America's Volunteer
Lifesavers
Flotilla 86 Venice, FL
www.cgauxvenice.org
7th District
James P. Sleichert, Commander Edward J. Stebner, Vice-Commander
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James P. Sleichert, Commander Edward J. Stebner, Vice-Commander |
| Sept, 2011 Judi Bidwick, Editor Judi Bidwick, Photographer | ||||||||||||||||
Sept, 2011 |
Flotilla Commander
Another month is almost gone and soon fall will be here.
Do not forget our elections are right around the corner and it is
not too late to run for an office.
The voting will be at our October 4th meeting and I’m
hoping for a big turnout of members.
Do not forget we need twenty five percent of members present to
vote. We have a number of
awards to be given out to members and also flotilla awards for last year
2010.
We must give sexual harassment class to all members.
This is mandatory for District 7 and I’m trying to schedule these
classes for November and if needed, December to cover all our members.
Please take the class as soon as we have a schedule worked out.
Uniforms have become a big issue
and if you look at a lot of members from our flotilla and different
flotillas you know why.
I was told a long time ago that if you look professional and
neatly dressed in proper uniform, a normal person will think you know
what you are doing, even if you do not.
Below are a few important uniforms policies:
Operational Dress Uniform
(ODU):
(1)
May be worn year-round primarily
as a field utility and watchstanding uniform, and
may be worn in an office
environment.
(2)
Auxiliarists shall carefully
consider the appropriateness of ODU wear in settings that are highly
representational in nature, where the type of interaction with the
public dictates more formality, or settings in an interagency
environment. In DOD
(Department of Defense), joint or inter-service environments, wear of
the ODU should align with the DOD equivalent uniform of the day.
The ODU should not be worn for visits to civilian agencies or
non-Coast Guard organizations unless the prescribed uniform of the day
is the ODU or DOD equivalent at the visit site.
However, in some cases the ODU may be appropriate due to the
operational nature of the visit or the nature of the work to be
performed. The ODU may be
worn for commuting to and from duty assignments, using either private or
public forms of transportation.
Auxiliarists shall otherwise conform to Coast Guard unit policies
regarding such wear whenever interacting with or representing the unit.
(3)
Prescribed outer wear with the ODU is the Foul Weather Parka
(FWP) with the standard Auxiliary ball cap (or Coast Guard unit ball
cap, if authorized due to the nature of support provided to the Coast
Guard unit), knit watch cap, or the Auxiliary sun (Tilley) hat.
The windbreaker, work jacket,
trench coat, wooly-pully, cardigan sweater, and blue working utility cap
will no longer be authorized for Auxiliary wear with the ODU as of
December 31, 2012.
(4)
Shoes that are worn with the ODU shall be well-blackened 8-inch
or 10-inch safety boots.
When worn in an office, boots shall be shined.
Excess laces shall be tucked away so they cannot be seen.
The boat shoe (dark blue or brown leather, low cut of moccasin type
construction with functional rawhide lacing, brass eyelets, and
non-marking sole) is an authorized option for Auxiliarists, regardless
of type ODU that is worn (regular or Hot Weather Uniform).
(5)
Auxiliarists are authorized to remove the ODU blouse when engaged
in demanding, prolonged operations in high temperatures.
In all such cases, the Coast Guard dark blue crew neck T-shirt
shall be worn stenciled or embroidered with the words “USCG AUXILIARY”
across the front left chest in white ¾-inch tall block-style letters.
It shall be in good condition with no tears or stains.
It may be 100 percent cotton or may be made of a cotton-polyester
blend to facilitate moisture wicking.
This relaxed ODU wear is not intended for routine wear in the
office environment or public.
It is not authorized for wear while commuting to and from duty
assignments, including in private vehicles.
Auxiliarists shall otherwise conform to Coast Guard unit policies
regarding such wear whenever interacting with or representing the unit.
(6)
All Auxiliarists shall pay particular attention to appearance
while wearing the ODU. The
ODU shall be serviceable, well-maintained, clean, and not faded or
discolored.
(7)
The tucked ODU shall remain authorized for Auxiliary wear until
no longer serviceable.
(1)
Though no longer authorized for active duty personnel, the Hot
Weather Uniform remains authorized for Auxiliary wear.
(2)
The prescribed shirt for the Hot Weather Uniform is the Coast
Guard dark blue crew neck T-shirt shall be worn stenciled or embroidered
with the words “USCG AUXILIARY” across the front left chest in white
¾-inch tall block-style letters.
It shall be in good condition with no tears or stains.
It may be 100 percent cotton or may be made of a cotton-polyester blend
to facilitate moisture wicking.
The Auxiliary operations polo shirt may be worn with this uniform
as an alternative (note – the Auxiliary operations polo shirt may be
worn as an alternative to the Coast Guard working blue uniform shirt,
the ODU top, and the Hot Weather Uniform shirt).
Additionally, the Vessel Examiner shirt may be worn with this uniform as
an alternative when conducting vessel safety checks.
The standard Coast Guard light blue (Air Force) short sleeve
shirt (undress blue) and the standard Coast Guard dark blue short sleeve
shirt (working blue) will no longer be authorized for Auxiliary wear
with the Hot Weather Uniform as of December 31, 2012.
3.
ALCOAST 291/11 also conveyed the Coast Guard Uniform Board’s
concern about several other items, as addressed below:
Ball Caps:
(1)
In support of the Uniform Board’s determinations, only three
sources of ball caps for Auxiliarists are authorized:
the Coast Guard Auxiliary Center (AUXCEN), the Coast Guard
Uniform Distribution Center (UDC), and the Coast Guard Exchange System
(CGES).
(2)
The standard Auxiliary ball cap worn by Auxiliarists shall
conform to the provisions of ALCOAST 291/11 that deal with material,
circumstances for wear, and general appearance.
(3)
Oak leaves and acorns (aka, scrambled eggs) will no longer be
authorized for wear on any ball cap worn by Auxiliarists as of December
31, 2012.
(4)
Insignia wear and markings on the standard Auxiliary ball cap
shall remain as otherwise prescribed in the Auxiliary Manual.
Liners:
The Foul Weather Parka (FWP) liner or other liners are not
authorized as a standalone jacket.
Read these over a few times and
make sure you know the correct uniform for the occasion.
Well, that is about it and I hope
to see you all at the next meeting.
Hope everyone is having a great summer and please do not forget
to send in your dues.
We have not raised them and I do not plan to do so for the foreseeable
future.
Jim Sleichert
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Sept, 2011 |
Vice
Commander
Flotilla activity for May and June has slowed down due to the departure of our members heading north. Member training is a little light, but remember training is always available and is open to all members; everyone can use a tune-up on their skills. Many thanks to the instructors and assistants who have spent time teaching or assisting with classes during the spring. The SAR exercise that took place on May 5th turned out to be a good exercise even though there were a few bugs in the system that need to be worked out. Many thanks to Henry Reynolds for his time and effort with the radios and tracking system in the radio room. Remember mentors, keep working with the new members and potential crew candidates; you’re the light that lights the path of success and accomplishment for these members. Right now we’re training three crew candidates from our flotilla. With the QE guide lines more rigid, quality time needs to be spent with the candidates. Many thanks to the members from Flotilla 86 for their time and effort for the Always-Ready Event. National-Safe-Boating Week worked out okay even though the schedule conflicted with the Always Ready Event. A special thanks to the Vessel Examiners who manned the boat ramps during the time the EXPO was going on. My congratulations to all who received an award or certificate during the past two months for an achievement or qualification. Good job, members.
See You On The Water
“…The
satisfaction you derive from your Auxiliary membership will be in
proportion to your level of participation in the organization‘s
activities. The success of the Coast Guard Auxiliary will depend
upon the extent of your participation and upon the quality of the
Auxiliary leaders that you, the member, select…”
E.J.STEBNER |
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Sept, 2011 |
Personnel Services
Over the last month, I have worked with two new possible candidates.
One, Julia, has completed her tests and her application is in the
"works.”
John Kandes
FSO-HR
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Sept, 2011 |
Information Systems
Please be aware of the following changes:
(1)
I have been notified that the 4
"Qualification" ribbons (Auxiliary Examiner Program Ribbon, Auxiliary
Instructor Program Ribbon, Auxiliary Operations Program Ribbon and
Auxiliary
(2)
As of August 6, 2011, the
e-learning (Virtual Classroom) website is newly available.
The address is
http://aux.virtualclassroomuscg.org.
This site features self registration.
If you do not already have a user ID you can create one by
accessing the site. The
registration system uses an automatic response e-mail to confirm your
registration. Limited
courses are available at this time but additional courses will be added
in the future.
Please Note:
Mandated training is not active on this site as of now.
Harry Bruno,
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Sept, 2011 |
Marine Safety
I routinely visit the
marinas and boat yards in our area of responsibility.
My topic for the month is
SEWAGE.
Talking to Boat owners and
marina attendants I discovered that controlling pollution problems will
limit illegal discharge. It is important to educate those in charge and
offer rewards when they do positive things.
What is sewage and where it
comes from?
Sewage is defined as human
body waste and the waste from toilets or receptacles intended to receive
or retain body wastes; it is also known as black water. In contrast,
gray water is galley, bath, and shower water.
Discharge can include, but
is not limited to spillage, leakage, or dumping.
This form of pollution
degrades water quality by introducing microbial pathogens into the
environment and by increasing biological oxygen demand (BOD), an
important water
The BOD increases
particularly in areas with many boats and little water movement.
Sewage, as well as gray
water, has a higher concentration of nutrients that is naturally found
in the aquatic environment. Small amounts are necessary for the healthy
development of natural ecosystem, but when excessive nutrients are
introduced into an ecosystem, they can disrupt the natural balance.
Roman E. Gzyl |
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Sept, 2011 |
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Navigation Systems
With increased summer boating activity, and our Safety-Patrols getting on the water more frequently the need for observing Navigation-Aids in the heavily used navigable-waterways and lesser used channels is very important. Not much has been going on in Division/8 AOR the past 2-months. Observation Missions, rather dockside or on the water still need to be continued regardless of the time of the year, also checking out should be happening Marina facilities otherwise known as Small-Craft-Facilities aka: S.C.F. too see if Marina agrees with current up-dated charts. Review on the Auxiliary Private-Aids Program for this month again for your reading from Light-List Volume 3. 7.6.2 Auxiliary Private Aid Program Private Aids to Navigation (PATONs) can only be set in navigable water after authorization by the Coast Guard. PATONs are maintained by, and at the expense of the owners. These aids may mark wrecks, provide lateral marks for channels (i.e., red and green lateral channel marks), aid marine research, or provide regulatory information (e.g., Slow Speed, No Wake, etc.). The Coast Guard issues the permits and enforces compliance, but depends on the Auxiliary to be their eyes in the field to verify that the PATONs conform with their permit requirements. When an Auxiliarist reports a discrepancy the Coast Guard orders corrective action. In the PATON program, the Auxiliary is responsible for: 1. Verifying all PATONs on a periodic basis set by the Coast Guard. PATON Verifications are only made by AV (Aid Verifier) qualified members.
2.
Reporting non-permitted PATONs in public waters. Reporting non-permitted
PATONs are only made by AV (Aid Verifier) qualified members. . A discrepancy is defined as "The failure of an aid to display it's characteristics as described in the light list, or to be on it's assigned position" May We All Cast A Watchful On The Water:
Ed
Stebner:
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Sept, 2011 |
Publications
PUBLICATIONS DEPARTMENT
REMINDERS,
AUGUST 2011
Flotilla Numbers
The correct way to properly identify a
flotilla (outside the computer base) are to use both the division and
flotilla numbers. The two
are never separated except in AUXDATA with computer entry.
Hyphens are only used when the
flotilla has a double number.
For example:
Right:
Flotilla 79
Wrong: Flotilla 7-09
Right:
Flotilla 11-3
Wrong: Flotilla 11-03
Unless requested to do so in a form,
you are not to use zeros to denote your flotilla.
Our flotilla should be
written Flotilla 86
Publication of phone numbers and other personal information
No posting of member home phone
numbers is permitted either in newsletters or on a webpage unless it is
absolutely necessary and then only with the member’s expressed
consent.
The Privacy Act prohinits the
disclosure of member’s personal information including home phone numbers
and addresses. No posting of
flotilla rosters even in a password protected area.
No Coast Guard/Auxiliary underway schedules or activity of any
kind should be posted on the web or in unit publications, including
password protected areas.
The storage location of an Auxiliary aircraft should never be disclosed,
either intentionally or by means of photo background.
The posting of photos with
visible vessel/aircraft registration numbers is not recommended*.
Just remember that if your vessel is registered to your home,
anyone, including criminals, terrorists and drug dealers can locate you.
If posting a unit publication or minutes, be sure none of the
prohibited information is contained therein.
*Use a photoediting program to obscure
the registration number or simply place a filled block over the number.
Judi Bidwick
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Sept, 2011 |
