We have discussed the entering the water prohibition many times. One example is inside the now closed Patrol Question thread.

With that out of the way, may I direct your attention to the latest edition of the Beacon "http://www.cgauxa.org/beacon/fall09beacon.pdf" and the real life story on page 16, "When Our Best Efforts Can't Succeed". Note the Auxies didn't enter the water, it appears they could have.

I know I have been in the water to free a boat that was stuck. It was a SAR request from the Gold Side. Three men and three kids are happy that I did get in the water to GET R DONE.[/IMG]

Boy, I'm pretty sure, no; make that absolutely positive, I'm not gonna stand on the deck ofa boat and watch someone in distress drown. No matter uniform I'm wearing or not, and/or any regulations that may be "over my head".

Kinda strange how things change. Back "in the dark ages" I guess when I was active duty ata smallboat station we were trained how to go into the water and get somebody, and we were specifically trained on how to get somebody that maybe didn't necessarily want help, as appears to be the exact case here. And; as a crewmember on a USCG smallboat I did go in the water, more than once.

I did almost go into the water once as an AUXIE, but I was able to reach halfway under and pull the "going down for the 3rd time" kid up and out offa the OPFACs swim platform. But; if necessary, I absolutely woulda gone in. I was "counseled" by my divCapt and FC for taking off my PFD and going over the transom onto the swim platform after this kid.

Anywho, NO WAY on Gods, Green Earth I coulda stood there and watched someone drown-JRC

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Originally posted by SgtBroomfield:
I know I have been in the water to free a boat that was stuck. It was a SAR request from the Gold Side. Three men and three kids are happy that I did get in the water to GET R DONE.[/IMG]

Wow, were you not the same poster who posted about "informing" boaters of the PFD laws? Now your entering the water to free grounded boats in non distress situations? Guess there are a few cowboys left down in south Texas.

PS I cant believe there is a Sector Command Center around that would ask you to go in the water to free a stuck boat, is there more to the story?

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PS I cant believe there is a Sector Command Center around that would ask you to go in the water to free a stuck boat

since doing so by either Auxies or Coasties goes against CG policy.

The shirt come off. Do what it takes to save lives, endure derision later.

Along with a long line of lawyer vultures waiting to pick your bones clean.

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Now your entering the water to free grounded boats in non distress situations?

It was late afternoon on a Monday on a 3 day weekend. The winds were 30 plus and hot about 98. The boat was found in 10 inches of water. I got my boat stuck trying to get to them. So had to push both to deeper water. They had No Water or food. The 3 kids on the boat were hot and crying. There cell went dead before they could tell the CG there location ,only had kids and that there boat had broke down and needed help.
We loaned them 3 PFD's gave them water and towed them in.
Me and my crew though that this was a distress situation. The Heat was taking a toll on the kids.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SgtBroomfield,

Sure, the people were in distress, but could have been put on your boat and taken to a safe location (which is what we're supposed to do). The CG has said its not the job of Coasties or Auxies to try to save their boat (especially since they will sue us if we cause any damage while trying to get it unstuck).

The other risk in the action you took is that you towed them in on a boat that might have had some sort of damage to its hull. And if that boat had started to sink, then where would they be?

There are times when one can go by the book to an extreme. Sounds to me like Sgt. Broomfield did what was right, even though he technically violated the rules.

He also pointed out it was a SAR request from the "Gold side".

Not everyone sues.....

Not everyone sues... somehow I do not find comfort with that statement. We live in a country with an oversupply of lawyers just waiting the opportunity to grab their pound of flesh. One of those piranhas and a get-rich-quick "postoffice" jury and you will homeless and living on the street. We do nothing without orders.

FYI
We were under orders and in radio contact with the Gold Side. We towed them only after we made sure the boat and crew were safe. We put the kids on our boat. We violated no rules.

I own a Bar and Grill and I do not run it, or go on SARs thinking "I CAN NOT DO THIS, I MAY BE SUED". I will not live in fear of lawyers.
If you can not run with the big dogs, stay on the front porch.
I do have this photo on my FaceBook. Look for Curt Broomfield.

Keep up the good work and "non illigimatus carborundum".

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Not everyone sues... somehow I do not find comfort with that statement. We live in a country with an oversupply of lawyers just waiting the opportunity to grab their pound of flesh.

Isn't there a thread already discussing this?

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We do nothing without orders.

So you stand by and watch someone drown because you don't have authorization to get in the water? Amazing.....

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So you stand by and watch someone drown because you don't have authorization to get in the water? Amazing..... Roll Eyes

Talk to the Commandant about it. He is the one who signed the regulation.

But, that being said, I don't think there is an Auxie out there who wouldn't violate CG policy and go in the water to save someone if they thought they could. However, they should be willing to face the consequences for doing so. I know I'm in that category.

However, un-grounding a boat against policy is a different matter altogether.

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Originally posted by RiverAux:


But, that being said, I don't think there is an Auxie out there who wouldn't violate CG policy and go in the water to save someone if they thought they could.

Huh?? If ya followed the link and read the article apparently there is. Now, I'm saying that as someone who recieved training while on active duty in the USCG to be able to do exactly that. It's not easy. Even those that want nothing more than to have someone jump in and come save their butt are not gonna be to awfully open to cooperating in the rescue attempt as understandably they are in the water usually rather suddenly and not of their own choice and scared witless.

Now, for those in the water "at their own hand", add the scared witless from above plus the fact that they put themselves in the predicament, which just compounds the situation and makes 'em even more difficult to deal with.

During my time in the USCG I was involved in 3 suicide rescues, all of them successful, one of them quite harrowing for the Coastie(not me) that ended up in the water with the victim(couldn't get to 'em by boat, the woman wouldn't let go of the seawall my fellow coastie had her held up against, anda land rescue down a steep cliff had to be affected, he had to hold her up against the seawall for almost 2 hours), and each time the victim couldn't have been happier that someone came along to help them. To a person each one of them said "as soon as I hit the water I realized what a horrible decision I had made". And I'm willing to bet the victim in the story needed more than a life ring thrown to 'em or boat hook extended out being told to "grab it".

But, maybe yer right. As it is expressly prohibited now, except for rescue swimmers, nobody has any training or knowledge how ta do it.

Regardless it would be one very cold day in hell I stand on deck and watch somebody drown, not matter what the regulations said, no matter how the person ended up in the water, no matter whether I knew how ta do it or not, I WOULD NOT stand there and watch it-JRC

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Huh?? If ya followed the link and read the article apparently there is.

I said they would if they thought they COULD. Lets face it, there are quite a few Auxie boatcrew members who are not physically capable of doing this no matter how much they would want to do so. This is probably the most likely reason that all Auxies are prohibited from doing it.

The people I personally know who probably could pull it off, would do it (and have said so) even if it got them kicked out of the Aux later.

The Coxswain cannot command anyone to enter the water. Can the Coxswain order anyone NOT to go into the water?

Like it or not in the CG Aux. you can only ask.
I don't think we can make em walk the plank, and flogging them may be looked down on by the Gold Side.