Mayday the dragonfly flies around looking for bugs who need to be rescued.

A thirty-foot yacht, adrift well out to sea, sends, "MAYDAY! MAYDAY! Please respond to our plea!" Hearing this call for help, the United States Coast Guard leaps into action. A team of four highly trained rescue specialists head out in an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter. Battling fierce conditions, the Coast Guard team finally locates the disabled boat, rescues the crew, treats injured passengers, and carries them back to safety. Complemented by dramatic, striking illustrations, Chris L. Demarest's text brings into vivid focus one of the many important jobs performed by the U.S. Coast Guard. A detailed author's note provides additional information about the search-and-rescue process, making this a terrific book for any school or home library.

Rhyming text and illustrations show how the United States Coast Guard uses aircraft and a rescue swimmer to respond to a call for help.

Lifeboats occupy a particular place in people’s hearts as unpaid volunteers regularly take to their boats often in extremely adverse conditions to rescue others from the sea.

About 50 aircraft have crashed in the Great Smoky Mountains. This book details all known incidents and rescue efforts from 1920 to 2000, including those that occurred within the area before the establishment of the park in 1934. Stories are based on official documents, newspaper archives, and interviews with survivors, family members, and eyewitnesses. B & w photos are included. Wadley is a lieutenant colonel in the Tennessee Civil Air Patrol who serves as a mission coordinator and trainer in the Smoky Mountains. McCarter served as a backcountry ranger in Great Smoky National Park for 20 years. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR.