The Coast Guard runs the National SAR school, not the Auxiliary.
Like I said, ground SAR isn't one of the Coast Guard's many mandates and that applies to the Auxiliary. Ground SAR is a responsibility of local and state governments and the feds don't really have a role.
We could probably come up with some radically unlikely scenarios that might bring in the Coast Guard, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to happen.
Given that the average age of Auxiliary members is in the upper 50s, even if it were a typical CG mission, I doubt very many Auxies would be interested in it.
Many Auxiliarists respond to sar cases in mobile radio facilities as well as DF'ing elts and epirbs on land. I have done both on many occasions and believe that Sky has done quite a few also.
I've done a bit out here in the San Joaquin River Delta since the river system is extensive but almost 100% accessible by levee roads. Looking for overdue fishermen and checking up on "alert" status call-ins by automobile is more cost and personnel effective than launching a station boat. After a while you get to knowing just where some poor soul will run aground or drift to, sometimes just talking with them from the bank lets them know we care and can respond if things go south.
Originally posted by RiverAux: Given that the average age of Auxiliary members is in the upper 50s, even if it were a typical CG mission, I doubt very many Auxies would be interested in it.
Your mileage may vary... Thankfully, this is not the case in my Flotilla. Of the 25 or so new members joining my Flotilla in 2007, many are in their mid-30s -- some as young as early 20s. Only a couple were post-retirement age and none with a mindset of having one foot in the grave...
Granted, land-based SAR isn't our "thing" -- there's always the "C" organization one could join...
I'm assuming he is asking about "traditional" ground search and rescue involving long sweaty hikes up and down the mountains. EPIRB missions do commonly get bounced between the CG amd other organizations along the coast until somebody figures it out, but I can't imagine that prosecuting those missions on land is something the Aux does very often, but it doesn't surprise me that it does happen every now and again. However, it is not something that the Aux trains specificially for and is not something we count among our skills as an organization.
This may rankle some Auxies. While Auxies have to make do with the T3 (Train-the-Trainer) AUXSCE, for which there is no budget, therefore no books, therefore no instructors, therefore no students; the members of the "C" organization can attend the Inland Search and Rescue Course and SAR Management Course at the Nat SAR School in Yorktown and other locales.
Like I said, ground SAR isn't one of the Coast Guard's many mandates and that applies to the Auxiliary. Ground SAR is a responsibility of local and state governments and the feds don't really have a role.
That statement is not accurate at all. The Air Force runs the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, which is the United States' inland search and rescue coordinator. They serve as the single agency responsible for coordinating on-land SAR activities in the 48 contiguous United States, Mexico and Canada.
Federal resources to state government for their emergency service response requires them to train, plan and coordinate consistent with the NRP and NIMS. Regarding SAR, the SAR Annex to the Emergency Support function to the Federal SAR Response system (part of the NRP) has just been release. It defines the operational parameters regarding SAR. It's a good read. I'm new to the forum and don't know how to upload pdf documents.
I'm new to the forum and don't know how to upload pdf documents.
We don't upload documents, we just link to them.
To link just click the "URL" button in the bar just above the window you type in. A small data entry window appears. In the top of the window put the complete url, in the bottom put whatever description you want.
And you thought you knew all the ICS acronyms after completing ICS 100/200/700/800 didn't you? Well there are new ones coming. And the NRF obsoletes some of what you learned in ICS800 about the National Response Plan.
The Air Force runs the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, which is the United States' inland search and rescue coordinator.
No, actually the AFRCC coordinates federal efforts in SAR situations (such as the committment of CAP or military resources). The state is still in charge of the response and the exact relationship is detailed in agreements between each state and AFRCC.
That being said, what typically happens for ELT & inshore EPIRB missions is that the AFRCC notifies the state and the state asks CAP to do the mission and then CAP works directly with AFRCC to finish the job. However, if the state wanted to do the response itself, its under no obligation to use CAP or any other service provided by AFRCC.
I don't know. The CG Aux is kept under much tighter control than CAP is and isn't encouraged to develop relationships with local authorities. For example, you have to get permission from the CG to even talk to local officials. That would make it difficult to work things out so that CG could be used.
But, please clarify what you're asking --- are you wanting to know if CG Aux would be doing searches for lost persons and the like (traditional ground SAR) or are you talking about looking for EPIRBs as was mentioned earlier (which is really still sort of maritime SAR)? If you're talking about traditional SAR, as I mentioned, the CG Aux does not have any training or qualification process to perform that mission. About the only thing I could see in that area is possibly providing communications support.
A thorough reading of the Operations Policy Manual will disclose that local flotillas are encouraged to enter into MOUs with local EOD and LE personnel for joint operations. We have several MOUs in place and others under review at the District level to provide both CGA assets upon request and personnel for non-LE emergency billets.
True, but this is nowhere near a priority of the CG Aux. Our structure really works against us, since we don't really have a good single point of contact for a state to work with on a regular basis, which makes it difficult to really work on these things. Even at the county level coordination may be tricky in counties with multiple flotillas.
Then it becomes the DCP's problem to assign or himself coordinate response teams. Since the flotilla is the basic unit for response in our division, an emergency in a particular flotilla AOR would be responded to by them with follow-on forces by adjacent flotillas coordinated by the DCP. The FC of the first responding team is the POC for orders from the OIA, usually Group. In your situation the DCP might have to take the FC's place as POC and contact person with local OES. Would make for interesting planning and tabletop exercises.
