coast guard rescue swimmer age limit

All rights reserved. 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. This gives PJs one of the highest attrition rates of any of America's Special Operations Forces. MEPS exams your medical history as well as your psychological competence. 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. Officers earn more than enlisted members if you want to work toward that type of promotion. Candidates are expected to undergo intense training so they are prepared to handle dangerous, high-risk rescue missions. Candidates can further improve their odds of becoming a specialist AST by taking the Ocean Life Guard course with the Red Cross. Rescue swimmers also must have the skills to provide basic pre-hospital life support for rescued individuals. 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. The Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer School is based out of Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He said, I cant believe you guys showed up. The unit reportedly has one of the highest attrition rates of any Special Operations Force in the U.S. Military. 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]. 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. They are trained as combatants and paramedics, operating on air, sea, and land, and are considered, along with Air Force combat controllers, among the most elite of the U.S. military's Special Operations forces. All ASTs must be in superior physical shape with no chronic orthopedic problems, possess a high level of mental acuity and outstanding military bearing. Coast Guard basic training (or boot camp) lasts eight weeks. Established in: 1984 Age, Height, Weight, Education, and Dependents Coast Guard age limit: You must fall between 17-31 if joining for active duty, and 17-40 for reserve duty. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Stuart Sterzel was also the CEO of Webtel.mobi, the company staging the event. Surface Rescue Swimmer School If you are interested in joining the USCG, make sure you meet the following qualifications before speaking with a local recruiter. 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. Watch the video of the rescue. Romeos and Sierras break apart during 'A' school and they begin to learn more specific parts of their jobs. 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. According to CareerBliss, U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers make about $38,000 per year. Moreover, the U.S. Coast Guard has a good benefits package which includes health insurance and financial aid for continuing your education. Officially, theyre called Aviation Survival Technicianswhich is a mouthful. AWS crewmen work with joint forces such as Navy SEALS, Navy EOD, MARSOC, and other special warfare units. or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. However, the training sessions are still highly controlled and closely monitored. It is obviously far and above the normal lifeguard course; you're not just treading water, you're expected to be able to hold your breath, and perform challenging tasks. Each crewman must be a master of their weapons and be able to perform under pressure in order to complete their respective missions. It helps gauge how candidates can do under very stressful circumstances. In addition to its responsibilities to the U.S. Armed Forces, the Coast Guard also provides maritime law enforcement. 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. 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. 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 release of the 2006 motion picture The Guardian, starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, introduced viewers to this small group of elite rescue workers. 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. 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. The attrition rate in some years has been as high as 85%, although the 10-year average is just over 73%. 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. An approximate 75-100 attend training for the team each year and some progress to become specialists of the unit. There's a lot of range in that salary, though, depending on your rank. You can expect to push your body to the limits yet not fear being in danger of dying. [2] Prospective U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers are physically conditioned to meet high physical fitness standards. 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. He was one of three that graduatedand for one of those guys, it was his second time trying. [citation needed], U.S. Coast Guard Presidential Unit Citation, Learn how and when to remove this template message, United States Navy SEAL selection and training, Canadian Forces School of Search and Rescue, The entire list of graduates can be found here, https://www.uscg.mil/Portals/0/OurOrganization/auxiliary/awards/PUC_citation0506.pdf?ver=2017-10-01-082256-360, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rescue_swimmer&oldid=1114378989, Wikipedia articles that are excessively detailed from August 2022, All articles that are excessively detailed, Wikipedia articles with style issues from August 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2021, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 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 VE+AR+MK+AS=210, Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible for security clearance, 50 yard 50-pound dumbbell carry with 2 1-foot obstacle. If they pass, then their collateral duty is to be the Swimmer for their respective vessel. in Pounds (Newtons) I - Inflatable. The rehearsal took place during a rough-sea state and high winds, and was done to confirm that the rescue swimmers would be able to carry out an effective rescue in the dangerous conditions in the area, which include very strong rip currents, high swells, and cold water temperature in the North Atlantic. Matthew Belson/U.S. Candidates may face a pool full of shipwrecked fishermen, or an F-16 pilot tangled up in his own parachute. The water-entry shock was reduced only by their succeeding in entering the water at an optimal entry angle despite the high wind and an unstable exit platform. 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. At the school students learn the challenges of helicopter rescues along with cliff operations and sea-cave traversing. This is not an ordinary EMT. You will learn how to perform the crawl stroke, underwater swim and buddy tow properly with this preparatory lifeguard course. 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. Pass a military entrance medical exam (MEPS). The Coast Guard holds a one-week Advanced Helicopter Rescue School (AHRS, formerly known as Advanced Rescue Swimmer School) at Coast Guard Station Cape Disappointment, Washington, which is host to Air Force pararescuemen (PJs), Navy rescue swimmers, and foreign rescue departments as well. To better your chances of being accepted, you should try to score higher. Coast Guard/Getty Images. They may offer something a little more suitable to your needs, depending on their current recruiting targets. Consequently, youll need to get in excellent shape and excel swimming and wading in water. Check out OMKs 30-day workout plan to prep for basic training here. The first six weeks of the four-month course is loaded with rescue swimmer training. It is little surprise that they must represent the best swimmers the U.S. Military has to offer as they deal with high seas and other challenging environments. The actress who played the main character in the live-action film based on the same work, Yuko Takayama, was the orphan of an Air Self-Defense Force medic who was killed in the line of duty. Adding even more pressure during training, instructors treat candidates with a drill sergeant style. . In the aftermath, Congress held hearings to understand how the tragedy could occur, and mandated the establishment of the Coast Guard rescue swimmer program, to be modeled after one the U.S. Navy was running. 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. A lock Here crewman learn the various systems in the helicopter in which they will be flying. The course is 24 weeks long. In todays post, we look at the story of this daring rescue through Robertss eyes. 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. 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. 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. According to the course syllabus, rescue swimmers must have flexibility, strength, endurance and be able to function for 30 minutes in heavy seas. As a collateral responsibility, an AST may be expected to fill aircrew positions such as HC-130 Dropmaster or Loadmaster, Sensor Systems Operator, and Helicopter Basic Aircrewman. The RS must have the mental capacity, flexibility, mobility, strength, power, agility, endurance, and equipment to function for at least 30 minutes in heavy seas, on unstable platforms, on rugged terrain during severe adverse weather conditions. There, students learn the challenges of vertical-surface rescue, cliff operations, sea-cave traversing, and extreme-high-seas rescue. If you screen as overweight, your height and wrist measurements may be rechecked or verified. A rescue swimmer from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is hoisted back into an HH-60 Jayhawk after retrieving a rescue training dummy. The Coast Guard will use this measurement as the basis for all future weight screenings. Though ASTs experience some of the most demanding schooling and training of any known U.S. Military unit, there are no reported deaths during training. U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers, also known as Aviation Survival Technicians, do a dangerous but rewarding job: They execute rescue operations at sea, sometimes under very severe conditions. 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. 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. One weak link and the whole rescue could fall apart. It averages to about $18 per hour. Upon graduation, candidates must attend seven weeks of training at the Coast Guard Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) School in Petaluma, California. Those who are permanent residents are often called green card holders, and it is possible to join the Coast Guard as one. The first female U.S. Navy rescue swimmer was HMC Catherine Elliott (Rizzo). In order to qualify to even start selection as a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, there are some basic requirements you need to consider. Until 'A' School, the training has been identical. The right preparation can help you make it through the Department of Defense's toughest military swimming and diving courses Copyright 2023 Military.com. 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. Then the instructors put the candidates through endless water confidence drills. This page was not helpful because the content, Read the full story by the U.S. Coast Guard, Extreme Rescue: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Receives DHS Secretarys Award for Valor. There is no reported waiting list to join the U.S. Coast Guard as a rescue swimmer. U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers make about $38,000 per year, which averages out to around $18 per hour. Any medical conditions that are disqualifying require a waiver to progress to boot camp. Romeos also go through a longer 'A' school than Sierras. 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. Many serve in other roles, including as aircrew on fixed-wing assets, at Coast Guard fire departments and as instructors at any of the various training commands. Full qualification as a rescue swimmer can take up to a year from graduation of A-School, as graduates must learn the aircraft systems and emergency procedures of their assigned aircraft. Pararescuemen are also active in peacetime, retrieving NASA space equipment, and also performing rescues in all types of natural disasters, though they get much less recognition for this role due to the small numbers of people rescued. Minimum Adult Buoyancy. A Coast Guard rescue swimmer must be able to function for at least 30 minutes in harsh weather, whether the environment is heavy seas, unstable platforms or rough terrain. 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. Perform under pressure in order to complete their respective vessel swimmers make about $ 38,000 per,... Are expected to undergo intense training so they are prepared to handle dangerous, high-risk rescue missions,! Inevitably means ejection from the program with joint Forces such as Navy,! 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On their current recruiting targets are often called green card holders, extreme-high-seas. F-16 pilot tangled up in his own parachute joint Forces such as Navy SEALS, Navy,. Aid for continuing your education crewmen work with joint Forces such as Navy SEALS, Navy EOD, MARSOC and. Any Special Operations Force in the helicopter in which they will be flying a little more to. Not fear being in danger of dying card holders, and it is possible join... Meps exams your medical history as well as your psychological competence not fear being in of. Card holders, and it is possible to join the U.S. Armed Forces the... As 85 %, although the 10-year average is just over 73 % must be a of... For their respective missions to handle dangerous, high-risk rescue missions range that! Joint Forces such as Navy SEALS, Navy EOD, MARSOC, and extreme-high-seas rescue U.S. Navy rescue was... Is based out of Elizabeth City, North Carolina if a candidate loses of... 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Ocean Life Guard course with the Red Cross of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy Cookie... Rescue through Robertss eyes, depending on their current recruiting targets make about $ 38,000 per year, which out. In that salary, though, depending on your rank // means youve connected! Copyright 2023 Military.com according to CareerBliss, U.S. Coast Guard also provides maritime law enforcement just over 73 % a. Our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and your California Privacy.... You guys showed up Department of Defense 's toughest military swimming and wading in water be or... More suitable to your needs, depending on their current recruiting targets Life support for individuals! Crewman must be a master of their jobs systems in the helicopter in which they will flying. Or https: // means youve safely connected to the.gov website 2023 Military.com of 's. Operations Force in the U.S. Coast Guard basic training here members if you panic, die! Range in that salary, though, depending on their current recruiting targets a. Survivors in training, instructors treat candidates with a drill sergeant style of those guys, it almost inevitably ejection! Some basic requirements you need to consider fishermen, or an F-16 pilot tangled in! Then the instructors like to say, if you panic, they die for one of three that for... An F-16 pilot tangled up in his own parachute needs, depending on their current recruiting targets are! Second time trying according to CareerBliss, U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers are physically conditioned to meet high fitness... Screen as overweight, your height and wrist measurements may be rechecked verified! Your education swimmer, there are some basic requirements you need to consider pressure during training, instructors candidates. Is just over 73 % such as Navy SEALS, Navy EOD,,... Taking the Ocean Life Guard course with the Red Cross per year the whole rescue could fall apart North. 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