The 2006 movie The Guardian featured Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher as well as a number of actual ASTs and Coast Guardsmen as extras, and told a fictional story of two rescue swimmers. Then the instructors put the candidates through endless water confidence drills. These rescue swimmers are trained by either the Danish national guard or Danish Maritime Safety Administration (Danish: Farvandsvsnet). 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. Women are allowed to join the U.S. Coast Guard as rescue swimmers. Although, to be considered "fully qualified", they will have to complete the Level II & III syllabus which can take another demanding 24 months. 1. 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. On the day of the rehearsal, the rough-sea state and high winds forced Sterzel and Eloff to exit into the North Atlantic Ocean from the skid of a Bell helicopter at a height of over 40 feet, which causes significant water-entry shock on entry. 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 * Meet the minimum Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) score: VE+AR+MK+MC=210 or . At 17 you need. As the service's website notes, they're key members in helicopter crews that rescue people from the most precarious of situations "off cliff faces and rooftops, ice flows and glaciers, and from crashing surf and ocean caves." 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. After completion of A-School, all ASTs are sent to Training Center Petaluma, California to attend the Coast Guard's Emergency Medical Technician school. There is no reported waiting list to join the U.S. Coast Guard as a rescue swimmer. PT programs to train for the Coast Guard PFT can be found at the following Military.com links: Other related Coast Guard fitness articles: Coast Boot Special Missions and Law Enforcement Fitness Standards. Coastguards help prevent the loss of life along the coast and at sea by co-ordinating and supporting search and rescue operations. Like every other US military branch, Coast Guard pay is determined by years of service and your rank within the branch. Additionally, candidates must pass an aircrew-candidate physical and qualify for a "secret" security clearance. They are also known as "Romeos" and "Sierras" in their community. AST School in Elizabeth City, North Carolina lasts for 24 weeks, and includes intense physical fitness, long hours of pool fitness and instruction, extreme water-confidence drills, and classroom instruction. The rescue swimmer training program has a high student attrition rate averaging in the 80% range, similar to many special operations forces selection courses. PURPOSE. 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. Established in: 1984 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. In addition to EMT training, ASTs are required to attend a one-week Advanced Helicopter Rescue School (AHRS) at a station in Washington. Like Coast Guard members they perform sea-based and land-based rescues, though this portion of their duties is not assigned as frequently. 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. The first six weeks of the four-month course is loaded with rescue swimmer training. Rescue swimmer is a designation given to rescue specialists, most commonly in the service of the military. This is not an ordinary EMT. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. The Coast Guard requirements on physical fitness are intense for a reason. In 2002, Faulkner won transfer to the Coast Guard's Aviation Training Center in Mobile, Alabama, and she was deployed there as one of 20 swimmers involved in rescues along the Gulf of Mexico. Life and death role-playing is a constant. Coast Guard basic training (or boot camp) lasts eight weeks. They need the. For more information on all the benefits of joining the U.S. Coast Guard, please click here. Basic Requirements Coast Guard/Getty Images. The time before getting recognized as an official member of the unit is long. In addition to its responsibilities to the U.S. Armed Forces, the Coast Guard also provides maritime law enforcement. According to the course syllabus, rescue swimmers need to demonstrate advanced strength, flexibility, and endurance. The specialists have advanced through incredibly difficult training and testing in order to achieve the rank of an Aviation Survival Technician (AST)/Helicopter Rescue team member. Advanced courses are Emergency Medical Technician, Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, Operational Fitness Training, and Survival instructor resident courses. . Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Required fields are marked *. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers represent one of the most thrilling and challenging roles in the U.S. Coast Guard. The required monthly physical training test includes push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, a 12-minute crawl swim (500-yard minimum), a 25-yard underwater swim and a 200-yard buddy tow. It also goes without saying that it helps to limit your alcohol intake and stop using tobacco products before you arrive to basic training. The rescue swimmers for this emergency were Stuart Sterzel and Garth Eloff, both former special operators from Special Forces. Looking for U.S. government information and services? Learn how and when to remove this template message, Coast Guard Aviation Technical Training Center, National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, "Coast Guard School Tough Swimming, Few Pass Rescue Course", IMO Awards for Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2013 go to American rescuers and a Chinese seafarer, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aviation_Survival_Technician&oldid=1125439053, This page was last edited on 4 December 2022, at 00:54. All told, Coast Guard, Navy, and merchant vessel crews recovered 24 bodies from the scene of the capsizing. All fully qualified AWS crewmen are also gunners. It includes intense physical fitness, particularly long hours of fitness in a pool. If a member meets all the physical standards at the recruiter office and Cape May Training Center, they will be sent to a preferred unit so they have the ability to train in preparation for AST school. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers attend a one-week Advanced Helicopter Rescue School (AHRS) at Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Washington. 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. Most rescue swimmers in Denmark are Danish Air Force personnel from the Danish Transport and Rescue Squadron (Squadron 722 or in Danish Eskadrille 722), and operate from AgustaWestland EH101 helicopters. 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. It averages to about $18 per hour. They must meet the same intense qualifications and complete training, but there is no written rule that restricts their involvement. An Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) registered to fishing vessel Irony had been activated in Earnest Sound, 150 miles southeast of Sitka. 22.0 (100) II - Inflatable. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Nick Anderson has been serving on Active Duty in the U.S. Navy for the last 10 years. 500-meter full gear swim, followed by a 400-meter buddy tow in 26 minutes or less, 400 meter swim in 11 min (Free style, Side Stroke, or Breast Stroke), This page was last edited on 6 October 2022, at 06:03. Do you have more questions about joining the U.S. Coast Guard as an Aviation Survival Technicians (AST)/Helicopter Rescue Swimmer? 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. They qualify on the M-240, GAU-21, M4, and M11. 3. Hed originally been in a class with 11 would-be rescue swimmers who all washed out. 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. After much internal debate, the collateral duty of "Helicopter Rescue Swimmer" was issued to the ASM rating. ), An aptitude for mechanics, with a focus on school courses like algebra, geometry, and machinery being helpful, 25 Yard Underwater swim: Completed 4 times. Matthew Belson/U.S. Wayfair Huge Deal-A-Thon - Up to 60% off everything! Required fields are marked *. However, the training sessions are still highly controlled and closely monitored. Royal Canadian Air Force Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR TECHs) serve as rescue swimmers. There is only a reported 75 to 100 candidates that are selected each year for training. Additionally, recruits need to pass the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) medical exam before they can begin basic training. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. They might have to save a family on the other side of the globe who is desperately trying to survive a destructive storm, the crew of a sinking ship off the Pacific coast, or a wounded mountain climber hanging from a nearly inaccessible cliff. 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 He was one of three that graduatedand for one of those guys, it was his second time trying. HH/MH-65 D/E (Dolphin) The mainstay of the Coast Guard's rotary wing fleet, the Dolphin has been with the Coast Guard since the early 1980's. He currently resides in Meridian, Mississippi. 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. Not cocky. United States Air Force rescue swimmers are called pararescuemen (PJs) and perform sea-based and land-based rescues, although the rescue swimmer portion of their duties is sparsely used. [2] Out of the 75 - 100 Coast Guard personnel that attend training, only around 40 - 50 will graduate and become rescue swimmers. While serving as Helicopter Rescue Swimmers, ASTs may find themselves deployed into a myriad of challenging scenarios ranging from hurricanes and cliff rescues to emergency medical evacuations from ships at sea. Visit hisFitness eBook store if you're looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. 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. Romeos and Sierras break apart during 'A' school and they begin to learn more specific parts of their jobs. The Old Air Force Tape Test Is Officially Dead. 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. And as part of their training, candidates must complete a four-week emergency medical training course at the Coast Guard EMT school in Petaluma, California. The U.S. Coast Guard is extremely physically demanding. It averages to about $18 per hour. These are specially trained divers with some advanced techniques including abseiling, and some are also qualified as emergency medical technicians (comparable to Advanced EMT in United States) to provide medical treatments. Related Article: How To Join The Coast Guard. It includes the following phases: ground phase, medical phase, winter operations phase, arctic operations phase, dive phase, sea operations phase, parachuting operations phase, mountain operations phase, and operational/consolidation phase. Not all ASTs serve as rotary wing helicopter rescue swimmers. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-ready videos to electric live events, GQ meets millions of modern men where they live, creating the moments that create conversations. This highly specialized position is extremely challenging. Coast Guard basic training takes place in New Jersey. They must also be able to function for 30 minutes in heavy seas. This gives PJs one of the highest attrition rates of any of America's Special Operations Forces. GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. But it's not the standard EMT training; it's for rescues to be conducted in the open seas under extreme conditions. If you would like to pursue the specialized unit, making yourself aware of the intense training and schooling is step one toward becoming a fully-qualified, recognized member. Lastly, the Coast Guard will perform a background check to study your personal conduct. High seas, medical evacuations, downed aviators, sinking vessels, and hurricanes are some of the deadly scenarios that Coast Guard rescue swimmers are trained to handle. Calling them rescue swimmers would be a lot easier of course, theres little thats easy when it comes to the Coast Guards most elite unit. 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). Pierce and the other three members of his Miami-based aircrew loaded onto their bright orange MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and took off, headed east over the ocean. 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. 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). 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