He was one of three that graduatedand for one of those guys, it was his second time trying. The Coast Guard rescue swimmer training program is very challenging and is one of the toughest U.S. military training courses. To qualify for this role, the roughly 75 candidates a year must make it through an 18-week training program at the swimmer school in Elizabeth City, North Carolinaa place where the graduation rate hovers at 50 percent. You must have a deep respect for the power of the sea, but know that your training will help save your life and the lives of others. The first female Coast Guard rescue swimmer was Kelly Mogk Larson, who joined the Coast Guard in 1984 and later became the first woman to complete Navy Rescue Swimmer School, on May 23, 1986. As a collateral responsibility, an AST may be expected to fill aircrew positions such as Dropmaster or Loadmaster, Sensor Systems Operator, Helicopter Basic Aircrewman, and Helicopter Rescue Swimmer. Initially met with significant resistance throughout the USCG, the AST has become a durable and required part of Coast Guard rotary wing operations. Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Right in your inbox. 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. The primary job of a surface rescue swimmer is whatever they enlisted as. At-sea interdictions of pure cocaine are the most effective way for the Coast Guard to limit cartels and other criminal networks from trafficking their entire spectrum of illicit products. Its important to perform well on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) because the test score opens up more job possibilities. These elite lifesavers are trained to respond and rescue in a plethora of deadly situations a. There is only a reported 75 to 100 candidates that are selected each year for training. Here are some frequently asked questions. 1. It prescribes policy, standards, instructions and capabilities pertinent to all phases of Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer operations and is intended for use by operational commanders, unit commanding officers, and aircrews tasked with rescue swimmer These rescue swimmers have to be fully qualified as helicopter technicians before they start a 4-week course at the Danish Frogman Corps, followed by a 2-week first aid/PHTLS course. When training is complete, they will become part of a four-member helicopter crew, with on-board duties running the search cameras and some of the radio equipmentthat is, when theyre not deployed by the aircraft to search and swim and rescue. Wayfair Huge Deal-A-Thon - Up to 60% off everything! Along with covering the history and the demanding training rescue swimmers must complete, the specials also feature dramatic on-scene footage of several heroic rescues. It's definitely not a job for the faint of heart. U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers attracted international attention during the rescue operations following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana, and surrounding areas. They will only be considered qualified Aircrewmen once they complete an additional 18-month 'Utility" PQS in their new squadron. The United States Coast Guard has nearly 41,000 active-duty members. Read more about the deadliest American maritime disaster in decades: Watch: Into the Storm: What It Was Like to Rescue a Ship's Crew, The Real-Life Diet of Pro Surfer Nathan Florence, Who Runs on Raw Fish, 17 Streamlined Workout Shorts for Men That Look Pretty Great Beyond the Gym, Too. To qualify for Rescue Swimmer Training, both men and women must: Meet specific eyesight requirements: uncorrected vision no worse than 20/100; correctable to 20/20 in both eyes with normal depth and color perception. Rescue swimmers also must have the skills to provide basic pre-hospital life support for rescued individuals. PFD INFORMATION ON WEARING AND CARING. Standards for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers The required monthly physical training fitness regimen includes a 12-minute crawl swim of 500 yards or longer, a 25-yard underwater swim, and a 200-yard buddy tow. ASVAB Scores For Air Force Jobs: All 130+ For 2022, How To Choose The Right Military Branch For You, 18 Pros And Cons Of Joining The Coast Guard, medical conditions that are disqualifying, Air Force Nondestructive Inspection: 2A7X2 & 2A732 Career Profile, DPS Military Move: 8 Things You Need To Know, 300+ Military Separation Codes And Their Meanings, Navy Cryptologic Technician Collection (CTR), Army Prime Power Production Specialist (12P MOS). Here's the Twelve-Mile Run Plan. Long Live the New Tape Test. [9] In contrast, paramedics (, kynan-in) of the JASDF, Japanese counterparts of the United States Air Force Pararescue, are not always medical professionals, but they must complete the Airborne Ranger Course of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force to acquire mountain rescue and combat search and rescue capabilities.[10]. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) acts as the coastal defense and maritime law enforcement branch of the Armed Forces. The four-month-long course, which, despite its name, has nothing to do with the Air Force, helps prepare candidates for the grueling rescue swimmer course. Coast Guard requirements are necessary to make sure that new recruits are ready for service. Two women, Kelly Mogk 86 and Jody Vander Hyden 89, were graduates and swimmers following the Navys course in earlier years. 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. [7], The first female to graduate from the Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue School was Sara Faulkner. The rescue swimmer training program has a high student attrition rate averaging in the 80% range, similar to many special operations forces selection courses.[2]. 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. At 5:30 p.m. on November 1, 2020, an alarm sounded at Coast Guard Air Station Sitka, Alaska. Try This Military Swim Workout to Prepare for Special Ops, Diver or Rescue Swimmer Training. Physical Fitness Requirements The Coast Guard will use this measurement as the basis for all future weight screenings. 4. Once stationed at a Coast Guard Air Station, apprentice ASTs must complete 6 months of qualification on their respective airframe before moving on to finish their rescue swimmer syllabus and becoming journeymen. Additionally, the United States Coast Guard has height and weight restrictions. Pass a military entrance medical exam (MEPS). You have to be able to think and perform challenging tasks while submerged, holding your breath and getting tossed around my 10- to 20-foot waves. Copyright 2023 www.OperationMilitaryKids.org. At the school students learn the challenges of helicopter rescues along with cliff operations and sea-cave traversing. 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. Secondly, youll need to pass a medical screening at MEPS. You can make the transition to the Coast Guard easier by exercising regularly, practicing your swimming skills, and eating healthy. Finally, follow a low-fat nutrition plan to keep your body in peak shape and drink a ton of water. The course includes instruction on rescue techniques, helicopter deployment techniques, and myriad technical skills from small engine repair to parachute packing and maintenance. Out of the 75 - 100 Coast Guard personnel that attend training, only around 40 - 50 will graduate and become rescue swimmers. The rescue swimmer training program has a high student attrition rate averaging in the 80% range, similar to many special operations forces selection courses. The crew departed the air station as a low-pressure storm system battered Southeast Alaska. Instructors playing victims thrash and wrestle with their rescuers in the water. Interested in Building Up Mileage? The Coast Guard also requires new recruits to complete the ASVAB test to determine a USCG rating. Advanced courses are Emergency Medical Technician, Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, Operational Fitness Training, and Survival instructor resident courses. Coast Guard basic training (or boot camp) lasts eight weeks. As the instructors like to say, If you panic, they die. And so, if a candidate loses one of the survivors in training, it almost inevitably means ejection from the program. What was more challenging than the sea state was the night conditions and water current, said Roberts, a Utah native who has served in the Coast Guard for eight years. According to the same source, the pay is approximately 27 percent lower than the national average for rescue swimmers. Officially, theyre called Aviation Survival Technicianswhich is a mouthful. The U.S. Coast Guards Rescue Swimmers are considered to be one of the top rescue specialist units in the world. Swiss pilot Yves Rossy, the person who had accepted the Webtel.mobi Intercontinental Challenge, had to ditch into the North Atlantic Ocean midway through the 30-mile flight from Morocco to Spain after his wing was destabilized by a large cumulonimbus cloud. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Ad Choices, The Waterlogged Hell of Becoming a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. In addition, the RS shall have the survival training, knowledge, understanding, and experience to survive at sea or on land if left onscene for greater than 24 hours. The first female U.S. Navy rescue swimmer was HMC Catherine Elliott (Rizzo). Once located, he was extracted from the water in a flawless marine rescue. Whether you're thinking of joining the military, looking for fitness and basic training tips, or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. Trainees are introduced to extreme water drills and classroom instruction. Your email address will not be published. Now the Navy has over 30 female rescue swimmers. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers represent one of the most thrilling and challenging roles in the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard also participates in critical search and rescue missions at sea. Looking for U.S. government information and services? Ben Cournia, the swimmer who orchestrated the rescue of the Minouche, started his class with 9 trainees. Every AST candidate now attends a one week "PREP" or preparatory class at ATTC about three months before school to give a glance on what school is about and they receive an assessment from the instructors on what they need to work on to be successful at AST school. In fact, the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force also have their own rescue teams. Maximizing detection of smuggling vessels in the WHTZ will bolster Coast Guard interdiction efforts. And as part of their training, candidates must complete an emergency medical training (EMT) course. Schooling for an opportunity as one of the team members lasts 24 weeks. The most-viewed rescue swimming event in the media was a marine rescue done by rescue swimmers during the Webtel.mobi Intercontinental Challenge on November 25, 2009. U.S. Navy Support. In certain situations, the Coast Guard may offer a four or six-year contract. In order to survive basic training and become an official Guardsman, the Coast Guard recommends that recruits stop using tobacco. Rescue swimmer is a designation given to rescue specialists, most commonly in the service of the military. . This syllabus can take from six to twelve months. Other rescue swimmers are members of the Danish Navy and operate from Westland Lynx Mk 90B helicopters based on Thetis-class ocean patrol vessels in the waters around Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and, occasionally, Iceland. Once they are NATOPS certified, and completed with the PQS and boards, they are eligible to wear Naval Aircrew wings. A lock Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com. In order to join the Coast Guard reserve, you will need a minimum AFQT score of 40 on the ASVAB. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. The U.S. Coast Guard is extremely physically demanding. Rod Powers was a retired Air Force First Sergeant with 22 years of active duty service. They can perform ground handling/servicing of aircraft, conduct routine aircraft inspections, and aviation administrative duties. The focus is to run shorter and faster runs in the week and a long, slower run at a comfortable pace on the weekend. Trained to operate in a variety of maritime environments, ASTs are highly conditioned rescue and survival experts, as well as highly capable aviation life support equipment technicians. Aviation Rescue Swimmers may help just about anyone, in almost any environment. Required fields are marked *. I swam over to him, got on the door with him or what looked like a door or some sort of debris from the boat and talked to him, Roberts continued. He currently resides in Meridian, Mississippi. Pararescue is a notoriously rigorous CSAR (combat search and rescue) unit, with eight out of every ten candidates failing the indoctrination course. Average salary (a year) 20,000 Starter to 30,000 Experienced. According to the same source, the pay is approximately 27 percent lower than the national average for rescue swimmers. 3. They are highly trained and relentlessly conditioned field operatives. For more information on all the benefits of joining the U.S. Coast Guard, please click here. Matthew Belson/U.S. Navy air rescue swimmers were recently split into two separate ratings; Naval Aircrewman Helicopter (AWS) and Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter (AWR). He said theres no way he could have gotten down in the water and to the survivor without all of the crew members doing their parts to safely navigate through the challenging weather and darkness of the night. They are military aircrew who deploy from rotary or fixed-wing aircraft in any environment or climatic condition. Surface Rescue Swimmer School There are two FRS's for AWS's. 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