Coast Guard Thread

[sea nmf]

That would be nice. Too busy? Not their mission? What could it be??? No use speculating (I know - I just did) but a person can't help but wonder. . . . .

 

[Wildcard]

The fire department wants to be the heros and use there water rescue toys and don't want interferance from the pesky feds whose job it accualy is.

 

[Firefyter]

The fire department wants to be the heros and use there water rescue toys and don't want interferance from the pesky feds whose job it accualy is.

Or could it be that the FD does it because somebody HAS to, and the pesky feds are too busy polishing their brass?? I'm sorry, but there's no need to take swipes at the only guys doing the job......

 

[onfloat]

I go diving with a couple of Coasties here on the island. My understanding is a jurisdiction thing. One had an issue with a boat picking up his dive flag while he was under it and he said it was a local law enforcement deal. He posted about it here on the board.

Edit: Here is the thread:http://scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=125993

I'll see if I can't get one of them to post.

 

[Wildcard]

Or could it be that the FD does it because somebody HAS to, and the pesky feds are too busy polishing their brass?? I'm sorry, but there's no need to take swipes at the only guys doing the job......

Being a FF, been on the board of directors, owned the station and running a contract engine, Im quite sure I can see the big picture of the most over funded fire department I have ever see. Yet they still need the military for almost every grass fire they have over 5 acres. We have water safety and the coasties but the FIRE department feels the need to go into the water and use there surf boards, jet skis and boats.

 

[Keone2000]

The fire department is responsible for all shore lines up to 3 miles the coast guard is responsible for anything beyond 3 miles

 

[Puddle Pirate]

Well this is my first post and at the urging of Onfloat whom I dive with I will take the bait. I am a Coastie and have spent time in the Carribean performing Drug Interdiction, Alien Migration and Interdiction, Search and Rescue and a multitude of other missions. I have also spent eleven years in the Pacific NorthWest at Lifeboat stations mainly assisting fishermen and private boaters who had no clue at how close to death they were with 48 degree water. Six months in the middle east on an assignment gave me an entirely different view on how some middle eastern countries despise us. It would be very easy for me to answer some of your specific question Catherine however the United States is at war and like all good Coasties, due to security I and my fellow Coasties cannot answer you and others with specifics, so we will endure the criticism and comments of you and others. Hopefully we will do our job well and you will have many years of freedom to criticise and belittle us. As for the other members of the Armed Forces on this board who bad mouth Coasties how dare you. Since 1790 the Coast Guard has participated in every major conflict this country has ever encountered. Look up a little history and you will find that a Coastie received the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for pulling Marines off the beach at Guadacanal during WWII. In 1998 three Coasties died while attempting to rescue a boater in distress off the Washington coast, the boater in distress is a Navy Officer, he was rescued by Coasties, he lived they died trying. Our Motto used to be you have to go out you don't have to come back, some of us still believe this and some don't. I could go on for hours defending our actions but for some of you it will not matter. When something goes wrong you want someone to blame for your mistakes, lack of preparation, or disregard for federally mandated safety equipment. We don't make the laws and regulations your elected Congressmen do, we are just tasked with enforcing them, also contrary to some beliefs we are not life guards that is the states responsibility. Ask the victims of Hurricane Katrina if they think the Coast Guard isn't there to help, we were performing rescues before the winds stopped. Sea nmf your stats you pulled off the CG site are correct but do you think we post all our stats, go to the other military branch sites and see if they post all their stats such as the speed and endurence of a Trident sub or the stats and operations of Navy Seals, Army rangers, or Marine Recon. I am not putting us in the same catagory as those units but there are things that can't be published. I have already probably said more than I should but then I always have had a hard time holding my tounge. Go ahead let the spears fly. If this had spell check I would use it so disregard the mispelled words.

 

[Firefyter]

Being a FF, been on the board of directors, owned the station and running a contract engine,

This says it all about your attitude towards FF's. It's attitudes like this that give volunteer firefighters a bad name.

 

[Wildcard]

The fire department is responsible for all shore lines up to 3 miles the coast guard is responsible for anything beyond 3 miles

That simply is not true. The CG is responsible for all US waters.

Im not bad mouthing coasties. Im saying some places are very good and some just flat out suck when it comes to ther resopnse, it comes down to command. In fact if I was to do the military thing again, Id go coastie. I had not discovered my love of the sea at that time so I ended up AF...The coast guard response to Katrina was nothing short of amasing, proving they can do the job. Now if the people in control would figure out a way to get boats underway in less than four hours, like giving the person in charge at the time permmission to respond crews at there discression and not waiting hours for permission, things would be a lot better.
When I called for assistance here, two hours went by and they still had not launched a boat. They were waiting for permission.

Over funded fire departments are a whole different topic.

 

[sea nmf]

PP-

I'm not sure we are bad-mouthing. At least that wasn't my intent. I can't speak for Catherine but I read her to be inquiring only - just wanting an explanation.

After reading your post, I think what I gleaned is that some of the peacetime missions cannot be completed because we are at war and that takes precedence over the peacetime missions and there are not enough staff to do both????

Sorry if what I wrote offended you; not my intent. Just curious is all.