USCG Auxiliary Commercial Fishing Vessel Examiners

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Mr. Matthew Hooper, USCG Marine Safety Transportation Specialist.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary was established by Congress in 1939 and today is comprised of nearly 30,000 members. These men and women volunteer more than two million hours annually.

Auxilarists perform hundreds of commercial fishing vessel safety exams annually. Nationwide, approximately 25 percent of all exams are performed by auxiliary examiners.

Prospective examiners may attend a week-long training course, must complete a “personal qualification standard,” and pass an oral and practical examination to demonstrate the appropriate knowledge. Once qualified, auxiliary commercial fishing vessel examiners join the ranks of those who work diligently to improve fishing vessel safety.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/winter2010-11/

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The Legislative Process

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by AUX Christopher Ware, Director, USCGAUX Government Affairs

The Coast Guard Auxiliary has more than 60 legislative liaison officers who track legislative actions on issues including life jacket wear, public education, boating under the influence, and personal watercraft operation.

The Coast Guard also allows Coast Guard Auxiliarists to testify on legislative matters such as life jacket wear, carbon monoxide detection, boating under the influence, and mandatory education for boaters.

Boat Operations and Training (BOAT)
Created in cooperation with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the U.S. Navy Center for Asymmetric Warfare, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, and the U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boat Forces, the BOAT program establishes a national standard for the training, qualification, credentialing, and typing of maritime law enforcement and rescue personnel.

Adapted from the U.S. Coast Guard’s boat forces training framework, the BOAT program is comprised of maritime training and management components, including:\

• system policy,
• the training and qualification process,
• boat crew qualification tasks,
• program manager roles and responsibilities,
• boat crew currency maintenance,
• documentation requirements.
  Other training modules, including search and rescue, are being developed.

For more information:
Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators

Excerpt from U.S. Coast Guard Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council magazine by Col. Terry West, Boating Law Administrator and Assistant Director, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
President, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) is a non-profit organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. The association addresses its mission by:

• fostering partnerships among the states, the Coast Guard, and others;
• crafting model boating laws;
• maintaining national education and training standards;
• providing members with critical knowledge and skills;
• assisting in homeland security challenges on our waterways;
• advocating the needs of the state boating programs before Congress and federal agencies.

Partnering to Protect Boaters
One major task is to ensure that boating safety funds from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund are allocated for state boating safety programs.

Safety Standards and Reference Materials
In another effort to promote uniformity and reciprocity among the states, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators developed boating safety education standards in the 1970s. Working with Penn State University and boating safety partners such as the United States Power Squadrons, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and National Safe Boating Council, NASBLA adopted the National Boating Education Standards in 1999.

Law Enforcement, Investigation, and Detection Efforts
Through cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board, NASBLA conducts courses that teach officers how to conduct consistent, thorough accident investigations.

In 2004, National Association of State Boating Law Administrators began teaching boating under the influence (BUI) detection and enforcement courses that cover planning for BUI enforcement, arrest decisions, BUI suspect processing procedures, essential elements of the arrest report, note taking and report writing, pre-trial conferences and presentation of evidence, and proper administration of sobriety tests.

For more information:
Website: http://nasbla.org/.

Full article is available at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/fall2010.

Subscribe online at http://www.uscg.mil/proceedings/subscribe.asp.