Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - NH Marine Patrol funding, or lack there of

kjbathe · 07-24-2006, 04:02 PM

If we talk about funding, I think we need to ask what Marine Patrol thinks they should be doing, what they're not capable of doing that they'd like to, and if they think they need more funding as a solution? We may think a 30 minute response time to Green's Basin is too much, but does MP find that an acceptable risk? How many accidents or calls for service do they get per annum in that area of the lake? Does Mutual Aid provide adequate coverage to mitigate the risk. Is it even an area of concern?

I'll personally defer those answers to the public safety agencies that perform the ongoing risk analyses, population studies, growth predictions, etc... For example, we don't have fire stations positioned around the state to provide sub-two-minute response times to every home in every remote location. The risk, cost and usage profile simply don't support neighborhood-specific fire departments. I expect that MP operates on much the same principle: Have a presence in the high risk and visibility areas that require it most.

What I'm hearing in this discussion is that everyone has an opinion of what Marine Patrol should be doing, when, and where. And usually folks wanted something done in hindsight, to someone else, or someplace else that didn't bother them.

If Marine Patrol had a $1B budget, I think we'd just have three times as many tickets issued, three times as many people tickee off at MP officers, and three times as many people complaining about warnings given to snorkelers.

I also don't believe the State of NH should be required to fund the agency if it already has a mechanism in place to provide sufficient funding. Yes, I'm assuming that the funding is roughly adequate for the agency to fulfill it's mission. If boater registrations are getting it done to the agency's satisfaction, that's ideal -- boaters are the primary 'customers' of the safety and enforcement services, and I'm more than happy to pay for it that way. Yes, I live here, I enjoy the lake, I don't have an issue with Marine Patrol, and I'm certainly not looking for someone else to foot the bill for a service I use and that a majority of people in the state do not.

07-24-2006, 04:02 PM	#5
kjbathe Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 289 Thanks: 3 Thanked 22 Times in 12 Posts	If we talk about funding, I think we need to ask what Marine Patrol thinks they should be doing, what they're not capable of doing that they'd like to, and if they think they need more funding as a solution? We may think a 30 minute response time to Green's Basin is too much, but does MP find that an acceptable risk? How many accidents or calls for service do they get per annum in that area of the lake? Does Mutual Aid provide adequate coverage to mitigate the risk. Is it even an area of concern? I'll personally defer those answers to the public safety agencies that perform the ongoing risk analyses, population studies, growth predictions, etc... For example, we don't have fire stations positioned around the state to provide sub-two-minute response times to every home in every remote location. The risk, cost and usage profile simply don't support neighborhood-specific fire departments. I expect that MP operates on much the same principle: Have a presence in the high risk and visibility areas that require it most. What I'm hearing in this discussion is that everyone has an opinion of what Marine Patrol should be doing, when, and where. And usually folks wanted something done in hindsight, to someone else, or someplace else that didn't bother them. If Marine Patrol had a $1B budget, I think we'd just have three times as many tickets issued, three times as many people tickee off at MP officers, and three times as many people complaining about warnings given to snorkelers. I also don't believe the State of NH should be required to fund the agency if it already has a mechanism in place to provide sufficient funding. Yes, I'm assuming that the funding is roughly adequate for the agency to fulfill it's mission. If boater registrations are getting it done to the agency's satisfaction, that's ideal -- boaters are the primary 'customers' of the safety and enforcement services, and I'm more than happy to pay for it that way. Yes, I live here, I enjoy the lake, I don't have an issue with Marine Patrol, and I'm certainly not looking for someone else to foot the bill for a service I use and that a majority of people in the state do not.