Choices: A Coast Guard Rescue Story

Young Boatswain's Mate Third Class Shelley Lee has always dreamed of being on the front lines of a search and rescue operation, and when that call finally comes, she's ready. Her mission: command the USCG patrol boat Orca's small rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB), a critical part of a high-stakes search and rescue operation involving a tour boat that has been disabled and set aflame, with dozens of passengers trapped on board.

The situation is dire: the tour boat is ablaze, smoke billowing into the sky, and survivors are cut off from their life vests and rafts, unable to swim to shore in the freezing cold water. With the Orca still miles away, Shelley and her two crewmates are dispatched ahead of the cutter, tasked with using a portable pump to contain the fire long enough to give the slower vessel time to reach the scene.

As Shelley drives the RHIB toward the burning vessel, the urgency of the situation becomes even clearer. The passengers are in grave danger, and the fire is spreading fast. The crew arrives to find survivors desperately clinging to the boat, and thick smoke choking the air. In the midst of all the chaos, Shelley and her team hear cries for help from the darkness—a desperate call from woman, struggling to stay afloat in the freezing water.

The dilemma is immediate and gut-wrenching. Should Shelley divert her efforts to rescue the woman, potentially delaying the battle with the fire and putting the lives of those still trapped on the tour boat in jeopardy? Or should she focus on the immediate threat of the fire and risk leaving the woman in the water for later recovery?