DHS OIG Reports on Failures of Boat Crew Comms System (BCCS)

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HS Today, Mickey McCarter -
Failures in the communications system used on small Coast Guard response boats by specialized teams could cripple their response to hostile vessels or could even lead to fatalities, warned the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). USCG Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSSTs) have been using the boat crew communications system (BCCS) to enable communications between their crewmembers. The Coast Guard adopted the BCCS system after the MSST Anchorage suffered a fatality in March 2007 when a boat gunner fell from a Response Boat-Small and the boat’s propellers killed him. A USCG review determined that the inability of the gunner to effectively communicate with the coxswain contributed to his death. But the BCCS, the communications system intended to solve that problem, has technical limitations that continue to put USCG crewmembers in jeopardy, the IG report cautioned. “The BCCS does not effectively support MSST small boat communications,” the report stated. “Interim solutions to technical problems that cause the communication headsets to abruptly lose power have not been adequate and it could take up to 10 years for new and improved replacement equipment to be provided. Until this issue is addressed, MSST operational readiness and the safety of crewmembers and the boating public may be at risk.”
The IG office visited five MSST locations and found consistent problems with their BCCS units. The batteries of BCCS headsets do not last long enough for MSST missions, leaving the headsets powerless too quickly, the IG office determined. In addition, a headset component fails in cold weather. Because BCCS systems have proven so unreliable, MSST boat crews often use other means to communicate–employing hand signals, using a boat loudspeaker, and even shouting across the boat. These are not permanent solutions, the report stressed, as crewmembers may not see or could misinterpret hand signals and might fail to hear shouted orders. The use of a loudspeaker permits hostile vessels to hear the USCG boat’s planned actions, the report added. The failures of the BCCS system not only endanger the lives of USCG crewmembers but also put the lives of the general public at risk, the report said. A live fire scenario against a hostile vessel could result in a gunner accidentally firing into public areas if he cannot hear communications from the coxswain. The Coast Guard has not yet conducted any additional research to address the problems with BCCS, the report found. The Coast Guard plans to acquire an improved small boat communications system in 2012, and it could take until 2020 to replace the BCCS systems throughout the USCG fleet.