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New Member Deck
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Basically Qualified When a person joins the Coast Guard Auxiliary, they fill out an application, complete a short open book quiz (Auxiliary New Member Course Examination), and undergo an initial security check called a Personal Security Investigation (PSI). It usually takes a couple of months for this to be completed and during this time the new member is in Approval Pending (AP) status. There are new regulations that greatly extend what you can do while in AP status. If the PSI comes back favorably, the new member moves into either Initially Qualified (IQ) or Basically Qualified (BQ) status, depending on whether or not they have taken a class. Reaching BQ is optional, but is important because it is a requirement for most of the operational programs in the Auxiliary. To become BQ (reference AUXILIARY MANUAL M16790.1F page 8-5), an Auxiliarist must have completed their application, have a favorable PSI, and must have passed or successfully challenged one of the following courses:
For an Auxiliarist, the BS&S course may be the best choice since this is a thorough review of the subjects the Auxiliarist is likely to encounter. If a new member has taken one of these classes before applying to the Auxiliary, the information is entered in Section IV of the Enrollment Application form ANCS 7001 and they will go straight into BQ status when they get a favorable PSI. Otherwise, they go into IQ status. This is also the time when the first identification card is issued, and it will list the Auxiliarist's status. To move from IQ to BQ status you must take one of the above classes. At the completion of the course you will be given a certificate. Be sure to get this! Not only will it be needed for the BQ qualification, but it can sometimes be used for a discount on boat insurance. After completing the course and obtaining a certificate, get a copy of "CCGD11N AUX Form MT-2, Qualification and Recertification" from the D11NR forms website. (Note that this is a D11NR form.) Complete the top part of the form, get your Flotilla Commander (FC) to sign the bottom, and mail the form and a copy of your course certificate to DIRAUX -- the address is on the back of the form. DIRAUX will enter the information into AUXDATA and you will have become BQ. (Your Flotilla Staff Officer - Member Training (FSO-MT) or the Auxiliarist giving the BS&S class will often help you with the MT-2.)
Boat Crew Qualified Auxiliary boats patrol for a variety of missions. There will be a least one coxswain onboard who is in command of the vessel (although he or she might not be the owner). There will be qualified boat crew, and each vessel has a specified minimum number of crew. There may also be coxswain and crew trainees. Auxiliary boat crew are trained to essentially the same standards as regular Coast Guard boat crew. It can take as much as a year to prepare for the final oral exam and on-the-water check ride with a Qualification Examiner (QE). Boat crew can be both physically and intellectually demanding. Training is a lot of work with amply opportunities to be hot, cold, wet, bruised, and yelled at. Crew members may find themselves facing critical situations. You might ask yourself if this is really what you want to do in the Auxiliary. Each flotilla has it's own characteristics and the best training will be found in a flotilla with an active program and is enthusiastic about supporting your goal to become boat crew qualified. A first step is for the Flotilla Commander (FC) or the Flotilla Staff Officer - Member Training (FSO-MT) to assign a new trainee to a mentor who is usually an active coxswain. Sometimes training is shared between several boats, and boat crew training can be coordinated from the division level with trainees, crews, coxswains, and boats from several flotillas participating. Training with different people on several boats is advantageous, and one could even suggest that some time spent on an Auxiliary sailboat will pay dividends on the day a disabled sailboat asks for help. There are three references that are central to boat crew training:
The D11NR Qualification and Certification webpage has a list of detailed requirements. There are also interesting items in Boat Crew Basics on the Surface Operations page. Basically, you'll be going through the check-offs in the qualification guide. Many of these are done on a boat but some, such as the Team Coordination Training (TCT) require a class. Other classes are FEMA ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700, and ICS-800. These are often given at a PCA Fair, and they are always available on the web. If you are in the Bay Area you can take the swim test at the heated pool on Coast Guard Island (CGI). If you take the swim test the same time the air crews take theirs you can learn how to roll into a life raft and swim under water to escape a downed aircraft. The final test is given by a QE and is both oral and on-the-water. When you are ready, you will be signed off for this by your FC. When you go for the test, take you qualification guide and be sure everything is completed, including the Mentor Tracking Form at the front. Take copies of your ICS and TCT certificates. Be able to prove you're basically qualified (BQ). And remember, the QE really would prefer to have you pass and become boat crew qualified.
Vessel Examiner Vessel Safety Checks (VSC) conducted by Vessel Examiners (VE) are a cornerstone of the Auxilairy's boating safety programs. Owners invite us onto their boats to check for a list of items needed for the boat to be legal and safe. If the boat passes the owner get a nice decal to place on the boat, and if they don't pass there is no downside since we simply give them a list of them things needing correction and offer to come back later and recheck. This is a opportunity to deal directly with the boat and the boater and to do work that clearly leads to protecting lives and property. This is where we prevent a Search and Rescue (SAR) from ever happening. And for many boaters, that Auxiliarist in his or her blue work ODU's checking things like fire extinguishers and navigation lights is the face of the Auxiliary. This can also be interesting and fun. You get to go aboard boats you would otherwise never visit, and you will see amazing things and hear great stories. One time you will examining someone's dingy and an hour later be in the stand-up engine room of a million dollar yacht. On one boat you can be talking with folks who have boated all their lives and are experts, and on the next boat you'll be talking with someone who will benefit from anything you can say. Auxiliarists will usually settle on a couple things they like to do and being a VE is a frequent choice. VE is a very good choice for a new Auxiliarist because you can get qualified in a reasonable amount of time and then go to work alongside other members of your Flotilla. If you're are interested in seeing a VSC you can usually ask to tag along with someone from your flotilla doing VSC's. The District has a great Vessel Examination Program page on the D11NR site that contains all the information needed to become qualified and work in this area. You can get both the training and take the examination on-line or, if you can attend a PCA Fair, you can take the two-day class with the exam at the end. Some Auxiliarists will recommend the two day class at the PCA Fair since, although the Vessel Safety Check Manual is not too large, there is a lot of detail. (So, you are examining a 21 foot sailboat -- do they need regular navigation lights or can they get by with a flashlight?) It's nice to have an instructor to explain the details.
Program Visitor Recreational Boating Safety Visitation Program (RBSVP) is a public outreach program in support of the US Coast Guard's recreational boating safety mission. The purpose of the RBSVP is to promote safe boating for the recreational boating public through the aid of local businesses, offices and marine dealerships. There are approximately 80 million boaters in the United States. Great strides toward an ultimate goal of safe and enjoyable recreational boating can be made by making safety and related boating information available wherever the general public shops, passes by or waits. This is achieved by a partnership between Program Visitors (PV), an ambassador from the Auxiliary who is visible source of information for federal, state and local boating safety requirements and education, and the Program Partner, any community business or facility that will allow the PV to place a literature display rack. Examples could include: marine dealers, plumbing shops, hardware stores, vessel rental agencies, vessel repair agencies, marinas, canvas or sail makers, hospital emergency or other waiting rooms, and doctor's offices. The PV program is another good place for the new Auxiliarist to get involved. The program can be very enjoyable if you like going about in the community and chatting with folks about boating. There is some training and an examination required to become qualified, and all the information you need is contained on the district's Program Visitor webpage.
Make Yourself a Plan A Guide to New Member Integration - The First Six Months...link was developed by the National Departments of Training and Personnel to help integrate new members into a flotilla. It's a very good guide but your flotilla may never have heard of it. Being that as it may, a new member should remember that this is a volunteer organization, no two flotillas are the same, and it's sometimes necessary to take your career planning into your own hands. If your flotilla officers are not using the Guide to New Member Integration, or you are not satisfied with how things are going, then there is no reason you can't read the guide and take a proactive role. The entire Guide is interesting to read, but perhaps the two most important items for the new member are to (1) get an advisor or, better yet, an advisor team, and (2) make a list of your initial goals and a six month schedule to meet them. If all your flotilla can provide you is a monthly meeting and a list of public courses, or if you simply are not having any fun, then you might want to consider working with another flotilla. Sometimes new members get discouraged and drop out of the Auxiliary, but looking into other flotillas in their area is a better idea. Many members, including longer term members, move between flotillas and there is nothing wrong with this. You can find other flotillas by using the Auxiliary Unit Directory and Finder...link that allows searching for flotillas from either a map or from a zip code (zip codes seem to work better).
Go on a Patrol A new Auxiliarist should not get the impression that everyone is out working on boats. There is a wide range of things to do in the Auxiliary and you will find many members productively spending their time in other, and often less physically demanding, activities. However, whatever you might eventually plan to do in the Auxiliary, it is a good idea to go on a "familiarization ride" on an Auxiliary patrol. Spending some hours on a boat with other flotilla members is a fine way to get to know them better and to let them get to know you. It's also a good way to learn about the flotilla's operating area and the types of missions they perform. It's a good occasion as well to learn flotilla trivia such as who has fallen overboard in the past (there is always someone) and who thinks they have the best boat (there is always someone). The new regulations allow a new Auxiliarist to go on a patrol as soon as they go into Approval Pending (AP) status. Sometimes it's hard to get on a boat but one should not get discouraged. Flotillas are different and some have few boats or boats that do not patrol often. Coxswains and boat crew also have to meet minimum yearly requirements to stay current and that takes priority. There are also coxswain and crew trainees that have priority. Ask your flotilla officers if they can get you a familiarization ride on an Auxiliary patrol. Also ask the boat owners if they can find a spot for you. When you do get on a boat, remember that this is a Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol and not a boat ride. The vessel is operating under Coast Guard orders and is under the command of the coxswain. Even if you have a lot of time on boats, this is an Auxiliary vessel and crew and it is an occasion to keep your eyes open, do what you're told, and try not to fall overboard!
Offer Your Boat for Auxiliary Use If you are not getting as much on-the-water time as you would like and you own a boat of your own, a simple solution is to offer your boat for use as an Auxiliary facility. You cannot be the coxswain, but you can be an instant boat crew trainee and man the helm under the coxswain's orders. Almost every flotilla will be delighted to add another boat as an Auxiliary Operational Facility (OPFAC). The process is fairly simple and the inspection can be performed by any member who is a current Vessel Examiner (VE). The examination and the list of requirements are contained in ANSC 7003, Vessel Facility Inspection and Offer for Use Form. This can downloaded from the district's Vessel Examination Program page. In general, an OPFAC must be a power boat 14 feet or longer or a sailboat 16 feet or longer. (There is a separate form for personal water craft (PWC)). Most of the requirements on Form 7003 are straight forward. Some extra PFDs are needed since you might be taking people onboard. The portable pump is needed in case a boat is encountered that is taking on water faster than their bilge pump can handle. Although the Auxiliary is not expected to serve as professional fire fighters, an extra fire extinguisher could come in handy when you have to deal with a burning boat. The stern and bow cleats with backing plates are needed because an OPFAC will do towing. Those pretty chrome cleats on a private boat may be adequate to keep the boat stuck to the dock in a marina, but there is no guarantee that they will hold up when towing another boat in a rough sea. If you offer your vessel, it passes the inspection, and is accepted by DIRAUX, it will become an OPFAC and can be used for operations under Coast Guard orders.
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