"We must ensure there is no gap in coverage and that we are able to provide the valuable and necessary search and rescue services for all those who work on, live on, and visit the Maine Coast," said Senator Collins.
Senator Collins has also spoken with U.S. Coast Guard officials about the situation. She has asked them to assess the coverage of Maine's seacoast in light of the unit change. Coast Guard officials have given preliminary indication that the loss of the Navy helicopters at BNAS will not adversely affect maritime search and rescue operations.
They reported that, "Over the past three years, helicopters from BNAS have assisted with one daytime search, and they have not served as ‘first responder' aircraft for any U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue cases." In fact, the Coast Guard says that the Navy helicopters which are being removed from BNAS were not designed to operate over water and were not able to fly at night.
The Coast Guard does not track whether the Navy helicopters stationed at BNAS had been used for inland missions or non-Coast Guard reported cases, including mountain rescue and air ambulance services.
"I will continue to assess the impact of this change in duty with regards to safety along the Maine Coast," said Senator Collins.