This is why we at McCormick and Company are so proud of the products we represent. We are not just selling items but providing products that save lives!
A beautiful, calm day on the water can change to a dangerous situation in an instant. On December 20, 2015, Brad Stemocosky and a friend went fishing on Potomac River, near Chesapeake Bay. The two men were well-prepared for the trip, however a fierce turn in the weather as they tried to return home was too much for the 16-foot boat. As 3 1/2-foot waves swamped their vessel, Stemocosky was able to quickly send out a mayday with his handheld VHF radio.Within 10 seconds the boat was gone.
The two men bobbled in the cold, 50-degree water for nearly an hour and an half. While the search helicopter circled above, Stemocosky was able to communicate with the Coast Guard, assisting the Search and Rescue team. The two men were safely pulled out of the water.
“No one would have been able to find us or look for us if I didn’t send out [the] mayday,” Stemocosky said
Their rescue and survival was astonishing. Hypothermia was setting in and without the Mustang Survival auto-inflatable life preservers they wore and their waterproof Icom handheld VHF radio, a different outcome may have occurred that night. Stories like Stemocosky’s make you think; if something goes wrong out on the water, how will you ask for help?
Survivors, Brad Stemcosky (right) and Charlie Frend explain how a handheld VHF-FM radio and Mustang Survival inflatable vest contributed to their survival after a news conference reunited them with their rescuers at Coast Guard Station Annapolis, MD.
For more info on this story check out Icom's blog here