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. After arriving to their respective squadrons, Aviation Rescue Swimmers are required annually to perform a SAR fitness test. Coast Guard helicopters arrived at the scene and lowered baskets for the survivors. She was also the first woman to graduate from Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron in Jacksonville, Florida, and become a rescue swimmer on December 16, 1983. An Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) registered to fishing vessel Irony had been activated in Earnest Sound, 150 miles southeast of Sitka. ASVAB Scores For Air Force Jobs: All 130+ For 2022, How To Choose The Right Military Branch For You, Coast Guard Jobs List: A List of all 24 Ratings in the Coast Guard, Air Force Nondestructive Inspection: 2A7X2 & 2A732 Career Profile, DPS Military Move: 8 Things You Need To Know, 300+ Military Separation Codes And Their Meanings, The preparation and maintenance of emergency flotation devices (fancy word for rafts), Storage and handling of aviation ordnance and pyrotechnic devices, Be in superior physical shape with no chronic orthopedic problems, Have a high level of mental acuity and military bearing, High degree of confidence in, around, and below water (goes without saying! The focus is to run shorter and faster runs in the week and a long, slower run at a comfortable pace on the weekend. U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers make about $38,000 per year, which averages out to around $18 per hour. For comparison, the attrition rate for United States Navy SEAL selection and training is about 75%[1]. Schooling for an opportunity as one of the team members lasts 24 weeks. I had completely lost sight of him when I got in the water.. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. 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. Swimmers will get pushed to their limits, showing survival skills while holding breath underwater and dealing with powerful water that can include waves as high as 10 to 20 feet. They are also expected to know various in-flight procedures, such as hoist-operating procedures and in-flight trouble-shooting. Not all ASTs serve as rotary wing helicopter rescue swimmers. After being located, an emergency marine rescue was undertaken by rescue swimmers live on television, with the Associated Press reporting that more than two billion people had viewed the rescue worldwide on the day of broadcast. Here crewman learn the various systems in the helicopter in which they will be flying. According to official sources, it's estimated that there are around 350 Coast Guard rescue swimmers currently serving. The rating began in 1968 when the U.S. Coast Guard combined Parachute Rigger (PR) and Aviation Ordnanceman (AO) to create the Aviation Survivalman (ASM) Rating. The minimum physical fitness tests (or PFT) standards for a U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer include: It is recommended that you perform even higher than the minimum PFT standards in order to get a high enough score in AST A School. Rescue swimmers must have flexibility, strength, endurance, and be able to function for 30 minutes in heavy seas. 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. But the frigid sailors in the water were too numb from the cold to pull themselves into the baskets. The U.S. Coast Guards Rescue Swimmers are considered to be one of the top rescue specialist units in the world. Aviation Survival Technician (AST) is a rating or job specialty in the United States Coast Guard. Upon graduation, candidates must attend seven weeks of training at the Coast Guard's Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) school in Petaluma, California, where ASTs become EMT qualified. But this is perhaps the most crucial part of the training; if these candidates can't endure extreme conditions, it's going to be hard to rescue someone in distress. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Rob V. is the founder of OperationMilitaryKids.org. Ad Choices, The Waterlogged Hell of Becoming a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. Operation Military Kids was founded to be a resource for teens and young adults who are interested in joining the military, but don't know where to begin. They are highly trained and relentlessly conditioned field operatives. Candidates can further improve their odds of becoming a specialist AST by taking the Ocean Life Guard course with the Red Cross. Consequently, Coast Guard Rescue Swimming training is considered one of the toughest U.S. Military training courses. Its a good idea to already workout ready and become an advanced swimmer if you are not so already. 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. The RS shall have the ability to safely and effectively extricate survivors from roof tops, fully understand the hazards and how to negotiate flood and swift water, and understand and utilize high angle ropes rescue techniques. You can make the transition to the Coast Guard easier by exercising regularly, practicing your swimming skills, and eating healthy. Lets explore the world of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer below, Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Vs. Air Force Pararescue. Even though the choppers had arrived in time to rescue plenty of the men, 31 died. You may have become inspired by the heroics that are reenacted on TV or in movies. In addition to the basic requirements of simply getting in to the Coast Guard, you also need to meet the following qualifications: Once you pass that hurdle, the real fun begins. 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. Women are allowed to join the U.S. Coast Guard as rescue swimmers. The Coast Guard basic requirements allow the coastal defense and maritime branch to make sure you are fit for service: *NOTE: Coast Guard Reservists may enlist between the ages of 17-40. Its the purpose enshrined in their motto: So others may live. For the sake of future victims as well as the swimmers own good, only the most prepared are allowed to do the job. This gives PJs one of the highest attrition rates of any of America's Special Operations Forces. 160th SOAR(A) has had personnel complete the course. As a member of the Coast Guard, you'll be issued a gun and expected to know how to use it. Qualified SAR TECHs have opportunities for advanced training and promotion. The U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May serves as the training grounds. The first few weeks of boot camp are especially difficult. Rescue swimmer is a designation given to rescue specialists, most commonly in the service of the military. Out of the 75 - 100 Coast Guard personnel that attend training, only around 40 - 50 will graduate and become rescue swimmers. 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. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers represent one of the most thrilling and challenging roles in the U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Ryan Pierce learned that lesson the day the call came to evacuate a man who'd suffered a heart attack aboard a cruise ship off Florida's Atlantic coast. If you screen as overweight, your height and wrist measurements may be rechecked or verified. From innovations in unmanned aircraft to the age-old rescue swimmer program, this division of 711 is responsible for some of the most unique aspects of Coast Guard aviation. According to the U.S. Coast Guard reports, approximately 350 individuals are currently part of the Coast Guard Rescue Team, or Aviation Survival Technicians. He said, I cant believe you guys showed up. You will learn how to perform the crawl stroke, underwater swim and buddy tow properly with this preparatory lifeguard course. 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. The Webtel.mobi Intercontinental Challenge was the first attempted intercontinental flight between Africa and Europe by man using jetwings, and it was broadcast live worldwide on television. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers have been called upon in emergency situations such as natural disasters involving heavy flooding or hurricanes in the past. 'A' school is followed by a seven-week EMT course. For example, Air Force pararescuemen can be attached to elite units to provide their expertise for various operations. In order to join the Coast Guard reserve, you will need a minimum AFQT score of 40 on the ASVAB. The Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) is one of the last junctures needed to qualify for service. An aquatic segment of training was merged into ASM "A" school in the late 1980s, and full initial rescue swimmer training was completed at the USCG's Elizabeth City training center. Initially met with significant resistance throughout the USCG, the AST has become a durable and required part of Coast Guard rotary wing operations. 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. [citation needed] Which rating a rescue swimmer attains depends on what type of helicopter they are to become qualified in. Coast Guard/Getty Images. Rescue Swimmers with the U.S. Coast Guard must have EMT skills, and there are even higher demands for the Coast Guard Air Station in Sitka, Alaska. 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