Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Training

Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer TrainingCoast Guard Rescue Swimmer TrainingThe Coast Guards rescue swimmer training school has one of the highest student attrition rates of any special operations school in the military. Roughly 75 to 100 students go through 24 weeks of Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer school in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and just over half of them complete the course successfully. Some years, the dropout rate for this program has been as high as 80 percent. And this is from a pool of candidates of Coast Guard personnel who are conditioned to be able to swim well. Its definitely not a job for the faint of heart. Requirements for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Rescue swimmers must have flexibility, strength, endurance, and be able to function for 30 minutes in heavy seas. This is obviously far and above the normal lifeguard course youre not just treading water, youre expected to be able to hold your breath, and perform challenging tasks. Rescue swimmers need to be able to p rovide basic life support for whoever they may be rescuing, of course, and their training will include emergency medical training (EMT) course. But its not the standard EMT training its for rescues to be conducted in the open seas under extreme conditions. Standards for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers The required monthly physical training fitness regimen includes a 12-minute crawl swim of 500 yards or longer, a 25-yard underwater swim and a 200-yard buddy tow. Those are in plus-rechnen to performingpush-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, just like other military fitness tests. Here are the minimum fitness requirements for each category ExerciseMinimum StandardPushups50Sit-ups60Pull-ups5Chin-ups5500-yard swimCompleted within 12 minutes25-yard underwater swimRepeat 4 TimesBuddy Tow200 yards Lessons for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers The 137-page operations manual includes lessons in eight different water deployment procedures, 11 ways to approach, carry and release a survivor, seven ways to release equipment for Navy and Air Force flyers and ways to detangle the services different parachutes and backpacks. Rescue swimmers also must have the skills to provide basic pre-hospital life support for rescued individuals. And as part of their training, candidates must complete a four-week emergency medical training course at the Coast Guard EMT school in Petaluma, California Training Regimen for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Adding even more pressure during training, instructors treat candidates with a drill sergeant style. But this is perhaps the most crucial part of the training if these candidates cant endure extreme conditions, its going to be hard to rescue someone in distress. Candidates selected for the school must first go through what is called the airmen training course. The four-month-long course, which, despite its name, has nothing to do with the Air Force, helps prepare candidates for the grueling rescue swimmer course. The first six weeks of the four-m onth course is loaded with rescue swimmer training. While they are going through the swimming and classroom phase of their training, candidates also must attend classes to learn about the aircraft they will serve on. Finally, before graduating, candidates are required to reisepass a test involving multiple rescue scenarios.