What Coast Guard staffing shortages mean for emergency response on Lake Erie

ASHTABULA, Ohio (WJW) — Local boaters are among those who could be impacted by a new plan to downsize operations at U.S. Coast Guard stations in Ashtabula and Fairport.

Authorities in Ashtabula say they were alarmed to learn that due to lower Coast Guard staffing and recruitment levels, the station in Ashtabula would be unmanned for long periods of time and that, as the result of the downsizing of the USCG Fairport station in Grand River as well, response to emergencies on Lake Erie off of Ashtabula and Lake Counties would come from Cleveland or Erie, Pennsylvania.

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Ashtabula City Manager Jim Timonere told FOX 8, “It’s kind of difficult to swallow, especially if you’re standing there with parents or loved ones and saying ‘hey, you know, the Coast Guard will be here, don’t worry, they’re coming from Erie or Cleveland,’ obviously we want that response as quickly as possible.”

The Coast Guard says as the result of an ongoing manpower shortage of about 10% below expected levels, they had no choice but to downsize operations at certain smaller stations on the Great Lakes like Ashtabula and Fairport.

“That is forcing us to reallocate these resources as we’re doing, to make sure that the crews that we have are safe, that they’re well rested, that the equipment we have is being properly maintained,” said Lt. Phillip Gurtler, spokesman for the USCG’s 9^th District in Cleveland.

Gurtler says the plan does call for the Ashtabula station to have crews available for emergency calls during certain peak boating periods like summer weekends and holidays.

At one time, the Coast Guard station in Ashtabula was open year-round. However, starting in 2017, the station would close after the lake would freeze over and re-open after the thaw, and in the past couple of years, the station has only been open between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

On Monday, local elected officials met with the Coast Guard to voice their concerns about the Ashtabula and Fairport stations being left unattended for long periods of time, and how that could impact issues involving commercial shipping, homeland security, and recreational boating emergencies.

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“Without the Coast Guard there, that’s going to fall back on the local agencies, we just don’t have the staffing either or the training to do what the Coast Guard does. That’s just a recipe for disaster and that’s not an area we want to go,” said Jim Timonere.

Local officials are now asking Senators Sherrod Brown and JD Vance to get involved in the fight to maintain regular operations at the two stations, and they are hoping to find some type of solution before the boating season begins in the spring.

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