA 2019 SAR Symposium. Lunch will be provided Monday – Friday and dinner will be provided on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Rooms have been blocked for the event at $93.00/night. The SAR Forum agenda will be provided, via email, in advance of the event. For now, plan on the following time frames:
Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 25 - Feb 26: 0800-1700 hours
(Please note, Monday afternoon is scheduled to include underway instruction. Plan your vessel’s arrival accordingly)
Wednesday and Thursday, February 27 -28: 0800-2300 hours
Friday, March 1: 0800-1400 hours
All participants are strongly encouraged to book hotel rooms for both Wednesday and Thursday nights due to the scheduled nighttime evolutions. Cut –off date for room rates is Friday, February 18, 2019.
Attendance:
* Limited to 24 vessels with up to four crew members per vessel.
- There should only be one VESSEL SUPERVISOR assigned/registered to each vessel. All other personnel assigned to that vessel should register as VESSEL CREW.
* Two vessel limit per agency unless otherwise approved.
* A separate registration form will be required for each vessel.
* If participants wish to attend without providing a vessel, please register as a GUEST.
o GUESTS will be assigned to open slots on other vessels.
Vessel Info:
* Participating vessels should be at least 23 feet in length and have the ability to operate in cold weather / rough seas / nighttime conditions.
As stated, the SAR Forum agenda will be emailed to all registered participants prior to the start of the event. It is important to identify the vessel supervisor, or agency contact, on the registration form to ensure accurate information exchanges.
The staff of the 13th annual Steven Todd Dooley SAR Forum is excited about the 2019 agenda. We look forward to meeting our local port partners and establishing a network to enhance the emergency response capabilities within The Port of Virginia and the surrounding Region.
If there is a need for further information, please do not hesitate to contact one of the following individuals or visit the Port of Virginia website
portofvirginia.com Bill Burket - Director, POV MIRT and Emergency Operations
bburket@portofvirginia.com LCDR Renee McKinnon - USCG
Renee.V.McKinnon@uscg.mil Tracy Freeman - Manager, POV MIRT and Emergency Operations
tfreeman@portofvirginia.com