A week with the Canadian Coast Guard

Cadets and a Junior Canadian Ranger from across B.C. take a helicopter trip to Mount Helmcken to visit a Canadian Coast Guard tower as part of a multi-agency exercise on March 30 off the coast of the Trial Islands. Photo supplied.

Lt(N) Andrea Kroeker, Unit Public Affairs Representative — An opportunity of a lifetime knocked on the doors of 11 cadets and one Junior Canadian Ranger (JCR) across B.C. this past week. The youth, all 16- to 18-year-olds, played victims of a simulated on-water incident as part of a week-long Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) Training Program off the coast of the Trial Islands. The cadets and JCR (CJCR) wore acting make-up and followed scripts while the CCG Fast Rescue Crafts or a U.S. Coast Guard vessel evacuated them back to Ogden Point in Victoria.

The CJCRs enjoyed both the day on the water and learning how much communication is needed to facilitate this endeavour. The experience was eye-opening for these youth.

The remainder of the week was just as informative.

The group learned the many facets of the CCG while touring shops and interacting with the staff. While they saw the large red and white vessels that patrol the coast, the group also learned about many of the shore and support positions, such as IT specialists, electricians, carpenters, and metal fabricators that make all aids to navigation, radio towers and lighthouses.

Many of these youth experienced their first helicopter ride ever when the CCG took them up to Mount Helmcken to see a radio communications tower; there, the group learned what happens during a malfunction or when maintenance is required. The radio towers receive and transmit data from the entire coast to centralized operators that control all traffic and relay the information to the necessary agencies.

The group learned about the environmental response to oil and other toxic material spills, which is one of the primary functions of the Coast Guard. They learned what kinds of spills can be cleaned, how long it takes to mount a response and what it takes to move multiple-stories-tall equipment. They assembled portable skimmers just like any Coast Guard trainee and used a skimmer model to see how oil is skimmed off the top of the water during an environmental spill.

The CJCRs also learned about Fast Recovery Boats, the skilled tradespeople that build and maintain them, and the crews that operate them. Some even changed the propellers on a vessel under maintenance!

The biggest takeaway for the CJCRs was learning about teamwork and work satisfaction from the Coast Guard staff. The week was full of new experiences and much learning.