We have one here at my Sector and I know of a few others at different Sectors. He usually works a two day period every month, not always weekends. You are supposed to stand a watch at least every 30 days to keep your qualification current. Our Chief will work with him on when he can come in. He was activated last year during Hurricane season for a week to help out a differnt Sector close by that requested extra watchstanders for one of the storms. So they do get activated as needed. The other reservists I know do the one weekend a month thing. I've never heard of any Reservist standing night watch, but I'm sure it probably happens somewhere.
We have quite a few at CAMSLANT. Typically, come in on the weekends that work best for them. Sometimes they work mids if they request it and of course they do two weeks at their own discretion.
I know of one instance where a reservist was called and asked if he could fill in for a light section. Other than that it is really on their own schedule.
Not a bad gig at all. One actually just went active (at his request) and is doing well.
Do you feel that they are an added benefit to the mission every time they come in? Are they able to keep up with the tempo enough to when they come in you can just breathe a sigh of relief, or do you pucker?
Also, any of them hanging around at the Air Stations?
At this sector we have about 6 reservists... They do a weekend out of the month as well as 2 weeks active duty in the year.
Added benefit.. hmm ... I don't think I swing either way.. My command still keeps one active duty on watch with the reservist even if their qualified, so usually they are just an additional body within the command center when they come in.
Hopefully, we never see the 'real' benifit of all of the effort we put in to the reserves. They are not there to take two watches a month from the AD side. They are there to be ready to be recalled to AD when needed, mostly for emergencies. Since an emergency that would handicap the AD folks would most likely also handicap the 'local' reserves, we would look outside of the affected area. That means Sec SF would be keeping their reserves ready for the Hurricane in the Gulf and Sector NY for the 'big one' out in California. Now, once the reservist is qualified at the level expected for thier paygrade, they MIGHT be used to augment, but that is just a side effect. Remember, the "T" in ADT (annual 2 weeks) and IDT (monthly drills) stands for TRAINING. Everything they do must be geared towards training for the watch at their paygrade. OS3- CU, OS2 - SU and OS1 - OU. If fully qual'd then currency training can be accomplished by standing the watch.
I a resevist and I stand watch mids when I need to, when it's my turn. I have been doing this for two years as have the other resevist at my sector one that I know is a Chief. I was doing the weekend thing for a while due to my civilian job...The weekends here are by far busier than the weekdays, I feel I got my share of the workload, my marks are good and I have been standing watch alone since my OJT ended, about 45 days after I got here. I am fairly certain that I am one of the first in my grad class to do so. I don't get the impression that everyone is holding thier breath while I am standing watch, I think I am just as competent to do this as any other watch stander here.. I also feel that every one should always be TRAINING if not you are FAILING any way just some thoughts from the reservist....
Is there a benefit for a Reserve OS in a Command Center? Definitely yes, for Team Coast Guard.
For the individual Command Center, I would say, not much from the "gaining a watchstander argument;" at least, not for the first two years of a reservists assignment of they have to be trained from the ground up.
There is a different kind of benefit though for the command center to having a reservist on watch; leadership development and learning reserve policy and procedure.
In the end, everyone learns something, the reservist and the command center. MC is right, the job of the Command Center staff is to train the reserve OS to meet contingency needs of the Coast Guard if called up. Once a reserve OS gets qualified, then it is a "bonus" to get an additional watchstander when drills are being performed, nothing more.
