Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer

A Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer spends his or her life in the water to rescue individuals in danger. The service sprang out of a real need. Originally, the Coast Guard lowered a bucket or basket from a helicopter to pull survivors from the seas. There were no Coast Guard rescue swimmers. This all changed in 1985 when the M/V Marine Electric went down on February 12, 1985.

The situation was desperate. There were 34 people a cast in the frigid winter waters. A dispatched HH-3F helicopter arrived with Coast Guard rescuers on board. They lowered the basket to no avail. Hypothermia had set in and no one could grab and hold on to it. The helicopter pilot radioed for assistance from the Navy who did have rescue swimmers. A helicopter with rescue swimmer Petty Officer James McCann arrived as quickly as possible. He did what he could, saving three of the crew.

Because of the event, Congress convened. A hearing held to determine what had gone wrong and a possible solution examined closely the reasons why the Coast Guard had failed to accomplish its mission. The result was the passing of the Coast Guard Act of 1984. This allowed for the creation of a new position - Cost Guard Rescue Swimmer.

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By 1985, specific requirements established the criteria for becoming a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. This included attending Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer training. The Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer School last for 18 weeks. Held in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, the course also includes three mandatory weeks in Petaluma, California at the Health Services Technician, Coast Guard branch. By the end of the school, a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer is also a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

There is no gender bias, although the training to become a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer is among the toughest in the world. Men and women must live-up to the course’s demands. The mandate decided upon was to make the job mission specific and gender biased. Therefore, although there is more than one Coast Guard female Rescue Swimmer they are few in number. In fact, only about three women get to wear a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer T-shirt.

There are paraphernalia associated with being a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. They wear a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers vest over a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Shirt unless they are wearing a wet suit for a dive. These Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer T-shirts proudly bear the insignia and motto of the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer – “So Others May Live.”