I ship off for Basic Mar. 18th and I would love to be involved in SAR. I am currently an EMT-B and I was wondering what the process is to get into SAR. Is it something that you request on your "Dream Sheet" or is it rate specific? BM, GM, HS? Who is involved? Or will this all be explained in Basic? After boot camp I want to go on a cutter as a non-rate for the experience. Is it all dependant on your orders, or can you request something like this? Thanks

quote:

After boot camp I want to go on a cutter as a non-rate for the experience.

You will see SAR, Law Enforcement, and lots more on the Cutter.

Search and Rescue is a mission any rating can be involved with. Obviously, if you are a YN at a shore station, such as a District Office, not much SAR in downtown XXX.

Enjoy boot camp and keep an open mind about where you end up, although, you will make many happy by your wish to be on a Cutter.

Good luck!

your best bet is to try to go to small boat stations, they seem to be involved in SAR the most.

Something else to consider for your dreamsheet...

I was at Station Merrimac River, MA where we did around 35 cases per year. Then I went to Station Islamorada, FL Keys where we handled something like 350/yr.

Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, NYC and many others may be a good pick if you can get them. It drove me nuts in New England when we got underway maybe twice per month during parts of the year.

Don

Awesome thanks a lot for the ideas.

OS or BM for the best SAR experience(s) in my opinion. If you want to be in control of how the SAR goes, OS. IF you want to be the one getting rocked by 6 ft waves searching for someone for 8 hrs of the night... BM.

Much love to the BM's as I sit in my 69 degree A/C controlled squirrel hole.
NOW GET BACK OUT THERE AND FIND THOSE PEOPLE! lol

quote:

Originally posted by Coastie171:
OS or BM for the best SAR experience(s) in my opinion. If you want to be in control of how the SAR goes, OS. IF you want to be the one getting rocked by 6 ft waves searching for someone for 8 hrs of the night... BM.

Much love to the BM's as I sit in my 69 degree A/C controlled squirrel hole.
NOW GET BACK OUT THERE AND FIND THOSE PEOPLE! lol

BM or MK if you want to see the look on the people's faces as you pull them from their sinking boat, raft or out of the water. Although with the good comes the not so pleasant, recovery missions.

Don

quote:

Originally posted by 21yrsUSCGUSCS:

BM or MK if you want to see the look on the people's faces as you pull them from their sinking boat, raft or out of the water. Although with the good comes the not so pleasant, recovery missions.

Don

Couldn't be said any better. Just like on the OS side, most of the times you saved someones life, and get the good feelings when they say they see the CG in the distance, or you could be the one who hears the last words they say. Pros and Cons to all right?

Don't forget aviation ratings. All are involved in SAR.

BM's can be SAR controllers too...

Depends what kind of SAR you are looking to do. If you want to do more hands on SAR, like actually going out on a boat then I would concentrate on the BM rate with an emphasis on small boat stations. If you like coordinating (in other words being in charge), then try OS. Be carfull though like all all rates you need to read the fine print. Being an OS myself I know that there are other units and jobs that you may have to do that are not SAR related. Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by cgsi:
BM's can be SAR controllers too...

Unfortunately, that's not the case anymore. All enlisted SAR controller billets are OS.

True if your active or reserve, however not true if your civilian.

quote:

Unfortunately, that's not the case anymore. All enlisted SAR controller billets are OS.

quote:

True if your active or reserve, however not true if your civilian.

Read it again. If you are a civilian you are NOT an "enlisted SAR controller." Nor are you a BM.

My mistake yep enlisted only.

Looks like that cat laid one heck of a kick to the dog's head!

quote:

Originally posted by alfie2006:
True if your active or reserve, however not true if your civilian.

Yeah, most of the civilian SAR controllers are prior BM or QM.

quote:

Originally posted by medicjm:

quote:

Originally posted by alfie2006:
True if your active or reserve, however not true if your civilian.

Yeah, most of the civilian SAR controllers are prior BM or QM.

That's becuase the OS rate is only what 4 years old? So most of the Civilian SAR controllers are Retired coasties, and the BM QM rates were SAR controllers before OS came about. So they retired and went to SAR controller.
a few years from now i'm sure you can expect to see all of the civilian SAR controllers are retired OS's.
as 21YrsUSCGUSCS said, FL is very SAR heavy, i think it was Sector ST. Pete and Sector Delaware Bay (Philadelphia) last year who were the 2 busiest sectors on the east coast. not 100% sure about that.

When I left St. Pete last year, they were sitting on 1800 cases for the year. It's a little busy there.

Ron

quote:

Originally posted by 2495667:
When I left St. Pete last year, they were sitting on 1800 cases for the year. It's a little busy there.

Ron

Yeah i know for sure St. Pete is the busiest SAR unit in the USCG.