Underwater Technology Used to Bring Closure to Families of Drowning Victims by Gene Ralston and Junior Pinksen (L-R): Junior Pinksen, Sandy Ralston, Gene Ralston. Editor s note: Gene and Sandy Ralston of Boise, Idaho, popularized the use of side scan sonar and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) technology for location and recovery of drowning victims. They have selflessly volunteered their time and expertise to assist in recovery of the remains of over 70 drowning victims. The Stephan Hopkins Memorial Foundation was established in Newfoundland, Canada, with their assistance. Following, in their own words, is the story of how determination and technology brought two groups of people together, over great distances, to ease the burden of those in need. Gene Ralston: Our first experience in search and rescue was in 1983. We had just begun to manufacture whitewater river boats as a sideline to our environmental consulting business. The fourteen foot long boats were extremely manoeuvrable and well suited for shallow, rocky rivers. We volunteered one of our boats for search and rescue on the Boise River and other local rivers before the local sheriff or fire department had whitewater rescue capability. The Boise River is very popular for summertime floating, and floaters would often get themselves into trouble and need to be rescued. 20 The Journal of Ocean Technology Essays
Our first drowning victim recovery was in the summer of 1983. We found and recovered a lady who had drowned in the Boise River. Her body had been caught on a tree that had been washed into the river. The gratitude expressed by the family and the tremendous feeling of personal satisfaction inspired us to continue to volunteer our time and equipment to assist in water search, rescue and recovery. We were assisting the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue water trained cadaver dog team on a search in eastern Oregon in early 1999. We had volunteered our workboat and differential GPS to deploy water trained search dogs in the search for a drowning victim. The missing man's family arranged additional help from a group who brought a side scan sonar system to the lake. After several days of searching, they found the young man. We had the opportunity to observe the system being used and were very impressed with its capability to image objects on the lake bottom. weeks and the search for his remains had ended. We found the young man on the first day of searching. A dive team from the U.S. National Park Service brought an ROV to the lake to recover him a few days later. Shortly thereafter, we met Nancy Rigg. Nancy had started an online discussion group to promote swift water search and rescue training and preparedness following the drowning of her fiancé in a Los Angeles flood canal while he was attempting to rescue a young boy. We discussed the problem of agencies giving up on drowning victim searches and encouraged Nancy to start another group to support the families of drowning victims. We quickly became aware that many agencies were not aware of the technology and would suspend or end searches after a short period of time. This would leave families having to conduct their own searches. Requests for our assistance began to come as families and agencies learned of our capability and successes. We began to get others interested in the technology in hopes of forming a foundation to solicit funding to purchase a side scan sonar system. Although we had considerable interest in the concept, we had little help in generating the necessary funding. We therefore decided that the quickest and perhaps only way our idea would work would be to purchase the system ourselves. We consulted with other people experienced in using side scan sonar to search for drowning victims, and decided that we needed to have a tow fish heavier than the standard tow fish to search in deep water. A man in Seattle had made his own heavy tow fish housing and had a transducer custom made to fit inside. He agreed to make a similar housing for us. The heavy tow fish required a stronger cable as well as a hoist to deploy it. After several weeks, we had constructed the hoist and boom and in August 2000 the system was operational. We tested the system at a local lake and a couple weeks later went on our first search in northern Utah. A young man had been missing for six It was through Nancy's Drowning Support Network that we were contacted with a request to help search for Stephan Hopkins. Stephan had drowned in July 2007 following a canoeing accident on Little Bonne Bay Pond, Newfoundland, Canada. We were more than happy to help, and, since we had scheduled another search in Maine, we would be close. When we completed the search in Maine, we drove to North Sydney, Nova Scotia, to catch the ferry to Newfoundland. The following day we finished the drive from Port aux Basques to Deer Lake where we met with Junior Pinksen, who was in charge of the search for Stephan. After meetings that afternoon and evening, we spent the night in a donated campground space. At daybreak, Junior guided us to Little Bonne Bay Pond to begin the search. Junior Pinksen: The morning of September 17, 2007, will long be remembered by a community of 5,000 people who saw the use of underwater technology and stood in awe. For 72 days, countless volunteers using a variety of technologies tried to locate the body of a young Subsea Vehicles, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2010 21
man, Stephan Hopkins, who had drowned in Little Bonne Bay Pond, Newfoundland, while he and a friend were swimming ashore after their canoe was swamped. An RCMP dive team and local search and rescue workers were unable to locate the young man due to the lack of visibility in forty feet of water. They used different methods including dragging the pond s bottom, which at its deepest was 125 feet, but in the end were unsuccessful. I sat in a room with the RCMP local dive team and a pastor when Stephan s father was told that the search was being called off; they were unable to find his son. I can only imagine how he felt, thinking that his son was lost forever. The question he asked when the RCMP left was, What happens now? NOT FOR REPRODUCTION As a community, the people of Deer Lake agreed to do whatever possible and to not give up. Very quickly local boats began scanning the shorelines each day. Volunteers were on the pond every day hoping and believing that Stephan s body could be located and a terrible chapter in a family s worst nightmare could be closed. The family members tried to deal with this tragedy in different ways. Some helped in the search each day; some joined a drowning support network. An uncle of Stephan s, who joined such a support group, was told of a couple in Boise, Idaho, Gene and Sandy Ralston, who had located up to 53 drowning victims across North America using side scan sonar technology. The uncle made contact with the couple asking for their help. After a few phone calls with the Ralstons to discuss the circumstances as well as the pond and water conditions, a life changing bond was formed. Stephan hopkins memorial foundation Left: Boat found in Deer Lake during training. Right: Mannequin used during training. revealed that this technology could see objects on the bottom and possibly identify a body. When I researched the Ralston s web site and their success, I wondered why we did not have this equipment in our province? Could this equipment do what the Ralstons claimed it could do? We decided that we had to make arrangements for its use in the search for Stephan s body. The Ralstons arrived in Deer Lake on September 17, 2007. The whole community anxiously awaited the outcome of this new search for Stephan. When we arrived at Little Bonne Bay Pond, I shared the story of how the events unfolded on the night of July 6, 2007. Gene Ralston made a comment that morning that gave new hope to a search that had lasted 72 days. He said, Junior, I feel that we should be finished by lunch time. It was approximately 10 a.m.; could this be possible? Could this side scan sonar find Stephan in a pond where divers had searched and others used equipment to drag the bottom of the pond? Conversations with the Ralstons exposed a technology that gave a glimmer of hope as local search efforts continued. Research Prior to the Ralstons arrival, we had done a verbal sound test from shore to determine where the furthest audible sound could be last 22 The Journal of Ocean Technology Essays
todd goodyear Members of the Stephan Hopkins Memorial Foundation practice their search and rescue techniques at Muskrat Falls in Labrador, Canada. heard. This was valuable information because on the night of the accident people had heard the voices of the two young men attempting to swim ashore. The data collected from the sound test made a logical reference point to begin our search using the side scan sonar technology. It was difficult to be patient as Gene very carefully assembled the sonar on his boat. As we pushed off that morning and picked up the reference markings from shore, we began to see images from the bottom and determined that there was very little debris. The images from the side scan sonar were so clear that we could easily see the markings where locals had dragged the bottom. With this visual information the side scan sonar was set at a range of 164 feet with passes made toward the shoreline. Subsea Vehicles, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2010 23
Only 29 minutes into the search, on the third pass with the side scan sonar, I heard the words that I had wanted to hear for 73 days. The search is over, Junior. There he is. In disbelief, I questioned Gene but his wife Sandy, who was driving the boat, looked at the screen and confirmed that this was a body. To reassure me, the Ralstons made another pass, at a closer range of 60 feet. Lowering the range of the side scan sonar provided such a clear detailed image that it was possible to actually see the profile of the body. This time there was no doubt we had located Stephan. province surrounded by water, we needed this equipment and expertise too. With this experience fresh in our minds, and with the unwavering support of family and the residents of our community, we launched the Stephan Hopkins Memorial Foundation, named in memory of the young man. In close consultation with the Ralstons, we put a plan in place to raise approximately CDN$300,000 to purchase a complete side scan sonar system, ROV, a boat, a vehicle to tow the equipment, and a building to house everything. The Ralstons then introduced us to another piece of underwater technology called the remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The ROV would be the next instrumental piece of equipment in bringing this ordeal to a conclusion. We placed a target on the bottom as close to the body as we possibly could. This target on the bottom was attached to a float at the surface of the pond. The rope connecting both objects provided the operator a visual reference from the surface to the bottom. After placing the acoustic target for the ROV, we then used the side scan sonar one last time. With the last pass we could measure the distance from the acoustic target to the body a mere 14 feet. It was amazing to watch live on a video screen the Outlander 1000 ROV follow the rope to the target. Once the target was in view, we knew the body was close by. The ROV was then carefully directed to the body and when there was a clear visual the arm of the ROV grasped the body, which enabled us to then bring it to the surface. We often refer to Sandy and Gene Ralston as angels. For only the cost of the recovery, they were able to bring closure to a terrible ordeal for the Hopkins family. Before their arrival in Newfoundland, they had done the same for 53 other families. Everyone involved in the search had made reference at some point during the 72 days that there had to be technology out there somewhere that could help us. We saw the Ralstons use the technology first hand and realized that, as a This was a huge undertaking, but we felt that no family should ever go through such an ordeal because this technology was not available. We put plans in place to launch the Foundation 73 days prior to the one year anniversary of Stephan s death. In preparation for this launch, we had developed partnerships with groups like the Salvation Army, Marine Institute of Memorial University, and the Ralstons that would be instrumental in the Foundation being successful. On launch night the community of Deer Lake and surrounding areas gathered together and raised almost $40,000. The task of securing all the funds was completed in less than six months, which is remarkable for such a small community and a group of volunteers. The equipment was ordered and on site less than one year after the side scan sonar and ROV had successfully recovered Stephan s body. Gene and Sandy Ralston returned to Newfoundland to show the Foundation volunteers how to use the side scan sonar equipment, and train us in the techniques that have been successful in their searches. The Marine Institute trained our volunteers in how to operate the ROV, preparing them for the major difference between fresh water lakes and ponds and the ocean with its tides and underwater currents. Advanced underwater technology is helping us better understand the underwater world. With data and video collected using side scan sonar, ROVs, and other underwater equipment, 24 The Journal of Ocean Technology Essays
we can now prove that the assumptions we have made in the past are fact or fiction. The technology has been widely used by the offshore oil and gas industry as well as the fishing industry, and with the assistance of Gene and Sandra Ralston, we have proved that it can aid individual families in turmoil. The Stephan Hopkins Memorial Foundation has thus far been called upon to conduct five searches, all of which have taken place in the cold ocean waters and fast moving rivers of Newfoundland. u Gene Ralston has spent 41 years working on water-related environmental issues. He and his wife Sandy own and operate Ralston & Associates, Consulting Biologists. His water recovery career began in 1983. In 2000, he and his wife Sandy purchased side scan sonar to search for drowning victims. Since that time, they have found 70 people throughout the USA and Canada. They also have an ROV for recovery when divers are not available or the depth is too great. Junior Pinksen is the Recreation Director for the municipality of Deer Lake, Newfoundland. Junior was a captain in the local Volunteer Fire Department and chairs several other volunteer groups in the community. Junior was asked to serve as the liaison between the law enforcement officials and the Hopkins family during this terrible tragedy. After the recovery, he and the community felt the need to raise the funds to purchase this equipment for the province of NL. The equipment is made available on a cost recovery basis to those who have missing loved ones. Junior currently chairs the Foundation and assists in each search. Stephan Hopkins Memorial Foundation: http://73days.ca Sandy and Gene Ralston: www.gralston1.home.mindspring.com Subsea Vehicles, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2010 25
Subsea Vehicles, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2010 27