(Coastal Marine Web Portal)USCG Auxiliary
5th District, Southern Region
Division 10
"Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)"
(Coastal Marine Web Portal)
Photographs from Coast Guard City rededication, 26 July 2008
Required Boat Crew Documentation (QE) 2008
CGC Diligence Tour Handbook (~9MB)
Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Polling Range Test AAR
BOATERS MUST NOT OPERATE 121.5/243 MHZ EPIRBs AFTER 31 DECEMBER 2006
USCG FINCEN Patrol Order Payment Inquiry
Note that the Document Number is not the Order Number but is printed on the upper right-hand corner of your 5132. Enter the Document Number with no spaces or special characters. The select Run Payment History
PSI: This program has been revised and simplified. The requirements to complete the SF 86 have been eliminated for most members. New requirements are posted here. Forms are at http://forms.cgaux.org/security_forms.html
"Team Coordination Training in a Clamshell", and introduction (by Warren Edman, Flotilla 10-05)
PEPIRB Discussion and Boat Crew Survival Vest (PRIORITY)
Station Oak Island Standing Orders for 279526
Are there specific CG or AUX rules about offshore operation?
What is the policy on CPR and use of Defibrillators ("AEDs")?
Where is the Rescue and Survival Systems Manual?
Mustangs/Drysuits: when to wear?
No.
"The Auxiliary Operations Manual, page 4026, para E.15.a, third bulletized paragraph, states that dry suits are not inherently bouyant, so cremembers must wear PFDs over them.."
This statement is incorrect. "
Source: William C. Herman, District Chief of Response, via email
Date: December 21, 2005
Mustangs/Drysuits: when to wear?
Source: Auxiliary Operations Policy Manual
Date: December 26, 2005
The MSD-900 doesn't have the two-hole arrangement for the light.
A PFD may be worn over the -900, particularly to provide a convenient way to secure PPE. Otherwise, secure the three items as well as possible to the -900.
Source: Bobby Swindell, December 23, 2005
Coxswains are issued PEPIRBs
"Currently beacons are being distributed to the owner of a vessel once the vessel is accepted as a facility through the Offer for Use form.
It has become apparent that there is a high volume of vessels being bought, sold, traded or otherwise taken out of commission that have been assigned these beacons."
Source: CWO D.J. Lukasik; 5th District, SR, Auxiliary Operations Training Officer
Date: September 12, 2005 broadcast email to SO-OPs
If you are no longer a Member or no longer a Coxswain.
If you are a Facility owner and not a Coxswain, you are required to un-register your beacon and return it.
Source: CWO D.J. Lukasik; 5th District, SR, Auxiliary Operations Training Officer
Date: September 12, 2005 broadcast email to SO-OPs
Flotillas may reallocate the devices from those who no longer need them to those who do.
"by all means, if you have a member that currently possesses a beacon and no longer is authorized to have it then transfer it over to an existing member that is entitled to have one and does not yet. This can be handled by the members themselves. I would, however, need some documentation for the transfer from one member to the other. I will attach a DD-1149 [link to form] transfer form with as much info that I can put on it. Please ensure that both members sign, one as transferring and one as receiving.
Please note the following blocks to be filled out on the form:
- Block #1 – From: The transferring member
- Block# 2 – To: The receiving member
- Block#5 – Date: Date transfer occurred
- Block#3 – Ship to-Mark For: use this area for the receiving member to sign as received
Any other blocks you feel are appropriate to use then fill them out accordingly. This document is a standard/generic transfer of property document in use throughout the Coast Guard."
Source: CWO D.J. Lukasik; 5th District, SR, Auxiliary Operations Training Officer
Date: December 23, 2005 email to D. K. Meigs
Operational Facilities Inspections (Form 7003), Required Items?
Observed errors:
No compass deviation table
Vessel Location latitude shown on Equator "00° N .."
In section VII, a number of items have an asterisk. These items are "Recommended but may be waived by the District Commander".
These items are OPTIONAL:
8. Search pattern
12. Portable pump or means of dewatering
14. Light List
18. Kicker (skiff) hook
26. Loud hailer for vessels through 39' but may be required by Issuing Authority for Regatta
These items are REQUIRED:
3. radio check
13. Tide tables
24. Extra anchor (16' and greater)
31. "Hand Bearing Compass and Throwable Life Ring" (written in space beneath item 31)
37. (of Section VI). Navigation instruments all vessels 16' and greater
Source: D5 Instruction 16790.1C, Table 6-D-1, Requirements for Auxiliary .. Facilities
PEPIRB Wear and Beacon Discussion
I have been asked to clarify a few points brought to my attention during a recent workshop with regards to proper use and care of the MCMURDO 406 FASTFIND Beacon.
During the course of business I have recently been asked about the reliability of the beacons that I issue through my office. Apparently there was an article published awhile back that questioned the reliability of the 406 FASTFIND. One such article is listed here:
http://www.equipped.com/406_GPS_beacon_test_2005_summary.htm
This article is a good article, however it addresses a GPS enabled beacon which we do not use. Having spoken directly to the McMurdo factory representatives and to Coast Guard Headquarters, it would seem that these articles have created quite a stir in the Auxiliary community. Not having seen any of the original articles, I can only assume that the clarification between “GPS enabled” and non “GPS enabled” beacons were not perfectly clear. For sake of clarity I will state that the beacons that I issue are: MCMURDO FASTFIND 406 EPIRBS and they are not the affected beacons and they do not have to be upgraded!
There are concerns with these beacons that I am well aware of and I will discuss. These concerns stem from improper usage, or what I like to refer to as “Operator error”.
The most common comment I get from Auxiliarists is that the beacon cannot get wet because when it does, it will not operate. This is not true. The beacon will work fine in a water environment as long as proper procedures are followed. The following is an excerpt from the Chief Directors Office regarding this:
· It has been brought to our attention that water intrusion into the antenna storage well may lead to signal degradation under certain conditions. In order to mitigate this, after activation, boat crew members shall make every effort to keep the PEPIRB out of the water, the antenna and antenna storage well as dry as possible, and the PEPIRB oriented so that the antenna has an unobstructed view of the sky. This is achieved by attaching the PEPIRB to the helmet, hood or survival vest/PFD and routinely checking to ensure water has not collected in the antenna well.
In order to attach the beacon to the hood or survival vest/PFD you need to follow the below procedures which, once again, has been addressed by the Chief Directors office:
· Attach a 2-inch by 2-inch piece of velcro hook tape to the PEPIRB battery. Do not cover the battery expiration date. Self-adhesive velcro hook tape is available from numerous sources including Burch Fabrics, 4200 Brockton Drive, Grand Rapids, MI, 49572, telephone (800) 543-0441.
I realize that CG Auxiliary members do not wear helmets, however keep in mind that the MSD-900 has a built in hood and on the hood there is a 2x2 piece of Velcro tape sewn onto it. Additionally, above the left breast pocket on the Boat Crew Survival Vest there is also a piece of Velcro tape sewn onto the vest. Effective immediately when not wearing the MSD-900, all coxswains will be required to wear the Boat Crew Survival Vest.
I am requesting that all Division Ops Officers identify how many vests are needed for Coxswains only within their Divisions. Please send your requests via e-mail. I will, in turn, send you the requested number of vests for you to distribute to all the coxswains who currently do not have one.
Finally I want to address the beacon batteries and re-registration.
· Batteries – The battery life span is estimated at five years. Some of the first generation batteries will be expiring in 2007and will need to be replaced. Once again, I am requesting Div-Ops to identify any beacons that need to have their batteries replaced in 2007. I need to have these lists ASAP in order to purchase the correct amount of replacement batteries.
· Registration - As you know, you are required to re-register your beacon with updated information every 2 years. Please comply with this in a timely manner. NOAA will send you notification when the beacons registration is going to expire.
I would like to thank Walt Discenza for providing several informational links which have assisted me. If there are any questions, please direct them to you Div-Ops. They are authorized to contact me concerning these matters.
v/r,
CWO D.J. Lukasik
5th District, SR, Auxiliary Operations Training Officer
1. In the past month, several different Flotillas have raised questions
regarding the teaching of CPR by Auxiliarists, the performance of CPR by
Auxiliarists, the use of AEDs by Auxiliarists, and the ownership of AEDs by
Auxiliarists. Both Headquarters Legal and Medical offices have weighed in
and I provide the following guidance:
A) Any Auxiliarist who is currently certified by the American Red
Cross or American Heart Assoc to perform CPR is authorized to do so. If that
certification has expired, however, CPR should not be performed.
B) Any Auxiliarist who is currently certified by the American Red
Cross or American Heart Ask to teach CPR is authorized to do so including to
both gold AND silver sides. If that certification has expired, however, CPR
should not be taught.
C) Any Auxiliarist who is currently certified by the American Red
Cross or American Heart Ask to use an AED (defibrillator) is authorized to
do so on anyone indicating need of an AED. If that certification has
expired, however, AED should not be used.
D) Any Flotilla wishing to purchase AEDs for use by currently
certified members is authorized to do so. CG-1121 (old G-W) has an ALCOAST
determining only which model AEDs may be used on aircraft. If an air
facility carries an AED, they must follow that model guidance. Another
ALCOAST will be released shortly that should identify models of AEDs that
will be authorized for use by the USCG surface side. For the time being,
AEDs used on surface facilities should be ruggedized (waterproof models are
very difficult to find). POC for AED use in CG-1121 is CDR Monica Kueny.
E) AEDs may be used underway on facilities by members currently
certified in their use. Attached please find the most recent ALCOAST
relating to use of AEDs. This message applies to silver side as well as
gold side.
http://www.cgaux.info/g_pcx/publications/alcoast/alcoast-484-00.html
2. The next change to the Ops Policy Manual will more clearly address
this subject and will prohibit the use of online training for certification
in CPR and AED use. Training must be hands on.
3. The purpose of this list is to keep Auxiliarists as well as all other
interested parties abreast of current developments, policies, manuals, etc.
All information contained herein and linked is OFFICIAL policy and
information.
4. Internet Release and Distribution is Authorized.
5. G-PCX-2, sends.
This is to clarify and confirm the ONLY Operations Workshop requirement is the District Operations Workshop distributed recently by D-CR Bill Herman to the DCP's and I sent it to the SO-OP's. The workshop prepared by National was only sent to you for information and your reading enjoyment. The District Operations Workshop must be attended by ALL Operations personnel and entered in AUXDATA NLT 1 JUNE 06. Please forward this to your members and DCP's.
Bobby A. Swindell via email 1 January 2006
There are no rules that specifically address off-shore use of Auxiliary facilities.
What is a Facility Operational Capabilities and Limitations Document?
A coxswain pre-mission briefing task is to "state the policy for operational limitations and review the operational limitations and specific characteristics of the facility being trained on."
Limitations established by the Director must include:
a. Minimum crew size for the facility.
b. Maximum sea and wind state the facility can operate in.
c. Maximum size and weight of a vessel that can be towed.
d. Maximum sea conditions a vessel can be towed in.
e. Distance offshore allowed during operations, (if applicable)
Specific limitations, including:
a. Maximum number of personnel that can be carried on the facility.
b. Maximum load capacity.
c. Maximum speed of the facility.
d. Maximum range at cruising speed, in nautical miles.
Source: Task COX-03-03-AUX, Chapter 8 Boat Crew Seamanship Manual and Chapter 1, Auxiliary Operations Policy Manual
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH AND OAK ISLAND FUELING:
Effectively immediately, fuel for auxiliary OPFACs may not be obtained from either Station via fuel card. The procedure of having the marina contact the Station for the card number is no longer available. You may fuel at the Station; however, the coxswain must first contact the OOD and/or the EPO to be certain the Station has the fuel available. You will, of course, be reimbursed via the 5132 for your fuel now purchased commercially. Fuel obtained from the Stations MUST BE CHECKED "Received in Kind" on your 5132, Patrol Order.
The UTL-T fueling procedure remains unchanged.
Distribution of SAR Incident Reports
General: Any time a mission type is shown as 24 (SAR) there MUST be a SAR case number. This is true even in the case where is one OPFAC tows another OPFAC in an other-than-training situation. There are times when a Station may be reluctant to issue a case number. The requesting coxswain should be more assertive with the Watch and ask speak to the duty officer. It's not unusual for the individual on the radio watch to have limited experience with operations of the Auxiliary.
The ANSC form 7034 (http://forms.cgaux.org/archive/a7034f.pdf) is distributed as follows:
The original document goes to the Station that issued the case number for your Incident. Remember: no case number; no SAR. This original should be delivered to the Station within 24 hours of the Incident, marked for the OD or the STATION AUXILIARY LIASON OFFICER (STALO). FAX may be used to meet this 24 hour requirement. You may also phone the Station, ask for the OD, and email a scanned copy of the Report as an attachment, if that is convenient for the OD. The Station records the incident in their own record-keeping system as having been accomplished by a Coast Guard resource, even though the vessel and crew would have been from the Auxiliary.A copy accompanies the 7030 Mission Hour Report for the Patrol to your FSO-IS, to be retained in the FSO-IS files for 1 year along with the 7030. The AUXDATA entry is extracted from the 7030.A copy accompanies the Patrol Order to your FSO-OP, to be sent along with the Order to Sector North Carolina.A copy should be retained by the coxswain.
Implementation Plan for Re-certification Check Rides
Effective as of 01 January 2007 the five year currency maintenance requirements (check ride) cycle will change to a three year cycle. The three year cycle begins in 2007. Scheduling is as follows:
New PFD Requirements for >35kt OPFACs
To: ALAUX
From: CHDIRAUX
Subj: PFD Requirements -006/08
1. The Coast Guard has recently announced a soon to be implemented
change to its list of approved life jackets which all active duty and many
auxiliarists will have to comply with by June 1, 2009. The only life jackets
that will be approved for use in the CG Rescue & Survival Manual after the
compliance date will be ones that have been dynamic strength tested to
50mph. Not all Auxiliarists will be required to comply.
2. Only auxiliary surface facilities which can exceed 35mph will be
required to comply with the new minimum floatation requirement by June 1,
2009.
3. All surface facilities that do not have the capability to exceed
35mph will be unaffected and may continue to wear currently approved PFD's
including the float coat.
4. 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.
5. PWC's will continue with what they have been approved to use with no
changes. None of the CG 50mph dynamic tested PFD's listed in the manual are
for use with PWC's.
6. The purpose of this list is to keep Auxiliarists as well as all other
interested parties abreast of current developments, policies, manuals, etc.
All information contained herein and linked is OFFICIAL policy and
information.
7. Internet Release and Distribution is Authorized.
Upper Brunswick Channel Range Lights
