RBS Outreach Directorate News

Statements of policy or procedure provided by members of the Chief Director's office, national elected officers, or department directors posted on this webpage should be regarded as official statements.

Coast Guard Looking For Volunteers To Support Boy Scout Jamboree

Posted on 17 May 2013 by bc-bri

The Coast Guard has been asked to support the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, which will be held at the Bechtel Summit Reserve, Beckley, West Virginia, from 15-24 July 2013. The National Scout Jamboree brings together Boy Scouts, venturers, and their adult leaders for training and unique outdoor adventures and experiences. This years Jamboree will be a historical event as it will be first time the Jamboree will be held at the Boy Scouts of Americas (BSA) new 10,000 acre high adventure site. The total number of Scouts attending is expected to exceed 40,000 with more than 50,000 additional visitors.

This high visibility event is a prime opportunity for the Coast Guard to reach a large number of people who are interested in boating safety, maritime environmental stewardship, and maritime laws and regulations.

RDML Dan Abel, the Flag sponsor, has been tasked by the Vice Commandant to coordinate the Coast Guards support of this event. CDR Jeff Westling has been designated as the Coast Guards National Scout Jamboree (NSJ) Task Force (TF) commander and will be in charge of team Coast Guard participation at the Jamboree. The deputy task force commander is LT Jonathan Schafler. Task force members will be selected from active duty, reserve, auxiliary, civilian and retired personnel.

Due to the short preparation time available, task force members are needed immediately to fill various leadership, liaison and staff positions in the following functional areas:

  • Administration
  • Merit Badges
  • Sea Scouts
  • Coast Guard Exhibits
  • External CG Forces
  • Communications
  • Public Affairs, and
  • Logistics

The leadership team will develop and manage strategies for achieving the Coast Guards NSJ desired end state and provide operational level guidance to the task force commander who will exert tactical control through functional area and individual task leaders.

Task leaders will be needed in the following areas:

  • NORTHCOM liaison. Provide direct communication for establishing and maintaining mutual understanding and cooperation with USNORTHCOM and subordinate staffs.
  • Transportation manager. Arrange for and schedule the usage of government vehicles.
  • Berthing/meals coordinator. Coordinate meals planning, and act as master at arms for assigned berthing space(s).
  • Merit badge lead. Develop lesson plans and ensure the availability of necessary teaching aids for their respective merit badges.
  • Exhibits coordinator. Arrange for the scheduling, set up, and removal of USCG displays. Each CG exhibit will have a lead exhibitor with staff to showcase Coast Guard missions to NSJ participants and visitors.
  • Safety advisor. Advise NSJ TF commander on all safety related issues. Evaluate USCG sponsored events and stations to ensure compliance with appropriate safety standards.
  • Medical support coordinator. Ensure all participants have current medicals. Coordinate medical issues between USCG, BSA, and USNORTHCOM. Provide onboard medical advice to NSJ TF commander.

Those members interested in this unique volunteer opportunity require command approval and must submit same to the POC listed below NLT 22 May 2013. The deadline for the quick-fill positions in Paragraph 3 is NLT 15 May 2013. Requests for the task force selection must be submitted via email with info copy to their immediate supervisor, and include the following information:

  • Name
  • Rank/rate/position description and contact information
  • Present unit and description of duties
  • CG experience and specialty, if any
  • Name and contact information of supervisor
  • Description of current or previous scouting experience, including Jamborees
  • Highest scouting rank held, if any
  • A list of all scouting training and certifications, if any, including merit badge counselor
  • Desired position(s) on Jamboree task force
  • A statement as to the ability of member to participate full time on the task force during the Jamboree period 13-25 July, 2013, to include set-up and tear-down of exhibits
  • Acknowledgement that CG NSJ TF members must comply with the BSA health and weight/body fat standards required for all BSA adult participants. Details can be found here

Consumption of alcohol onboard the Summit will not be permitted in accordance with BSA policy. Use of tobacco products will be allowed only in authorized locations and not while interacting with Scouts and visitors in accordance with BSA policy.

Task force members will be notified by email of their selection.

In order to attend, all task force members will need to have permissive orders, or equivalent, from their command and be required to pay out of pocket for the trip to/from the Jamboree site. Travel costs, berthing, meals and incidental expenses will not be reimbursed. While all efforts are being made to contain costs, members should anticipate costs up to approximately 600 dollars for the duration of the event, excluding individual transportation expenses. Anticipate berthing onsite at the Jamboree in tents with ambient air showers or possibly at a West Virginia National Guard armory. CG NSJ TF members will purchase meals from the BSA and/or DOD/WVARNG dining facility.

Reservists selected shall be authorized one unpaid readiness management period (RMP) per day IAW Ref. A, CH.2.a.5. Travel and per diem will not be reimbursed.

For Civilians: DHS MD 254-01 limits employees to 40 hours of administrative leave (excused absence) per leave year for participation in mission-related volunteer activities, which may include certain volunteer activities related to the Jamboree.

Civilian volunteers and their supervisors should contact CDR Westling to see if administrative leave is authorized. If not authorized, or if you have already used a portion your available 40 hours of administrative leave, the balance of the time needed to volunteer for the Jamboree will need to be made up from annual leave, accrued compensatory time off or earned credit hours (if available), or leave without pay.

POCs are CDR Jeff Westling (252)335-6535/ jeffrey.c.westling(at)uscg.mil or LT Jonathan Schafler (757) 672-7854/ jonathan.i.schafler(at)uscg.mil

RDML Steven D. Poulin, Director, Governmental and Public Affairs, sends.

Posted in Uncategorized, Youth outreach | Comments Off

Spring 2013 Issue of WAVES Published

Posted on 7 May 2013 by admin

The latest issue of WAVES, the RBS Outreach watercraft and vessel safety newsletter, has now been posted to the Newsletter page (you can download the PDF directly here). It includes a number of stories of interest to everyone involved in the mission of recreational boating safety, including tips for improving your flotilla’s National Safe Boating Week activities.

Posted in For Instructors, For Program Visitors, For Vessel Examiners, RBS News | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Safety Alerts: Counterfeit Fire Extinguishers and Bow Riding

Posted on 25 March 2013 by bc-bri

The US Coast Guard has just issued two new safety alerts that all recreational boaters should heed.

The first alert describes the discovery of counterfeit fire extinguishers, and begins this way:

The Coast Guard has recently become aware of counterfeits of U.S. Coast Guard approved portable fire extinguishers manufactured by Amerex Corporation and Buckeye Fire Equipment. Both companies are major producers of genuine approved fire extinguishing equipment and serve a worldwide market. These counterfeit extinguishers present a significant safety hazard. Their capability to extinguish a fire is unproven; they may be charged with a powdery substance that is not a fire extinguishing agent, the pressure cylinder is not DOT approved, and the pressure gauge may not function or give false readings…

The second alert pertains to bow-riding in heavy weather:

Several passengers standing in the bow pulpit of a 106’ inspected whale watching vessel were injured while underway. The vessel struck a large wave, its bow rose and slammed down causing the passengers in the pulpit to lose their balance and fall to the deck. Injuries ranged from cuts and bruises to a broken patella (knee) and jaw. Although there were many other passengers on board at the time, only the passengers standing in the pulpit were injured…

You can download and read copies of both alerts as a printable PDF here.

Posted in For Instructors, For Program Visitors, For Vessel Examiners, RBS News | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Gear up for safety—take a paddle sport class!

Posted on 14 January 2013 by bc-blc

When paddlers ask the question “What’s the next piece of gear I should get?”, Neil Schulman answers “Take a course.”  In the 2013 Annual Paddling Buyer’s Guide, Schulman’s Rock the Boat column questions why paddlers spend thousands of dollars for equipment, but resist taking formal instruction. He describes four recent incidents in his home waters which resulted in the destruction of two boats and required Coast Guard rescues of five persons.  The causes of these incidents, he says, were not equipment problems: they were “errors in seamanship, decision-making and execution–things that can be learned and practiced, but not purchased.” Coast Guard Auxiliarists can help paddlers improve their knowledge this winter by offering Paddle Sports America classes in their locale for canoeists, stand up paddlers and white water and sea kayakers.

The courseware is available for download on the Auxiliary web site here.  This three to four hour classroom instruction provides the basics of paddle sport safety.  Topics include:  Know Your Paddlecraft – parts of a canoe and kayak; understanding paddlecraft characteristics such as basic types, hull shapes hull materials, lengths and widths and weights; selecting your paddle for both canoe and kayak; Before You Get Underway – knowing your paddlecraft’s capacity and how to file a float plan; transporting your paddlecraft; conducting a pre-departure check; dressing for a safe trip; loading gear in a canoe or kayak; storing paddle craft; the responsibilities when paddling with others; Operating Your Boat Safely – how to enter and exit a canoe or kayak safely; securing the paddlecraft and sharing the waterways with others; the U. S. Aids to Navigation System (ATONS); learning about local hazards on waterways, The Legal Requirements of Boating -vessel registration, hull identification numbers and who may operate a paddlecraft; unlawful operation of paddlecraft; Homeland Security restrictions; policies on alcohol and drugs. Life jackets; navigation lights; sound-producing devices and visual distress signals; protection of environment and what to do if in a boating accident. (State specific information may be added at the end of this chapter.); and Boating Emergencies… What to Do – minimizing the risk of drowning, capsizing, swamping or falling overboard; emergency techniques; how to deal with cold water immersion and hypothermia; understanding heat related illness; dehydration; handling weather emergencies.

The Buyer’s Guide, published in Canada, is a partner of the American Canoe Association.

Don Goff, BC-BLC

Posted in For Instructors, Paddlesports | Tagged , | Comments Off

Cold Weather? Life Jackets Now Required in 5 States

Posted on 14 January 2013 by bc-blc

The American Canoe Association newsletter reports there are new  life jacket mandatory wear laws taking effect in five states in 2013.  These are for the cold weather/cold water months.

Connecticut

Lifejackets must be worn by anyone in a manually propelled vessel from October 1 through May 31 (must be a Type I, II, III, V or V-hybrid)

Maine

All persons canoeing or kayaking on the Saco River between Hiram Dam and the Atlantic Ocean between January 1 and June 1st must be wearing a lifejacket.

Massachusetts

Lifejackets must be worn from September 15 – May 15 when operating a canoe or kayak.

New York

No owner or operator of a pleasure vessel less than twenty-one feet, including rowboats, canoes, and kayaks shall permit its operation, between November 1st and May 1st, unless each person on board such vessel is wearing a securely fastened United States Coast Guard approved wearable personal flotation device of an appropriate size when such vessel is underway.

Pennsylvania

Beginning November 1 and lasting through April 30, boaters are required to wear a lifejacket while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or any canoe or kayak

Posted by: Don Goff, BC-BLC

Posted in Paddlesports | Tagged | Comments Off

WAVES 2012 ISSUE 3

Posted on 20 December 2012 by dir-bd

The latest issue of Waves, the RBS Outreach watercraft and vessel safety newsletter, has now been posted to the Newsletter link on our website. It is chock full of stories of interest to everyone involved in the mission of recreational boating safety.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Get My Drift?

Posted on 8 November 2012 by admin

When a paddle craft – canoe, kayak, or paddleboard – is found adrift, the first question is whether someone was aboard or whether it simply blew or floated away. Until the latter is confirmed, it must be assumed that someone was aboard and no longer is. A SAR mission must go out and search until the owner/operator can be contacted and confirms that the craft was merely adrift and that everyone is safe.

The problem is that, unlike sail and power boats, most jurisdictions do not require registration numbers on all paddle craft. Without the familiar state coded numbers and letters on the bow, it is difficult to determine who the owner is and call them, unless they have taken action to identify themselves by putting their name and a telephone number on the craft. Few do.

Auxiliarists can help alleviate this problem through education and training and while doing vessel exams. Encourage paddle craft owners to permanently affix their name, a cell phone number, and a land line telephone number to their craft in a visible place. It doesn’t have to be large, just legible.

An orange self-adhesive label with contact information spaces may be available from your District Recreational Boating Safety coordinator (on the Gold side). These stickers can be filled in using a magic marker, paint stick, or nail polish and applied to the hull or deck of the paddle craft. Get them by asking your materials person to inquire through the leadership and management chain.

With this identification aboard, a SAR crew finding the craft can immediately call and determine the status of the owner. If no answer, they will perform a standard search, according to conditions. But when the owner is found to be safe, the Coast Guard can save man hours and fuel, and be available for a true distress situation. VE’s, PE’s, and PA’s are encouraged to pass the word to the paddling community.

Posted in For Instructors, For Vessel Examiners, Paddlesports | Tagged , , | Comments Off

BoatU.S. Foundation Increases Grants Amounts for Innovative Safe and Clean Boating Projects

Posted on 15 October 2012 by Bruce White DVC-BL

The BoatU.S. Foundation’s Grassroots Grants Program, which has funded more than $1 million in local boating safety and clean water projects for the past 21 years, is more than doubling its maximum grant size to $10,000 for 2013. The Foundation is looking to fund projects that utilize innovative strategies for educating boaters on safe and clean boating topics.

BoatU.S. Foundation is hoping to reach even more boaters with the larger grants. Groups interested in applying for one or more Grassroots Grants may go here to view the grant guidelines and complete their application. Applications must be submitted by midnight on December 17, 2012. The strongest grant applications will be posted online in the spring of 2013 for public voting. The groups with the most votes will receive funding and will have one year to complete the grant project.

Source: BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water

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Beautful Day for Kayak Fishing, Tragic Outcome

Posted on 2 October 2012 by Bruce White DVC-BL

Unfortunately, another kayak fisherman has drowned. According to local news reports, the 58-year old male was wearing no life jacket, had beer in the boat, and tried to swim to shore after capsizing. The incident occurred in Pohick Bay, Virginia, adjoining the Potomac River. Pohick Bay is generally still water, with a weak underwater current from Accotink Creek. This is not wild country or wild water; Pohick Bay is in the middle of the Washington, DC suburbs. The accident occurred in sight of the person who called 911.

The victim’s mistakes suggest he had not attended a safe boating course. Auxiliary PEs are encouraged to offer the Paddlesports America course in their local area to help prevent future catastrophes like this one. Find the course and instructor guide here. Instructors don’t need to be kayakers to teach this course. The material on basic boating safety should be quite familiar from teaching BS&S or ABC. The paddlesports-specific elements are easily mastered. Supporting materials are available on the AuxBWiki site.

Source: Don Goff, BC-BLC

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Have You Been Unsubscribed from RBS-Alerts?

Posted on 28 September 2012 by bc-bri

A number of subscribers to our RBS-Alerts email list have recently received messages telling them that they have been “unsubscribed” from the list. This email is genuine, and it’s been automatically generated by our list-management software. If you got such a message, you have indeed been removed from the list. Let me explain why.

Group email lists inevitably produce bounced messages from time to time. It could be because someone closed an account, or an inbox got overfilled, or a server hiccuped, or an over-aggressive spam filter has blacklisted the originating address. On a large list like ours (which has over 3,000 subscribers at the moment), these bounces really add up. To keep our server from being overwhelmed by bounced emails, the list software automatically removes any address that’s generated a certain number of bounces. Recently, that started happening for many of our subscribers, mainly those with Hotmail and Earthlink addresses. This appears to be due to some kind of glitch or software change that occurred on those services. The RBS-Affairs webmaster cannot solve the problem from this end.

The solution is to check your email settings and make sure that messages from rbs-alerts are allowed through, i.e. that they’re not automatically bounced by a spam filter or other setting, and that your inbox is not over capacity. Also make sure you haven’t configured your account to require people to fill out a form before you receive their emails – this is an extreme anti-spam tactic that works, but the list software can’t fill out the form, so you’ll need to change that setting if you want to receive these alerts. Then, re-subscribe to the list on our subscription page. If that doesn’t resolve the problem, consider switching to another email service provider, at least for your RBS-Alerts notifications.

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