Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think


RandomPauI posted:

I'd be willing to do the boat training. I have a boyhood fantasy of saving lives and helping out during a disaster and whatnot. I figure the Coast Guard Auxiliary would be an easy-ish way to vicariously do that.

Well let me squash a bit of that for you.

Generally, and this is speaking from my experience at only ONE small boat station over a period of three years- Aux isn't going out on a Search and Rescue (SAR) case. Every time we came on duty, there would be about 10 of us there. We would set up a duty boat crew that was responsible for SAR...they were all always active duty. We'd have a Coxswain (boat driver), Engineer (in case the boat breaks down and responsible for keeping up on maintenance) and then 1-2 boat crew members (basic level boat-crew qual...something you could obtain). There's *some* SAR that happens during the day, but generally it's happening at night. Generally, the AUX would come in on Saturdays/Sundays and take their own boat out. They generally weren't equipped to handle much SAR if they were out (They didn't have a portable dewatering pump or medical supplies/training to assist in such matters). Now, that isn't to say that you could get with the AUX boat crew and go out on a Saturday afternoon doing an AUX patrol, hear a mayday that is 1 mile from your location, and assist as a good samaritan, but it's highly unlikely.

In the same vein, if I was the duty coxswain and got a call on a Saturday afternoon, and some auxilarist was standing around wanting to go, I probably wouldn't take them unless they could add substantial value to the case (additional EMT training that one of my guys didn't have, or supreme knowledge of the area we're going to that I just didn't have). Keep in mind, this was on the old 41' UTB's that we had...where only the Coxswain really had a seat...extra personnel just stood. On some of our other platforms (the 25's RB-S), there is only room for the assigned boat crew to safely sit...letting someone hang out on the back deck would 1) be extremely dangerous as it's the possibility of an extra person in the water, 2) limits space for any victims you are assisting.

Generally, when we would let AUX members on the boat, it would be because we were doing a routine patrol or some general training.

I'll let other guys speak if they want to (krispy and elendil boat have small boat station experience and perhaps their experiences were different than mine), but for the most part, don't expect to be the go-to guy for SAR as an auxiliarist. You *could* however, be an auxiliarist and get on an AUX patrol and do some voluntary safety inspections...making sure people have the right equipment in case they find themselves in a predicament.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer

nwin posted:

I'll let other guys speak if they want to (krispy and elendil boat have small boat station experience and perhaps their experiences were different than mine), but for the most part, don't expect to be the go-to guy for SAR as an auxiliarist. You *could* however, be an auxiliarist and get on an AUX patrol and do some voluntary safety inspections...making sure people have the right equipment in case they find themselves in a predicament.

That's sorta what I figured on happening. That and the paperwork stuff.

Elendil004
Mar 22, 2003

The prognosis
is not good.


Aux can do SAR but they literally have to stumble on it so it's pretty rare. The best thing the Aux can do is get qualified for radio watch and take stress of the duty section during the day. Those guys are doing gods work.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

RandomPauI posted:

That's sorta what I figured on happening. That and the paperwork stuff.

Regardless, good on you for thinking about volunteering. Where are you at? The best course of action would be to contact a local small boat station and see if they have any auxiliarists and if they could put you in contact with them to see how it is.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

Elendil004 posted:

Aux can do SAR but they literally have to stumble on it so it's pretty rare. The best thing the Aux can do is get qualified for radio watch and take stress of the duty section during the day. Those guys are doing gods work.

That's right isn't it...they just can't perform in an LE capacity (hence why they can only put a yellow light on their boat and not a blue strobe, iirc?

RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer

nwin posted:

Regardless, good on you for thinking about volunteering. Where are you at? The best course of action would be to contact a local small boat station and see if they have any auxiliarists and if they could put you in contact with them to see how it is.

I live close to the Coast Guard Station in Oxnard. I've handed my contact info to their public affairs officer but I should probably consider reaching out to them again because I haven't heard anything back.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

RandomPauI posted:

I live close to the Coast Guard Station in Oxnard. I've handed my contact info to their public affairs officer but I should probably consider reaching out to them again because I haven't heard anything back.
http://www.uscg.mil/d11/stachannelislands/ Is this it?
Yeah...if you gave it to the actual public affairs officer, then that's why you haven't heard anything. It would have gone to some JO around the area and they *may* have forwarded an e-mail to the Commanding Officer (CO). It says on their contact info that they have an AUX liaison officer, BM3 Terry Fritzinger, who can be reached at (805) 985-9822 ext. 217.

edit: Here's the website for their AUX flotilla: http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=114-07-02 In the "About Flotilla 7-2" it has contact information specifically for the AUX which you could also try.

nwin fucked around with this message at 03:01 on May 23, 2014

ElMaligno
Dec 31, 2004

Be Gay!
Do Crime!

Elendil004 posted:

Aux can do SAR but they literally have to stumble on it so it's pretty rare. The best thing the Aux can do is get qualified for radio watch and take stress of the duty section during the day. Those guys are doing gods work.

With Minor SAR cases I am totally OK with an AUX guy responding to it, with Major SAR cases I would feel a bit worried about them. I like old AUX dudes, even if I don’t often interact with them.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

ElMaligno posted:

With Minor SAR cases I am totally OK with an AUX guy responding to it, with Major SAR cases I would feel a bit worried about them. I like old AUX dudes, even if I don’t often interact with them.

Haha, I remember one time we were doing two-boat training with them. They were on their own boat, me and my non-rate were in our lovely 17' Boston Whaler morale boat. He asked me what I thought about the AUX and I was candid with him "Eh, they're good and always willing to help, but they're all old for the most part so it's a pain in the rear end to get them up to speed."

Cue my watchstander contacting me on my cell phone saying "Hey Boats, your radio is keyed and I'm hearing you talk poo poo about the AUX, fyi."

Yeah, our radio sucked on the morale boat and would just stay keyed the whole time and we were on 21A or 22 I think. I shut up after that.

krispykremessuck
Jul 22, 2005

unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

nwin posted:

You could be right. I didn't check all the ratings. The MST RFMC brought up a good point he's going to try and implement. You have a MST2 that scores 150 raw on the SWE, but he's only been a 2nd for 1 year and in the Coast Guard for 5 years...you aren't making it. Meanwhile, you have a guy with 20 years in and 10 of them as a 2nd who scores a 60 raw score. The numbers are extremely general and I didn't crosscheck em to see if it's possible, but it might be that the 20 year guy gets advanced and the boot doesn't. To change this, he's trying to implement something like (again numbers aren't accurate), unless you score a minimum of 90 raw, you won't be eligible to be in the rankings. Hope that makes sense, basically a 'passing score' on the SWE to still compete.

I don't think any answer is going to be perfect, but that sounds a bit better to me.

The RFMC's are also trying to push out a policy stating it's ok not to recommend someone for advancement on their marks if they haven't been in grade long enough. I think as it is now, you only have to be a 3rd for 6 months to compete for 2nd, and only a year as a 2nd to compete for first? By policy, yeah you have the time in grade to sit for the next rank. However, I completely think that's bullshit. Maybe the third>second doesn't have to be adjusted much, but I'd argue that people with a year as a first do not necessarily have what it takes to be a Chief...they just haven't seen enough. I know I could have taken the EOCT and EPME for E-6 when I had just made second and I would have made first since the SWE was waived and they were clearing the list all the time. However, I didn't do it because 1) I still liked driving boats and 2) I knew I hadn't seen enough to be a first. Some of my friends made the jump and while some succeeded, others completely failed.

However, there's this huge stigma with getting a Not Recommended on your marks, but the RFMC's are saying that as long as you put in the comments something like 'Member has only been a 2nd for 6 months. Not recommended' it won't hold that stigma. Unfortunately, this is another case of one group of people are trying to push this down, but 99% of the people will continue to think of it as a negative because it's not getting pushed out/believed and not many people want to be that 'bad guy' that does the right thing. Add to that the fact that some programs (OCS for example) will not allow you to submit a package if you have a Not Recommended over a certain period of time. So someone may have been a kickass 3rd and 2nd, but then they get an NR and can't put in for OCS.

Your example happened to me -- I didn't write a 140 raw score, but I got like 78.95 points out of 80 from the SWE. Because I only had about 7 years TIS and would have only had 2 TIG at TED, there's no way I'd outpace people with 15+ years TIS and the max of 5 or whatever for TIG. The only ~feasible way~ for me to have made Chief at the time would have been to score so much higher than everyone else that I pushed them off the back of the curve, which I believe is corrected for anyway so even that approach wouldn't work.

Its weighted the way it is due to the flawed perception that TIG/TIS > rating knowledge. In reality those two things can enhance each other, but on their own are worthless. I'll go as far as to say, controversially, that in terms of housecat ratings, it's better to have fresh, younger, and less bitter faces in the higher paygrades than the other way around.

As far as the not rec/rec argument -- it's been around for years, people trying to make it "ok" to not rec someone for various reasons. I'm not in anymore so I have no horse in the race, but if that's gonna be a thing, it should become an appealable mark and not have bearing whatsoever on retention.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

I can't believe it...it's almost been a full MONTH since Sexual Assault month and SAPR really hasn't been brought up. UNTIL NOW!

RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
Thanks for the info nwin! I'll give them a call on Tuesday.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

krispy-you have any experience with firing civilians? Just curious what the protocol is-I know the last guy got canned for obvious reasons. However, I've always heard that if they last the probationary period of a year, it's usually hard as gently caress to shitcan them. Any idea what manual(s) you would use?

krispykremessuck
Jul 22, 2005

unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

nwin posted:

krispy-you have any experience with firing civilians? Just curious what the protocol is-I know the last guy got canned for obvious reasons. However, I've always heard that if they last the probationary period of a year, it's usually hard as gently caress to shitcan them. Any idea what manual(s) you would use?

you need a LOT of documentation. it's not an impossible act, but keep in mind that you or whomever is going to be dealing with the unions on and off for quite a while before a person is terminated.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

krispykremessuck posted:

you need a LOT of documentation. it's not an impossible act, but keep in mind that you or whomever is going to be dealing with the unions on and off for quite a while before a person is terminated.

Yeah, I figured documentation is key. I don't have anyone at the moment...I was more just curious how the gently caress that even begins to happen because it seems pretty impossible.

krispykremessuck
Jul 22, 2005

unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

nwin posted:

Yeah, I figured documentation is key. I don't have anyone at the moment...I was more just curious how the gently caress that even begins to happen because it seems pretty impossible.

First step is to document everything they've been doing wrong, if you're not the person's supervisor you should let that person's supervisor know. After that it's going to be written counseling. I don't think you can really do verbal counseling with civilians and have it count for anything. Probably have to do that a couple times, then make moves to start the termination process.

Keep in mind about the only "useful" thing the civil service union does is keep people from being fired, and they are experts at it. They'll do everything except perjure themselves (maybe, they'd probably do that too) to keep someone from getting fired, including making up medical reasons why a person was doing something or not doing something. It's an uphill battle, but it is possible.

Whip Slagcheek
Sep 21, 2008

Finally
The Gasoline And Dynamite
Will Light The Sky
For The Night


Not Coastie obviously, but expert at dealing with idiotic civilians from the federal government.

Document EVERYTHING. As Krispy said, the only thing the federal unions are good for is keeping people from being fired and loving over new hires' pensions.

You're looking at several months, if not a year, of documentation to establish enough of a pattern that it will be considered and you'll need to start from the bottom (ie: verbal counseling) and work your way up showing why previous reprimands and disciplines were ineffective.

Get ready for the union to crawl up your rear end about everything, including your own conduct. It's good to have your supervisor (or if they're not in your line, the employee's supervisor) on board with your plans to keep a unified plan of attack.

Firing a federal employee is pretty loving hard but it can and should be done because holy gently caress so many of them are dead weight.

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

gently caress PCS'ing forever.

krispykremessuck
Jul 22, 2005

unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

nwin posted:

gently caress PCS'ing forever.

oh no they're paying me to move again :qq:

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

I don't mind the money I get for it, but after my 3rd PCS, I'm already getting sick of showing one house, looking for another in a different state, dealing with hhg movers not coming on time, separating all my hhg out only to find out 'yeah we'll take liquids' or 'no we can't take xx' even though the contract allows for it. Then cleaning the house spotless for moving, arguing with the landlord about how much of the security deposit I'm entitled to, etc.

Once I get out, I'm buying the house that I'm going to loving die in.

Melthir
Dec 29, 2009

I need to go scrap some money together cause my avatar is just sad.
Next time shut blinds/curtains take pictures before conntract signing. Upon move out do the same. If there is no damage send off to legal. They sent something with a cg letter head and my landlord poo poo bricks giving me my cash...but it was after the state of Alaska deadline so they had to pay double.:)

ElMaligno
Dec 31, 2004

Be Gay!
Do Crime!

nwin posted:

gently caress PCS'ing forever.

I think the only thing that will make me hate PCS'ing out of this loving boat would be finding my motorcycle completly trashed. Still I will enjoy the gently caress out of it out of pure spite because:

- Their schedule for the rest of the year is pure poo poo
- The new OS3 are both female for a grand total of 4 females.
- The OS1 knows one of the OS3, the prognosis on her is not good.

gently caress this boat, I need a break from being underway. Only 13 more days to free myself of this lovely rusty rear end bucket.

Elendil004
Mar 22, 2003

The prognosis
is not good.


http://matawan-aberdeen.patch.com/g...medium=facebook

Jump you pussy! Probably an OS.

on a sadder note:
http://www.news4jax.com/news/missing-fla-coast-guardsman-found-dead-officials-say/26355474

Sounds like he was having issues already though.

ElMaligno
Dec 31, 2004

Be Gay!
Do Crime!

One day my rate will surpass helo pilots as the most likely in the Coast Guard to have a high speed encounter with the ground.

Melthir
Dec 29, 2009

I need to go scrap some money together cause my avatar is just sad.
Whelp at least we have another Commandant that mentioned sexual assault in his opening volly. Wonder how much extra illegal he will work to make rape and showing up to work drunk.

Melthir
Dec 29, 2009

I need to go scrap some money together cause my avatar is just sad.

Second class at thirteen years probably just got told he couldn't re enlist.

Elendil004
Mar 22, 2003

The prognosis
is not good.


Melthir posted:

Whelp at least we have another Commandant that mentioned sexual assault in his opening volly. Wonder how much extra illegal he will work to make rape and showing up to work drunk.

I hope he changes the ball caps and uniforms.

Melthir
Dec 29, 2009

I need to go scrap some money together cause my avatar is just sad.
I hope the drat uniform bord extends the drat seems on the pants a bit im sick of tearing the back seem on the nonskid. ..or maybe im just fat...probably just fat. But going back to the old style hats made by one distributor would be nice. But im guessing new uniforms payed for out of pocket with three changes to the grandfater date made by a fish swimming through a numbered hoop.

ElMaligno
Dec 31, 2004

Be Gay!
Do Crime!

Melthir posted:

Whelp at least we have another Commandant that mentioned sexual assault in his opening volly. Wonder how much extra illegal he will work to make rape and showing up to work drunk.

In the end he will mass-admiral mast all males, because all males are rapist.

Also he will bring back the gas attendant uniform for shits and giggles.

krispykremessuck
Jul 22, 2005

unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

ElMaligno posted:

Also he will bring back the gas attendant uniform for shits and giggles.

working blue was a really comfortable uniform

Elendil004
Mar 22, 2003

The prognosis
is not good.


krispykremessuck posted:

working blue was a really comfortable uniform

Jesus just how old are you!?

krispykremessuck
Jul 22, 2005

unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

Elendil004 posted:

Jesus just how old are you!?

Old enough to have smoked in the barracks without it being against the rules, and to remember the DoT days.

Melthir
Dec 29, 2009

I need to go scrap some money together cause my avatar is just sad.

krispykremessuck posted:

Old enough to have smoked in the barracks without it being against the rules, and to remember the DoT days.

Whats up working blue buddy.

ElMaligno
Dec 31, 2004

Be Gay!
Do Crime!

krispykremessuck posted:

working blue was a really comfortable uniform

I would unironicly be happy if they brought back that uniform as its iconic AND looks comfy as gently caress.

Melthir
Dec 29, 2009

I need to go scrap some money together cause my avatar is just sad.

ElMaligno posted:

I would unironicly be happy if they brought back that uniform as its iconic AND looks comfy as gently caress.

It was comfy as gently caress. That gay rear end brass belt buckle sucked though.

krispykremessuck
Jul 22, 2005

unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

Melthir posted:

It was comfy as gently caress. That gay rear end brass belt buckle sucked though.

the vanguard belts were alright as long as you didn't get any solvents on it, but yeah gently caress shining those pieces of poo poo

nwin
Feb 25, 2002

make's u think

Jesus gently caress elendil-is this seriously how you spend your time now?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe6IsovWn9M

Elendil004
Mar 22, 2003

The prognosis
is not good.


No not in quite some time.
edit: oh my god the knife fighting part.

genderstomper58
Jan 10, 2005

by XyloJW

nwin posted:

Jesus gently caress elendil-is this seriously how you spend your time now?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe6IsovWn9M

hahahaha

this is so cringeworthy i can barely watch it

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

ElMaligno
Dec 31, 2004

Be Gay!
Do Crime!

So today I got my going away award (an LoC) and was surprised by my shop and I was presented a pair of horribly painted golden dividers with a certificate signed by my chief and OPS.
That was the sweetest loving thing I have received in this boat. :unsmith:

  • Locked thread