36 Proceedings Spring 2025 which funded a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for design concepts for a lifesaving device. The proposed device should be easily deployable by aircraft or vessels and capable of accommodating at least 100 people for up to 24 hours. The scope of the BAA included a Phase I for design concept, prototype development, and con- trolled environment testing, and a Phase II option for final design and open-water testing. Phase I: Prototype Development and Testing The companies chosen through the BAA were charged with designing and developing a prototype that met the Coast Guard’s specific functional requirements. To achieve the goals for size, weight, and capacity, indus- try innovators proposed alternatives to traditional life rafts. These included floating platforms and mats, the use of lightweight materials like Dyneema, Spectra, and Vectran—which are often used in high-altitude balloons and other lightweight fabric applications—and incor- porating compressed air and air aspirators to reduce the overall size and weight of the inflation system. Government-proposed design features also included redundant buoyancy, boarding ramps and ladders, car- rying cases for easier portability and stowage, and full reversibility so the device can be used either side up. Two companies were selected for Phase 1 prototype development and testing at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Bethesda, Maryland, in April 2024. The pur- pose of the tests was to observe each device’s perfor- mance in a controlled environment with and without waves, and to use human subjects to test that the devices’ boarding aids operated as intended. During testing, Coast Guard and DHS observers eval- uated each device on its overall packaged size—length, width, height, weight—its ability to hold required weight, and its ability to be boarded and egressed using available boarding aids. Once inflated, the devices were loaded with about 16,000 pounds to simulate 100 people. Large-volume water bags were used for weights, with each holding between 140 and 200 gallons of water. The govern- ment evaluated each device’s performance under load, focusing on its ability to maintain shape and pressure. The devices did show some deformation when loaded, including stress on the seams, inflation tubes, and floor. Human Subject Boarding Exercises The RDC recruited volunteers to enter the pool and attempt to board the devices, in order to evaluate how easy or difficult it was to board from the water. Twenty- four volunteers from the Coast Guard, DHS, and the Department of Defense participated in boarding exer- cises, including Coast Guard Auxiliarists, rescue swim- mers, and divers. There was a wide range of volunteer ages, fitness levels and experience with life rafts, which resulted in various degrees of boarding success. Volunteers wore clothing ranging from wetsuits and anti-exposure suits to bathing suits and street clothes. They were required to wear life jackets while in the test pool and were not given instructions on how or where to board the vessel and were encouraged to board with- out assistance from others. Personnel from the project team observed volunteers as they boarded, noting which boarding aids they approached first, if they were suc- cessful getting in, how many attempts were made, and if they required assistance from others. At the end of testing, volunteers were asked a series of questions for feedback on how easy or difficult it was to board and how many attempts boarding took. Most volunteers were able to board on their first attempt, but some reported difficulty and required multiple attempts and assistance from others. Volunteers reported that boarding was easier with waves due to the ramps and grab handles being easier to access, and the ability to time their boarding attempt with the passing crest of a wave. Sixty-eight percent were able to board on the first attempt with no waves and 91% were able to board on the first attempt with waves. Phase II: Final Design and Open-Water Testing At the conclusion of testing, Coast Guard and DHS rep- resentatives met with the vendors to discuss the results and provide feedback on design changes and improve- ments. The next phase of this effort will be final design and open water testing with the goal of testing the devices in a simulated open-water search and rescue scenario. This will include observing their performance as people in the water attempt to board under different environmental conditions, as well as during deployment from both a Coast Guard aircraft and vessel. Conclusion The results of Phase II will help the Coast Guard deter- mine if these large-capacity, lightweight lifesaving devices are practical and beneficial as another tool Coast Guard responders can use during mass rescue events. About the author: Monica Cisternelli has been a Research and Development Center staff member for 15 years and has managed several different projects related to the Coast Guard’s search and rescue mission, including human sur- vivability in water, focusing on changes in core and skin temperature in water over 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and the impacts to the Coast Guard’s search and rescue mission due to the presence of wind farms. Endnotes: 1. Mass Rescue Operations Scoping Study, March 2007, U.S. Department of Homeland Security United States Coast Guard, Washington, DC 20593-0001 2. Maritime Mass Rescue Interventions; Availability and Associated Technology, USCG Research and Development Center, December 2010
