AST2 Grant Roberts, a rescue swimmer with the Coast Guard Air Station Sitkas MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew and three of his fellow crewmembers Lt. Justin Neal, Lt. Jonathan Orthman, and AET2 James Schwader received the DHS Secretarys 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 instructors goal is to ensure that only those with the calmest nerves are dropping into the water. This is what makes a Rescue Swimmer a part of the Special Operations force of the United States Navy. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com. 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. Coast Guard basic training (or boot camp) lasts eight weeks. Until 'A' School, the training has been identical. 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. A high degree of confidence in, around, and underneath the water is required. Read the full story by the U.S. Coast Guard. It is intended to provide operational guidance for Coast Guard personnel In 1999, along with the realignment of enlisted aviation rates throughout the USCG, the Aviation Survivalman rating was redesignated to Aviation Survival Technician. According to CareerBliss, U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers make about $38,000 per year. Guardsmen are required to serve eight years. The Coast Guard rescue swimmer training program is very challenging and is one of the toughest U.S. military training courses. Born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama, Nick enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17. And as part of their training, candidates must complete an emergency medical training (EMT) course. They may offer something a little more suitable to your needs, depending on their current recruiting targets. Ben Cournia, the swimmer who orchestrated the rescue of the Minouche, started his class with 9 trainees. According to the same source, the pay is approximately 27 percent lower than the national average for rescue swimmers. During Hurricane Katrina, Faulkner rescued 48 people during one 12-hour shift, along with many others during rescue operations on subsequent shifts. The success of the rescue was credited to the rescue rehearsal carried out on the day before the event, which was also televised worldwide as it happened. The first few weeks of boot camp are especially difficult. But the frigid sailors in the water were too numb from the cold to pull themselves into the baskets. Roughly 75 to 100 students go through 24 weeks of Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer school in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and just over half of them complete the course successfully. An official website of the United States government. 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. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Royal Canadian Air Force Search and Rescue Technicians (SAR TECHs) serve as rescue swimmers. This is not an ordinary EMT. Therefore, there are positions available in the Coast Guard with the right dedication and discipline. They must meet the same intense qualifications and complete training, but there is no written rule that restricts their involvement. The unit reportedly has one of the highest attrition rates of any Special Operations Force in the U.S. Military. Recruits are allowed to receive letters throughout boot camp, and are encouraged to reach out to friends and family while they go through the grueling training. Reportedly, only 75100 Coast Guard personnel attend the school each year. And you'll be rewarded handsomely for your braverythe average pay for a U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer is $75,000 a year . Stuart Sterzel was also the CEO of Webtel.mobi, the company staging the event. 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. SAR TECHs who demonstrate the required knowledge, experience, and leadership skills may also be selected as an instructor at the Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue (CFSSAR), at 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia. All Rights Reserved. The Coast Guard requirements on physical fitness are intense for a reason. The first few weeks of boot camp are especially difficult. Your email address will not be published. All ASTs must be in superior physical shape with no chronic orthopedic problems, possess a high level of mental acuity and outstanding military bearing. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS In addition to EMT training, ASTs are required to attend a one-week Advanced Helicopter Rescue School (AHRS) at a station in Washington. Pass a military entrance medical exam (MEPS). As of 2022, Erica Gibson, a 17-year enlisted Sailor, became the first female aviation Navy Search and Rescue (SAR) swimmer to promote to the rank of senior chief petty officer. All in all, the military branch employs a workforce of more than 87,000 people. The U.S. Coast Guard is extremely physically demanding. Therefore, its crucial to study hard for the ASVAB and give it your maximum attention. Long Live the New Tape Test. As a result, its a very competitive branch to join when compared to the much larger Navy and Army. 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 . If you have been motivated by the heroics played live on your television set or movie screens to think about becoming aCoast Guard Rescue Swimmer, be prepared. 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. Not cocky. The U.S. Coast Guards Rescue Swimmers are considered to be one of the top rescue specialist units in the world. Its important to perform well on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) because the test score opens up more job possibilities. There are nearly 41,000 active-duty members of the Coast Guard and an additional 7,000 Reservists. They are also expected to know various in-flight procedures, such as hoist-operating procedures and in-flight trouble-shooting. The Coast Guard's team of ASTs is composed of about 350 active-duty members, and just over 1000 members have passed the training to become Helicopter Rescue Swimmers since the mid-1980s. Upon graduation from the brutal two-week course, they will go to the fleet as operational rescue swimmers. There are now two additional categories of rescue-swimming specialists: mobile rescue technicians (, Kid-kynan-shi) and the top-tier Special Rescue Team (SRT). After a few years, the differences between what the candidates were learning in the combat-oriented Navy school and what was being required of them during civilian rescues required an organic Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer school to be begun. This can be everything from rescuing people from a boat in the middle of a hurricane, to assisting with medical evacuations far out at sea. . All Rights Reserved, Commercial Aircraft Life Support Equipment Technician. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The last stop for a Navy rescue swimmer is SERE School (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape). For this reason, one could argue the time commitment is a little more demanding than U.S. Coast Guard standards. Lastly, the Coast Guard will perform a background check to study your personal conduct. I recommend the following scores to succeed better with the training course: If you are considering this profession, take an ocean lifeguard course with the Red Cross to see whether you have what it takes. 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. Two women, Kelly Mogk 86 and Jody Vander Hyden 89, were graduates and swimmers following the Navys course in earlier years. According to. View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page. There's a lot of range in that salary, though, depending on your rank. 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. Most often, they are referred to as Search and rescue swimmers (or SARs), and their primary goal is to rescue downed aviators. To better your chances of being accepted, you should try to score higher. Aviation Rescue Swimmers may help just about anyone, in almost any environment. After seven weeks of EMT training, they must take and pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians-Basic (NREMT-B) test as part of their qualification as a helicopter rescue swimmer. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers attend a one-week Advanced Helicopter Rescue School (AHRS) at Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment in Washington. The station is host to Air Force pararescuemen, which provides candidates the opportunity to interact with pararescuemen as well as Navy rescue swimmers. Right in your inbox. These swimmers deploy only from ships and boats, and are tethered to a line handler stationed on board the vessel. ASTs are knowledgeable about aviation survival equipment and keep it maintained while waiting for emergency responses. It is possible to get through your training program with running only a few days a week, but your risk future injury. In order to qualify to even start selection as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, there are some basic requirements you need to consider. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy has its own unit of rescue swimmers as well. The premier helicopter-rescue training allows ASTs to interact with rescue swimmers from the other branches of the U.S. Military. The Coast Guard also trains a basic form of life-saving swimmers known as Cutter Surface Swimmers. The U.S. Coast Guard pays well for your services. U.S. Air Force Rescue Swimmers are known as pararescuemen. Your email address will not be published. Not all ASTs serve as rotary wing helicopter rescue swimmers. The crew departed the air station as a low-pressure storm system battered Southeast Alaska. [7], The first female to graduate from the Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue School was Sara Faulkner. 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. There is no reported waiting list to join the U.S. Coast Guard as a 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. The Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) is one of the last junctures needed to qualify for service. 22.0 (100) II - Inflatable. Ad Choices, The Waterlogged Hell of Becoming a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. You may have become inspired by the heroics that are reenacted on TV or in movies. Ben Cournia, the swimmer who orchestrated the rescue of the Minouche, started his class with 9 trainees. Rescue swimmer is the collateral duty or aircrew position of the AST. They must also complete six months of apprenticeship before completing the syllabus and officially becoming a team member. Subscribe to Military.com to have military news, updates and resources delivered directly to your inbox. MEPS exams your medical history as well as your psychological competence. 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