The rescue swimmer's name is John Baker, the name of a former Navy SAR School Instructor at NAS North Island in the early 1980s. Romeos and Sierras break apart during 'A' school and they begin to learn more specific parts of their jobs. Age, Education and Dependents If you have the right legal status, you still have to meet the other Coast Guard qualifications: You have to be between 17 and 31 years old. The Coast Guard physical fitness program is designed to ensure that all Coast Guard members have the strength and stamina to perform their jobs safely and to emphasize lifelong health and fitness. Upon graduation, candidates must attend seven weeks of training at the Coast Guard Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) School in Petaluma, California. Those are in addition to performing push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, just like other military fitness tests. Upon graduation, Navy rescue swimmers are assigned to their respective A School and have other requirements they need to complete. Set Your Fitness Goals to Become a Military Asset, Practicing Mindfulness the Marine Corps Way Leads to Mental Resilience, Ask Stew: How to Become a Faster Runner When Time Is Tight. Minimum of 50 sit-ups in two minutes Minimum of 42 push-ups in two minutes 1.5 mile run in less than 12 minutes 400 meter swim in less than 11 minutes During your time as a SRS, you will be required to pass physical and swimming tests at designated intervals. All fully qualified AWS crewmen are also gunners. This is where the wannabe rescuers learn techniques in staying calm and subduing frightened, drowning people who need their help. USCG boot camp is physically and mentally demanding. Helicopter Rescue Swimmer Capabilities: The RS must have the mental capacity, flexibility, mobility, strength, power, agility, endurance, and equipment to function for at least 30 minutes in heavy seas, on unstable platforms, on rugged terrain during severe adverse weather conditions. The maximum age limit to enlist in active duty Coast Guard ranges from 27 to 32 years for those who join advanced training school immediately after enlistment. Navy air rescue swimmers were recently split into two separate ratings; Naval Aircrewman Helicopter (AWS) and Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter (AWR). Age, Height, Weight, Education, and Dependents Coast Guard age limit: You must fall between 17-31 if joining for active duty, and 17-40 for reserve duty. (LockA locked padlock) Equally important to their role as Helicopter Rescue Swimmers, ASTs are trained to inspect, service, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair: cargo aerial delivery systems, drag parachute systems, aircraft oxygen systems, helicopter emergency flotation systems, portable dewatering pumps, air/sea rescue kits, and special-purpose protective clothing. The first few weeks of boot camp are especially difficult. Rescue swimmers must have flexibility, strength, endurance, and be able to function for 30 minutes in heavy seas. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The rescue took place in extremely dangerous conditions in the North Atlantic, with the downed pilot being located in less than 15 minutes after his ditched entry into the ocean, in an area where the average time for locating a person in the water is four hours. You will learn how to perform the crawl stroke, underwater swim and buddy tow properly with this preparatory lifeguard course. When you arrive at the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer School in Elizabeth City, N.C., you will be expected to excel in one of the most stressful environments in military training. Training is tough and ongoing. They also continue to train after receiving a position on the specialist team in order to stay sharp on skills already learned, as well as develop new ones. Schooling for an opportunity as one of the team members lasts 24 weeks. Lets explore the world of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer below, Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Vs. Air Force Pararescue. Though Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers are prepared and equipped to handle dangerous situations at any moment, a fair percentage of their time is spent doing other tasks. It is little surprise that they must represent the best swimmers the U.S. Military has to offer as they deal with high seas and other challenging environments. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers have been called upon in emergency situations such as natural disasters involving heavy flooding or hurricanes in the past. Secondly, youll need to pass a medical screening at MEPS. A prospective Coast Guard rescue swimmer takes off his fins after swimming laps with a 10-pound weight at the Aviation Technical Training Center on Coast Guard Base Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Dec. 18, 2019. A high degree of confidence in, around, and underneath the water is required. Here are the minimum fitness requirements for each category: The 137-page operations manual includes lessons in eight different water deployment procedures, 11 ways to approach, carry and release a survivor, seven ways to release equipment for Navy and Air Force flyers and ways to detangle the services' different parachutes and backpacks. Whether in Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, or any of the many Coast Guard Air Stations within the continental United States, ASTs train year-round to prepare mentally and physically for the challenges they may face as Helicopter Rescue Swimmers. The Coast Guard refers to military jobs as ratings. 33.0 (150) I - Buoyant Foam or Kapok. United States Navy rescue swimmer candidates attend a four-week Aircrew School followed by the six-week-long Aviation Rescue Swimmer School (RSS) in Pensacola, Florida. The first six weeks of the four-month course is loaded with rescue swimmer training. These swimmers deploy only from ships and boats, and are tethered to a line handler stationed on board the vessel. The schooling and training is some of the most demanding you will find in any branch of the U.S. Military. According to the same source, the pay is approximately 27 percent lower than the national average for rescue swimmers. Visit the Recognizing DHS Excellence page for more stories about this years awardees. In order to qualify for Aviation Survival Technician (IE 'Rescue Swimmer), you will need a minimum ASVAB score of 162. ASTs may serve at large or small Air Stations servicing HC-130J (Hercules), HC-27 (Spartan), HC-144 (Ocean Sentry), HH-60T (Jayhawk), and MH-65D (Dolphin) aircraft. In Japan, air-sea rescue operations are mainly conducted by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). Instructors playing victims thrash and wrestle with their rescuers in the water. It's definitely not a job for the faint of heart. The premier helicopter-rescue training allows ASTs to interact with rescue swimmers from the other branches of the U.S. Military. The actress who played the main character in the live-action film based on the same work, Yuko Takayama, was the orphan of an Air Self-Defense Force medic who was killed in the line of duty. In addition to its responsibilities to the U.S. Armed Forces, the Coast Guard also provides maritime law enforcement. Not all ASTs serve as rotary wing helicopter rescue swimmers. In the aftermath, Congress held hearings to understand how the tragedy could occur, and mandated the establishment of the Coast Guard rescue swimmer program, to be modeled after one the U.S. Navy was running. [4][5][6] In May 2013, Karen Voorhees was the first woman to be advanced to chief petty officer in the rating of aviation survival technician since women were integrated into Coast Guard active duty service in 1973. In addition to EMT training, ASTs are required to attend a one-week Advanced Helicopter Rescue School (AHRS) at a station in Washington. The attrition rate in some years has been as high as 85%, although the 10-year average is just over 73%. Candidates attend a four-week Aircrew School followed by a five-week Aviation Rescue Swimming School in Pensacola, Florida. Official websites use .gov For this reason, while its not all that hard to meet the basic Coast Guard requirements, surviving boot camp is a whole other matter. In 1983, the disaster of the SSMarine Electric spawned a Congressional Inquiry that found the USCG was the only military service unable to deploy a member from an aircraft for search, rescue and recovery, and initiated a legal requirement for the armed force to do so. This is what makes a Rescue Swimmer a part of the Special Operations force of the United States Navy. Initially, all new ASMs were required to complete US Navy Helicopter Rescue Swimmer school at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, prior to reporting to USCG ASM "A" School and EMT "C" School. She was nominated by the International Maritime Organization for its Exceptional Bravery at Sea award for rescuing three people from a sailboat during a storm with 45-knot winds and 15-foot seas. The RS must have the mental capacity, flexibility, mobility, strength, power, agility, endurance, and equipment to function for at least 30 minutes in heavy seas, on unstable platforms, on rugged terrain during severe adverse weather conditions. A rescue swimmer saves Tom Cruise's character Maverick in Top Gun. Your email address will not be published. Interested in Building Up Mileage? Consequently, Coast Guardsmen are among the most physically fit in the world. Established in: 1984 To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. AST2 Grant Roberts, a rescue swimmer with the Coast Guard Air Station Sitka's MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and three of his fellow crewmembers - Lt. Justin Neal, Lt. Jonathan Orthman, and AET2 James Schwader - received the DHS Secretary's award for Valor for their heroic actions while rescuing a 70-year-old fishing vessel owner and operator from stormy seas in 70 mph headwinds and zero visibility over the water and at the shoreline. This school is very similar to the Aviation side but lacks some aspects. But it was too late for the majority of them. Requirements for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers, Standards for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers, Training Regimen for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers, Pros and Cons of Enlisting in the Coast Guard, Air Force Pararescue Physical Ability and Stamina Test PAST, What to Know About Special Operations Fitness Tests, Some Tips and Tricks for Surviving Coast Guard Boot Camp, Overview of Coast Guard Health Services Technician, Coast Guard Job Description: Aviation Maintenance Technician, Coast Guard College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI), Enlisted Jobs in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. A rescue swimmer from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is hoisted back into an HH-60 Jayhawk after retrieving a rescue training dummy. To become a Surface Rescue Swimmer you must be able to perform physically. Some years, the dropout rate for this program has been as high as 80 percent. About half of prospective candidates make it to AST "A" School. Qualified SAR TECHs have opportunities for advanced training and promotion. The final operational phase is used to evaluate the individual's ability to use all previously learned skills and will be the deciding factor in awarding the qualification to Wings Standard. The release of the 2006 motion picture The Guardian, starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, introduced viewers to this small group of elite rescue workers. U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers attracted international attention during the rescue operations following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana, and surrounding areas. 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