Some of you aren't going to be too happy about the latest posting on the AuxKB.

But look on the bright side - since Nat Aux via the district stores is the only authorized provider of the replacement PFDs with Aux markings, you are helping the Aux solve its financial problems by complying.

With no further ado:

quote:

Please find the Auxiliary Guidance to AIG 4980 - MINIMUM FLOTATION REQUIREMENT (below guidance):

This is a new rule that is coming out soon for active duty boat forces but won't affect the auxiliary until June 1, 2009 when everyone must comply. The new regulation states that all of our PFD's must be dynamic strength tested for 50mph. Many of the previously approved PFD's have not been tested to this standard and will no longer be authorized for use. This includes the float coat since it has only been tested to 35mph.

After discussions with the Office of Boat Forces the only Auxiliarists that will need to comply June 1, 2009 will be Auxiliarists on auxiliary surface facilities. All of our pierside/shore based programs will be unaffected and may continue to wear the PFD's they have now including the float coat.

See the AuxKB for the official notice that follows the above.

This is another one of those one size fits all answers that is stupid. I can understand the need for higher speed ratings for the crews of those funny little red boats, but for those of us who couldn't get over 35 mph if we wanted to it is ... (censored)

You know, on hand, I can understand the reasons why they are doing this. Would you want to try to write regs to the effect "You can wear this only on days that follow a full moon with the exception if it's a blue moon that only follows the first tuesday of the month assuming that it is spring"? On the other, there is a significant cost to replace those items. Does anyone know if there is a replacement program since this only affects crew/coxswain?

Have a good day,

Mike

quote:

After discussions with the Office of Boat Forces the only Auxiliarists that will need to comply June 1, 2009 will be Auxiliarists on auxiliary surface facilities.

Hope somebody has lots of money in their budget. I don't see any indication that the standard Mustang Anti-Exposure Coverall is rated for 50MPH. Same with the Float Coat, both variations of the type 3 vest nor the inflatable.

How many members will have to pony up to replace all the gear they already bought just for performing CG missions? $350 for their personnal CGAUX marked Coverall, $90 for their personnnal CGAUX marked bomber jacket, $110 for their personnal CGAUX marked inflatable. Total $550?

I suspect if the members/flotilla's are forced to eat the cost of the coveralls. You will see very little activity once the water drops to 60F.

on edit

Anybody have Mustang model numbers for AUX items that comply with the requirement?

Madness!

If this remains as stated, it is indeed another ridiculous decision on the part of our USCG obsessed operations group. They just don’t get it. We are NOT the USCG, we are the Auxiliary. Our missions are completely different. We don’t need not should we in any way support, craft that can go 50 MPH. We don’t need nor should we require gear that will sustain that kind of stress.

See the schizophrenic message again! Our mission is to safety patrol at low speed. Eyes and ears. Show the flag. Spread goodwill and a message of safety. But some USCG obsessed Pavlov’s dogs just want to make us “just like them”. I wish they would just join the USCG and leave the Auxiliary alone. Further, all we need to do is state, “yes sir, we will comply. We expect that will cost the Auxiliary 1.5 million for new equipment and as soon as we have your check, we will implement the program.”

If this did stand, it would be the last straw for me. I’d be out of operations and if that’s true, then I’d be out of the Auxiliary.

My OPFAC couldn't do 35 miles an hour going over a cliff. Once again, we are being lumped in with the gold side to the detriment of the silver side. Where are our "leaders" who are supposed to be protecting the membership from such idiocy?

There is another solution. In the real military I flew airplanes, and we had a speed capability well above the failure point of our egress system. Solution? They gave us a speed limit within the limitations of our egress system. The speed limit didn't apply during tactical evolutions, but since we in the auxiliary are not authorized for military or law enforcement, that's not a problem, is it?

The bottom part of the new rule says:

STEARNS I465/LSC 320-CG 35 MPH

MUSTANG MV1254 22 USCG 50 MPH

STEARNS I424/LSC 460-CG 50 MPH

MUSTANG MV3128 22 USCG 50 MPH

STEARNS FLOAT COAT I077 NOT RATED

MUSTANG FLOAT COAT MJ6214 22 NOT RATED

MUSTANG MD3031 INFLATABLE (REPLACED BY MD3183) NOT RATED

MUSTANG MD3183 INFLATABLE NOT RATED

MUSTANG MD0450 22 INFLATABLE NOT RATED

LSC 485CG INFLATABLE NOT RATED

LSC 481CG/481CGM INFLATABLE NOT RATED



I was just issued a set of personal protective equipment (Ultimately issued from District 13) and in it, the STEARNS I465/LSC 320-CG PFD, which according to the new rule is not acceptable (only rated to 35 MPH). Everyone else in my Division seems to have been issued that same PFD in recent years. They're about $50 each with the GSA advantage... who's going to foot the bill for new ones? I also own a float coat and an MD3183 (type V/II inflatable PFD) which I bought directly from Mustang Survival. This new rule will put a damper on their inflatable and float coat sales for sure.

In my region, we're issued dry suits and anti-exposure suits. Most of the times, its cold enough that dry suits are required. Still, most members don't like to wear them and instead, simply wear the anti-exposure suits. I have a feeling that anyone who remembers this new rule all the way until June, 2009 will just not comply like with the dry suits. Or, perhaps the rule will be amended since none of our OP FAC's go 50 MPH.

Issued? What issued! In twenty years as a member of the auxiliary, I have never been issued anything. What am I doing wrong?

Item 4 Part A
THE FOLLOWING DYNAMIC STRENGTH TESTED PFD'S RATED FOR 50 MPH ARE THE ONLY PFD'S AUTHORIZED:

1) MUSTANG MODEL MV1254 22 USCG

2) STEARNS MODEL I424 WITH USCG MARKINGS

Thats preatty specific. I guess the Coverall is no longer acceptable. So at 60F and below we must all have dry suits with a PFD from above?

quote:

Originally posted by Ancora:
Issued? What issued! In twenty years as a member of the auxiliary, I have never been issued anything. What am I doing wrong?

We are close to the District office, and they seem to be in charge of issuing PPE for us. Once I got crew qualified, my IPFC (also SO-Op- this might be significant) filled out a form (specifically, "form 538") that made the request. Our District actually keeps a stock of PPE on hand to issue out to members. I don't know how it works elsewhere, but maybe try at your local CG unit. If you have boat crew or coxswain quals, you might be able to get stuff issued to you from them.

It seems to me that Stearns has a need for additional income!@#$%&*

Our station spends around $4,000.00 per year ordering PPE for our Auxiliarists. We supply each active coxswain and crew with PFDs, float coats, mustangs and in some cases body armour and helmets. I have turned down a few requests for OC spray. That they will have to find on their own.

quote:

Originally posted by TybeeBM1:
Our station spends around $4,000.00 per year ordering PPE for our Auxiliarists. We supply each active coxswain and crew with PFDs, float coats, mustangs and in some cases body armour and helmets. I have turned down a few requests for OC spray. That they will have to find on their own.

The axiom around here is that your mileage and district may vary. I have never been issued anything but a personal EPIRB, and that was because I flat refused to spend nine hundred dollars for one. Of course, foul weather gear around here is a speeedo and Crocs, so they might not be as concerned about my hypothermic safety. We get a lot of flack here for violating the POC even if there is not one designated. I was once told by someone who ultimately made it to the National Bridge that it was so strictly enforced to keep the peons (bilge-mice) from bothering the AD with requests for support. I wanna go where Tybee is.

I think just about all our crew and coxswain wear PFDs issued through the CG. I have an inflatable and a anti-exposure suit that came from the CG. I think one or two coxswains may have bought their own float coats and maybe some of the older members bought their stuff, but for the last 3-4 years it has all been issued.

My bad. We did get an EPIRB but that was it. We are 100 miles away from District so I guess the old adage holds true:"the nearer the church, the closer to God."

Basically where I'm at the more active your flotilla is in patrolling, the more goodies you get from the CG.

That being the case, I'm in a "Catch-22" position. I am "on the beach" because Sector does not have the Gumbo pants availible. I will not be able to patrol until the ocean temps reach 60 degrees. I have been an OPFAC owner/Coxswain for 18 years and this is the second year we have been put on the shelf for
5 months. What a waste of an OPFAC. One more example of the deleterious effect of being "One Coast Guard."

Here is a fun exercise.

PWOs already have or are at least supposed to have 50 MPH PFDs - so this change doesn't effect them. However, it does effect coxswains, crew and PCOs (paddlecraft operators) - there are no exceptions in the policy. It is unknown how many AVs (aid verifiers) go out on boats without BCQP quals, so I ignored them. Here is the total number of members effected.

Coxswain 3671
Crew 5476
PCO 18
Total 9165

So how much money does the District stores stand to make on this policy change. Let us assume that every BCQP Auxie buys at least one PFD. I used the prices of the current PFDs from the D7 Store. D7 seemed to not rip-off the members too much when it came to the District Store. Keep in mind higher MPH rated PFDs should cost even more then the current ones.

So how much will a district store make if the membership bought one PFD. The totals are simply the number of BCQP Auxies time the unit cost of each PC type.

And the answer is:

Type Unit Cost Total
Full PFD $70.00 $641,550.00
Mesh PFD $65.00 $595,725.00
Float Coat $138.00 $1,264,770.00

If you know (I don't) the district store mark-up over Nat Cost you could even figure out how the district profits on this little policy change. And then Nat Aux's vigorish can be back calculated using a guesstimate of Nat markup over their cost.

From looking at the message, the standard (only one authorized to be bought from now on) is going to be the mesh PFD.