I would be more than willing to give up my coxswain badge and go back to operator if just to get away from, what in this AOR, is the irrelevent towing requal. It is a waste of time and effort placing both crew and vessel in harms way for no good reason.

quote:

Originally posted by usefulguy:
It is a intellectual conceit (one I've been guilty of far too often) to accuse someone of not thinking outside the box when I cannot substantiate it.

Rereading this I realize I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. Sorry about that Joe.

The point I was trying to make is that you don't really know how deep into the box or outside of the box my thinking on this has gone. I've spent hundreds of hours in the last few years digging through our business processes and I am fully cognizant that much change is required to reach something closer to an optimal organization.

quote:

So Joe do you then withdraw this...

Absolutely not. I'd love to get into a team that was not hidebound to USCG requirements and really was determined to make some sense. But what's the point if nobody gives a crap?

quote:

I would be more than willing to give up my coxswain badge and go back to operator if just to get away from, what in this AOR, is the irrelevent towing requal. It is a waste of time and effort placing both crew and vessel in harms way for no good reason.

The problem with that Ancora, is that the towing re-qual is much tougher on crews than coxswain. Generally I just brief the crew on what we're going to do, make sure they are squared away on their duties, drive the boat to the towee and carefully watch their progress as they hook it up. If they're a good crew, my job's made very easy.

In fact on a re-qual I try real hard to get experienced hands so I just have to drive the boat. Unfortunately, we sometimes are re-qualing the coxswain at the same time we are initially qualifying the crews. Now that can be a real keystone cops' routine.

The coxswain's job is crew management and control. The crew usually does the heavy lifting. I just thought that on a two-crew boat I guess the coxswain is also the crew <G>.

quote:

The point I was trying to make is that you don't really know how deep into the box or outside of the box my thinking on this has gone.

Easy. By observing how fiercely you (or anybody) defends the status-quo and refutes any ideas that are dramatically different. That position is the default position of the Auxiliary.

I think I know how hard you have worked in the IT/Ecomm area and I know your ideas are strong and correct in that area (albeit I doubt anybody listened there either) <G>.

quote:

Originally posted by FL51D7:
Want to take up the challenge? I put the whole list in the last post to make the reduction easy.

The following is Part 2 of a 3 Part "Modest Proposal" I wrote in Feb 2003 and posted to the now defunct HalfDeck Forum. Part 1 dealt with changing facility requirements. Part 3 dealt with Coxswains. This part, Part 2, deals with the Boat Crew Quals. Feel free to fire away.

sensible. But I remember when we were a "victim" boat for several gold side crews requalifying. It was prety satisfying to see them practice and grade on the exact tasks we had just been certified in. Not a single extra task; no more, no less, our training was exactly as tough, thorough, and "professional grade" as the pros.

Like the commercial says: We are professional grade.

--
William Baldwin, Jr
MBA HCM program Univ of Phoenix
Ground below Zero, City of New Orleans, La
on the web: www.coastguardauxiliaryslidell8cr.us

quote:

Originally posted by ENGELJ:
In fact on a re-qual I try real hard to get experienced hands so I just have to drive the boat. Unfortunately, we sometimes are re-qualing the coxswain at the same time we are initially qualifying the crews. Now that can be a real keystone cops' routine.

The challenges that the towing evolution places on the team are one of the reasons I'd keep it in the crew qualification. I think it creates a challenging, complex atmosphere that gives the QEs a real sense of how well prepared the crew, coxswain and facility actually are. The necessary communication, TCT, line handling, boat handling, etc. all come together in a condensed event. Even if you never tow it is still valuable.

I think I've been involved in at least a tow per year since I became active in the surface ops program.... I have not towed in Air Ops yet <G>

quote:

Originally posted by ENGELJ:
Easy. By observing how fiercely you (or anybody) defends the status-quo and refutes any ideas that are dramatically different. That position is the default position of the Auxiliary.

I think you'll only be correct using the "ferocity of defense" test 95% of the time. 19 out of 20 is good odds but don't absolutely discount the other <5%.

My thinking on all of this is coming around from more training to a position of maintaining the status quo and offering more, well developed optional training. Much of what is available isn't very good (dare I mention the annual operations "workshop").

Maybe that puts me with the head in the sand group... oh well.

quote:

Originally posted by usefulguy:
(dare I mention the annual operations "workshop")

Must be my day for "boot (non-marking) in mouth" syndrome. I just looked at this year's operations workshop and it actually deals with many relevant issues that have come up of late in our discussions. http://www.auxodept.org/documents/uptopinoperations/200...ns%20WorkshopPPP.pps

Examples:

The first 7 slides are introduction and the new program requirements. Slide 8 "Our Missions" lists "Promote boating safety" as point #1.

Slide 9 "Promote Safety" lists "Set a good example for the rest of the crew and especially the general public" as point #1.

Slides 9 & 11 mention patrol speed and slides 24-26 are focused on operational speed: "
Experienced coxswains rarely operate at maximum speed available
Excessive speed is attributed to mishaps
Speed is hard on the body and the equipment, adds to crew fatigue
Hard to maintain situational awareness
Never hesitate to ask the coxswain to slow down (remember your TCT)

Comfort and safety of crew
There is No justification for operating the vessel with a lack of consideration to the crew enroute to a perceived distress
Speed must be adjusted for weather and sea conditions
Safe speed is prudent seamanship
Can (and has) cause crew ejection, injury or damage to boat
"

Slide 14 "Operate only in advisory/informational mode

You MAY NOT exercise or imply any law enforcement authority

You MAY NOT use or display unauthorized lights, sirens or flags - No Blue Lights"

It was prety satisfying to see them practice and grade on the exact tasks we had just been certified in. Not a single extra task; no more, no less, our training was exactly as tough, thorough, and "professional grade" as the pros.

I think it creates a challenging, complex atmosphere that gives the QEs a real sense of how well prepared the crew, coxswain and facility actually are. The necessary communication, TCT, line handling, boat handling, etc. all come together in a condensed event.

As we often say here, "Your mileage and district may vary". I find the above 2 comments hilarious given the actual state of things in my old AOR.

The last QE qualifying mission I was on, I wasn't one of the qualifiers or re-certs. I was simply there as an extra hand since there weren't enough qualifying. Our FSO-MT, who was also a coxswain was on the other boat in the same capacity - ie the extra pair of hands. The QEs know full well who was qualifying or re-certing and who were the extra. No objection was raised when the critical towing tasks on both boats were given to the 'extra hands'. No QE objected when one of the re-certing crew never left the bridge and never touched a line. No QE raised an objection when several of the re-certing or qualifying crew never touched a line. One QE remarked later that the rules only required the candidates 'participate' and the QEs decided what 'participation' was - apparently standing around watching with your hands in your pockets counts as participating.

And regarding having to fulfill the same standards, at the end of the day one of the QEs remarked (this is an exact quote):

quote:

That wasn't pretty but nobody got killed and nobody got hurt so you all pass.

I think that is several levels below the CG standard. However, to get the QEs off the hook - the AOR is loaded with commercial towers and the Aux almost never tows. So the QEs and the crews and coxswains don't see the point in the whole towing evolution.

Nor is that an anomaly of my old AOR. Another poster here, who may wish to remain nameless, from an entirely different district got himself in hot water and almost disenrolled for reporting QEs who table topped a coxswain who was in a nursing home when he supposedly passed his QE check ride. The same member also reported the same QEs for passing another member on his PWC qual - at the time the member was in a foot to waist leg cast. Reporting that one almost guaranteed his disenrollment. He barely survived while the QEs were eventually given a wrist slap.

Those are just 3 stories in the Naked Auxiliary - there are hundreds to thousands more just like them.

The one that got PWC qualed is now a QE since his QE buddy is the QE coordiator.

Bah some days!!

quote:

I think that is several levels below the CG standard. However, to get the QEs off the hook - the AOR is loaded with commercial towers and the Aux almost never tows. So the QEs and the crews and coxswains don't see the point in the whole towing evolution.

We see similar to that here too. Even though here, we tow pretty regularly. But rarely side tows, mostly just hooking up an open 16 ft trailerable boat with a simple single stern tow and then manually pulling them up to put them on the dock.

BTW, we tow pretty regularly because of safety concerns. This big river is swift and cold. Usually it's a "come-upon" because once the USCG gets involved, they have to follow there established steps of a MARB, Commercial, etc.

Anyone adrift on our rivers are considered in real danger. Even if they have anchored or have otherwise secured their vessel, folks (especially families) who have been exposed to sun, or rain or cold or with night approaching, are also considered to be in danger so we hook them up.

It's the cosxwain's call on the scene about the danger. When we report the come-upon into the Sector, it's after we have them, not should we take them. Generally it works OK, but occasionally we'll get a howl from the local commercial towers.

But as long as we can document wet, cold children or an exhausted Mom in the sun, or even heavy commercial traffic rolling their boat excessively, all that stuff, we're covered.

We do not hook up yachts or cruisers where they are safely secured (anchored or tied off to wingdam, etc.) because that usually means they are not in danger. And they are the commercial towers primary market. We hope the USCG will work those cases on the radio and we try to avoid being asked to standby until the commercial tower gets there. They usually promise ETA of 30 minutes and arrive in three hours. <G>. While we sit there and cool our heels the entire time.

quote:

So the QEs and the crews and coxswains don't see the point in the whole towing evolution.

I think you're right about that being a major reason for the lax qualification. But I still don't like it.

As you all know, I don't agree with many of the requirements, but as long as they are the requirements, then we should required to demonstrate that competency.

Turning a blind eye to the quality of qualification based upon the QE perceived relevance of that qualification is the absolutely worst way to deal with the irrelevance of qualifications.

This is again, the Auxiliary schizophrenic message. "Be like them, train like them, but we all know most of that stuff is not required, never used and not our mission, so forget about it."

It certainly just prolongs the ability to avoid the root and reality of the situation.

We do not tow in this AOR, but we must practise towing. That makes as much sense as starting up a company to make buggie whips.

I think it depends which body of water you patrol. I used to help out on a lake, and there were no towing companies there.

We used to do at least three tows per day. People would turn on their radio and sun themselves in the middle of the lake, and then discover their battery was dead.

I for one would like to Thank the CG Auxiliary. I have far more better memories of things members of the Auxiliary did then their shortfalls. At Station Golden Gate on the morning of 9/11 after we watched the second plane hit the WTC, we launched boats with armed teams aboard, secured the station and literally ran out of people, when who should show up - Herm Zeles (sp?) a member of the local flotilla. He asked me what can I do? He was a qualified Comms Center watchstander and he went right to work. Or there was Ken Gainer at ACTNY who received a security clearance to staff the Comms Center, Bernie Reiner who kept all the stats during the Ice Seasons at ACTNY, Tom Blount who qualified as a MLB Engineer and would come out in the surf and train with the rest of the crew. These are but a few of the thousands of Volunteers who make our jobs easier. And the only thing they want is to be a part of the Team. I'm retired now, but I'll never forget the friends I've made during my career. Thank You members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Little Ricky