Are females allowed in SAR? What is the training like? What previous experience do you have to have?

My cousin is in the Coast Guard. He is an EMT-I hardly ever get to see him because he resides in New York and is always working but, he tells everyone how great the CG is and how well he is advancing in the program. He has made an excellent career out of the CG.

I am in school for Nursing/Medical Assisting right now, I had serious thoughts of joining the Navy as an HM. The Navy has Rescue Swimmer School or SAR- but reading from the other forums, they assist the CG in SAR if need be. The Navy SAR is for picking up Navy/Marine Corp pilots.


Would a degree in Nursing/Medical Assisting increase your eligibility to be accepted into the SAR?

Besides being a strong swimmer and a strong physically fit person, what other qualities do you need to have?

Any info would be great. Thanks

A female can do anything in SAR. You have to realize that SAR is not something you have to try out for, like a police SWAT team or something, but you will have to certify as a boat crewmember, EMT or coxswain if you are at a station.

SAR is simply Search and Rescue, the job of the stations, most cutters but the larger ones, even though they may help out, it is rare that something as large as a 378' will be called upon to handle SAR unless it is far offshore or something really horrible, ie: airliner crash. They will search for overdue vessels, etc.

Females fill roles such as boat coxswain (boat drivers) crew, boat engineers, EMT's, Rescue Swimmers, helicopter or fixed wing aircraft pilot or crew, SAR coordinators at the SECTORS, etc.

Talk to a recruiter or the CPO in the recruiter section of this board, CPO Kalbach. He is great will giving you the straight info.

Good luck with your future.

Don

That's good to hear! Thanks for you help.

p.s. What is a 'cutter'?

quote:

Originally posted by jademarie08:
That's good to hear! Thanks for you help.

p.s. What is a 'cutter'?

LOL.....sorry, those of us in or haven been in the Coast Guard assume everyone knows.

A cutter is any patrol boat or ship in the Coast Guard larger than 65' (I believe that is the current cut off size).

Patrol boats (WPBs) are 87' or 110' are considered cutters, larger cutters include 210's, 270's, 378's, ice breakers, bouy tenders, etc.

WPBs - Coast Guard Patrol Boats
WMECs - Coast Guard Medium Endurance Cutters, 210's, 270's (feet long)

WHEC's - Coast Guard High Endurance Cutters, 378's and now the new 418's. They may be called something other than WHEC, not sure, I haven't been in the USCG since '88.

What the Navy calls ships, we call Cutters.

Don

From 1983 in Guantanamo Bay Cuba; In the back, a US Navy Oliver Perry Class Frigate. In the foreground, a USCG High Endurance Cutter, the USCG Cutter Chase.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 21yrsUSCGUSCS,

Awesome pic. Thanks for you generous replies and giving advice to those considering the Coast Guard!

quote:

What the Navy calls ships, we call Cutters.

Don

Don, Just to clarify.....the CG uses the term "cutter" somewhat generically to identify vessels over 65 feet, however we all know that is a combination of both boats and ships. An 87' Patrol Boat is a boat, not a ship. A 378' WHEC is a ship.....yet both are cutters.

No doubt done to confuse those not intimately familiar with the CG.

quote:

Originally posted by Ex_CG_GM:

quote:

What the Navy calls ships, we call Cutters.

Don

Don, Just to clarify.....the CG uses the term "cutter" somewhat generically to identify vessels over 65 feet, however we all know that is a combination of both boats and ships. An 87' Patrol Boat is a boat, not a ship. A 378' WHEC is a ship.....yet both are cutters.

No doubt done to confuse those not intimately familiar with the CG.

My old CO said that the difference between a ship and a boat is that a boat can be put on a ship, but a ship can't be put on a boat. Does that make anything smaller than the USS Cole a BOAT???

quote:

Originally posted by truebm2:

quote:

Originally posted by Ex_CG_GM:

quote:

What the Navy calls ships, we call Cutters.

Don

Don, Just to clarify.....the CG uses the term "cutter" somewhat generically to identify vessels over 65 feet, however we all know that is a combination of both boats and ships. An 87' Patrol Boat is a boat, not a ship. A 378' WHEC is a ship.....yet both are cutters.

No doubt done to confuse those not intimately familiar with the CG.

My old CO said that the difference between a ship and a boat is that a boat can be put on a ship, but a ship can't be put on a boat. Does that make anything smaller than the USS Cole a BOAT???

So was the U.S.S. Cole a boat? Now I am really confused!


Jademarie....ignore us or you'll really be confused!

Don

Now, set the boat lowering detail!

quote:

Originally posted by Jehoash:
Now, set the boat lowering detail!

Now, we all know this was done to keep mileage off the odometers!

Those thing would look better if they were 13 feet longer

You can add 13' feet too them as long as its all built with rubber and styrofoam and its built to break away when stressed.