The Director of the Auxiliary is the direct representative of the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard to the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. (Title 14, USC Chapt. 23)

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of Team Coast Guard. Founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the US Coast Guard Reserves and re-designated the Auxiliary in 1941. The 30,000 volunteer members (men and women) donate millions of hours in support of Coast Guard missions.

Items of Interest

1. The following is a message from National Commodore Nick Kerigan regarding a follow-up survey to last year's Auxiliary member survey. Your consideration and participation are highly encouraged and appreciated.

Fellow Auxiliarists,

On October 1, 2009, I published the results of our 2009 Member Survey in the Navigator.

We had asked for your feedback regarding your thoughts on membership and other key elements by which we could better craft strong and meaningful direction and clear future for our service.

You answered this call to action and provided amazing results with 5,774 members providing valuable input.

Now, four months later, my staff and I have had a chance to identify trends and related goals identified in the prodigious results. For instance, within the 2009 survey, we found that information distribution, speed and associated leadership principals were very important topics to you.

Your responses to these questions suggested that leadership and communications were worth exploring further as they represent topics at the core of successful Auxiliary member retention. To this end we now have an opportunity to dig deeper into our Auxiliary information processes and related leadership dynamics.

I'll ask every Auxiliary member take a moment and embark in this follow-up survey designed to help us more explicitly understand our leadership and communications challenges and craft processes and tools better designed to meet your needs.

Here is our Auxiliary Leadership and Communications link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/66VMGPK

I encourage everyone in the Auxiliary to take this very important survey. The average survey time takes 8-to-9 minutes. The survey will remain active through the end of March, 2010.

Results will be made available in an upcoming Navigator and potentially presented at NACON 2010.

Semper Paratus,

Nicholas Kerigan
National Commodore, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
Posted by Webmaster at 9:55:49 PM on 14 Mar 2010

Use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED's)

Auxiliary Use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED's)

1. CG-5421 and CG-112 recognize the unique skills Auxiliarists bring to the table. While trying to take full advantage of the medical skills many Auxiliarist possess we need those patrolling with AED's to be in full compliance with State and Federal standards. Since there is no Coast Guard wide AED program, individual units must know, and comply with, the State and Federal guidelines. This message corrects and clarifies information distributed through ALAUX 001/06 in regards to the Auxiliary's use of AED's.

2. Units that do procure AEDs for use in a Public Access Defibrillation program (PAD) (read 'Public Access' broadly as in the device may be used on the public and not limited as only when left unsecured where the public can access it) must comply with the federal guidelines for such programs including the requirement for a Medical Director. The Medical Director, a licensed physician, is by Federal law required to oversee the AED's maintenance program and ensure all users are properly certified. States differ on the interpretation of "oversee" from being directly involved and hands on to being able to delegate some of the tasks but none of the responsibility. A Coast Guard Medical Officer may be utilized as a Medical Director but there is no obligation for the officer to do so. If the Medical Facility chooses not to accept the added responsibility the purchasing unit will have to contract a physician to oversee the program. Any PAD program that is created locally will have to have an SOP that is within those guidelines.

3. Any Auxiliarist who is currently certified by the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or American Safety & Health Institute to use an AED (defibrillator) is authorized to do so on anyone indicating need of an AED. If that certification has expired, however, an AED should not be used. After initial certification, those personnel who have taken the AED Provider course are required to re-certify every 2 years. The training must be hands on. Online training is not acceptable.

4. An Auxiliarist or a flotilla that has an AED that is not part of a maintenance program overseen by a Medical Director is prohibited from being used or taken on patrol. Order Issuing Authorities and DIRAUX's must ensure Auxiliarists that patrol or travel on orders with an AED are certified to use it and the AED is part of a PAD maintenance program. For example, a member who has an AED as part of a medical kit for his/her job as an EMT with the local Fire Department most likely has an AED that is part of a State compliant program and is perfectly acceptable.

5. Any Flotilla wishing to purchase AEDs for use by currently certified members is authorized to do so but it may not be used until part of a compliant PAD maintenance program. There are no specific models required or recommended. The environment the AEDs will be used in should dictate the models used on surface facilities (waterproof models are very difficult to find).

6. Coast Guard units are not prohibited from purchasing AED's using local funds. If a Coast Guard unit purchases an AED, the unit is entirely responsible for its storage, issuance, use, and maintenance until properly transferred or disposed of IAW the Property Manual. The AED shall not be issued until part of a compliant PAD maintenance program.

7. The purpose of this list is to keep Auxiliarists as well as all other interested parties abreast of current developments, policies, manuals, etc. All information contained herein is OFFICIAL policy and will be incorporated into the next edition of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Operations Policy Manual (COMDTINST M16798.3(series)).
Posted by Webmaster at 10:40:24 PM on 4 Mar 2010

THE DEPARTMENT'S SEVEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

March 1, 2010

Our Department's Seven-Year Anniversary

Dear Colleagues,

Today, we celebrate an important milestone in the history of our Department: our seven year anniversary.

Seven years ago today, 22 federal agencies and offices joined together to form the Department of Homeland Security, and to begin the important work of securing our country against a new era of threats.

I am proud of what we have achieved together in support of our vital missions - guarding against terrorism and other threats; securing our land, air and maritime borders; enforcing our immigration laws; protecting cyber space and critical infrastructure; and ensuring resilience to disasters.

Through One DHS, we're building a more efficient, capable, and collaborative Department. This work continues as we roll out our new Department-wide intranet site, Connect, at http://dhsconnect.dhs.gov - it is a powerful tool in bringing our many components together.

As we look forward to this year and beyond, I am proud of the publication of our first-ever Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, which, as a result of the contributions of literally thousands of DHS employees, provides a clear path to ensuring a more secure and resilient future for our Nation.

At the core of these successes are all of you - our DHS employees. You are the Department's greatest assets and the reason for our remarkable progress over the past seven years. I thank you again for your hard work, for your commitment to the Department, and for your service to our country.

Yours very truly,

Janet Napolitano
Posted by Webmaster at 7:25:43 PM on 1 Mar 2010

ANNIVERSARY OF THE COAST GUARD RESERVE

ALCOAST 089/10
COMDTNOTE 5700
SUBJ: ANNIVERSARY OF THE COAST GUARD RESERVE

1. TODAY, I HELPED CELEBRATE THE 69TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COAST GUARD RESERVE WITH CONGRESSMAN WILLIAM DELAHUNT, A FORMER COAST RESERVIST. HE VISITED US TO HONOR THIS EXTRAORDINARY AND CRITICAL COMPONENT OF OUR WORKFORCE. THE COAST GUARD RESERVE WAS CREATED FEBRUARY 19TH, 1941 WHEN CONGRESS AMENDED THE COAST GUARD AUXILIARY AND RESERVE ACT. SINCE THAT TIME, COAST GUARD RESERVISTS HAVE STEADFASTLY STOOD THE WATCH, ALONGSIDE THEIR ACTIVE DUTY COUNTERPARTS, IN SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY.

2. THIS YEAR HAS SEEN MANY SIGNIFICANT EVENTS FOR THE COAST GUARD RESERVE. MOST RECENTLY, MORE THAN 260 RESERVISTS WERE MOBILIZED TO PROVIDE SECURITY AND LIFE SUSTAINING SUPPORT AFTER HAITI WAS RAVAGED BY A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE. ADDITIONALLY, COAST GUARD RESERVISTS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS AS OVER 700 RESERVISTS SERVED ON ACTIVE DUTY, BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD.

3. OUR RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD PRESENTS CONSTANT CHALLENGES FOR OUR SERVICE AND FOR THE SECURITY OF OUR COUNTRY. THE RESERVE FORCE FILLS A CRITICAL ROLE IN OUR ABILITY TO MEET THESE CHALLENGES BY PROVIDING SPECIALIZED SKILL SETS AND AN ENHANCED SURGE CAPABILITY. THROUGH OUR ACTIVE SUPPORT OF THE RESERVE FORCE READINESS SYSTEM, WE STAND UNITED IN OUR COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE THE BEST ORGANIZATIONAL CONSTRUCT TO SUPPORT OUR RESERVE FORCE.

4. I ENCOURAGE ALL GUARDIANS TO CONGRATULATE YOUR RESERVE SHIPMATES ON THE OCCASION OF THE SIXTY-NINTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COAST GUARD RESERVE. THE EACH RESERVIST: I AM PROUD OF YOUR SERVICE, YOUR COMMITMENT AND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS.

5. SEMPER PARATUS

6. ADM THAD W. ALLEN, USCG, SENDS.

7. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.
Posted by Webmaster at 9:26:53 AM on 26 Feb 2010

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