358:
370:
338:
230:, Florida, prior to reporting to USCG ASM "A" School and EMT "C" School. After a few years, the differences between what the candidates were learning in the combat-oriented Navy school and what was being required of them during civilian rescues required an organic Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer school to be begun. An aquatic segment of training was merged into ASM "A" school in the late 1980s, and full initial rescue swimmer training was completed at the USCG's Elizabeth City training center.
326:
25:
222:
spawned a
Congressional Inquiry that found the USCG was the only military service unable to deploy a member from an aircraft for search, rescue and recovery, and initiated a legal requirement for the armed force to do so. After much internal debate, the collateral duty of "Helicopter Rescue Swimmer"
369:
286:
Not all ASTs serve as rotary wing helicopter rescue swimmers. Many serve in other roles, including as aircrew on fixed-wing assets, at Coast Guard fire departments and as instructors at any of the various training commands.
236:
In 2014, a state of the art training center was opened under the command of the
Aviation Technical Training Center aboard BASE Elizabeth City, NC and houses AST "A" School as well as Underwater Egress "C" School.
192:
452:
131:
337:
215:
The rating began in 1968 when the U.S. Coast Guard combined
Parachute Rigger (PR) and Aviation Ordnanceman (AO) to create the Aviation Survivalman (ASM) Rating. In 1983, the disaster of the
283:
Full qualification as a rescue swimmer can take up to a year from graduation of A-School, as graduates must learn the aircraft systems and emergency procedures of their assigned aircraft.
223:
was issued to the ASM rating. Initially met with significant resistance throughout the USCG, the AST has become a durable and required part of Coast Guard rotary wing operations.
277:
233:
In 1999, along with the realignment of enlisted aviation rates throughout the USCG, the
Aviation Survivalman rating was redesignated to Aviation Survival Technician.
191:
is the collateral duty or aircrew position of the AST. They are trained at the U.S. Coast Guard's enlisted
Aviation Survival Technician/Rescue Swimmer school at
357:
273:
487:
42:
89:
482:
61:
457:
254:
68:
196:
75:
344:
437:
57:
253:
packing and maintenance. Successful completion of this course results in being awarded the
Aviation Survival Technician
408:
309:
as well as a number of actual ASTs and Coast
Guardsmen as extras, and told a fictional story of two rescue swimmers.
108:
376:
462:
46:
269:
82:
227:
348:
325:
184:
144:
477:
296:
261:
35:
226:
Initially, all new ASMs were required to complete US Navy
Helicopter Rescue Swimmer school at
463:
IMO Awards for
Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2013 go to American rescuers and a Chinese seafarer
130:
418:
8:
216:
257:, the technical rating for a variety of aircraft and survival equipment maintenance.
413:
403:
245:
The course is 24 weeks long. The course includes instruction on rescue techniques,
398:
306:
249:
deployment techniques, and myriad technical skills from small engine repair to
204:
200:
188:
280:(NREMT-B) test as part of their qualification as a helicopter rescue swimmer.
471:
384:
380:
302:
272:
school. After seven weeks of EMT training, they must take and pass the
265:
246:
250:
24:
316:
featured a helicopter rescue swimmer in the pilot episode.
458:"Coast Guard School Tough Swimming, Few Pass Rescue Course"
260:After completion of A-School, all ASTs are sent to
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
274:National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
469:
193:Coast Guard Aviation Technical Training Center
240:
387:after retrieving a rescue training dummy.
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
16:United States Coast Guard rescue swimmer
470:
197:Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City
183:) is a rating or job specialty in the
345:Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City
488:United States Coast Guard job titles
312:In 2019, the Amazon Prime reboot of
47:adding citations to reliable sources
18:
13:
483:United States Coast Guard Aviation
409:United States Air Force Pararescue
14:
499:
446:
343:Coast Guard rescue swimmers from
377:Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod
368:
356:
336:
324:
129:
23:
34:needs additional citations for
431:
290:
58:"Aviation Survival Technician"
1:
424:
438:Basic AST school information
270:Emergency Medical Technician
268:to attend the Coast Guard's
177:Aviation Survival Technician
124:Aviation Survival Technician
7:
392:
363:AST demonstrating a rescue.
228:Naval Air Station Pensacola
10:
504:
383:, is hoisted back into an
241:Training and qualification
210:
453:USCG AST duty description
349:Atlantic City, New Jersey
185:United States Coast Guard
166:
158:
150:
145:United States Coast Guard
140:
128:
123:
262:Training Center Petaluma
347:train off the coast of
375:A rescue swimmer from
419:Aviation Ordnanceman
331:Rescue Swimmer Wings
43:improve this article
174:
173:
119:
118:
111:
93:
495:
440:
435:
414:Parachute Rigger
404:Naval aircrewman
372:
360:
340:
328:
133:
121:
120:
114:
107:
103:
100:
94:
92:
51:
27:
19:
503:
502:
498:
497:
496:
494:
493:
492:
478:Rescue aviation
468:
467:
449:
444:
443:
436:
432:
427:
395:
388:
373:
364:
361:
352:
341:
332:
329:
319:
295:The 2006 movie
293:
243:
219:Marine Electric
213:
154:Enlisted rating
136:
135:Rating insignia
115:
104:
98:
95:
52:
50:
40:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
501:
491:
490:
485:
480:
466:
465:
460:
455:
448:
447:External links
445:
442:
441:
429:
428:
426:
423:
422:
421:
416:
411:
406:
401:
399:Air-sea rescue
394:
391:
390:
389:
374:
367:
365:
362:
355:
353:
342:
335:
333:
330:
323:
307:Ashton Kutcher
292:
289:
242:
239:
212:
209:
205:North Carolina
201:Elizabeth City
189:Rescue swimmer
172:
171:
168:
164:
163:
160:
156:
155:
152:
148:
147:
142:
138:
137:
134:
126:
125:
117:
116:
31:
29:
22:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
500:
489:
486:
484:
481:
479:
476:
475:
473:
464:
461:
459:
456:
454:
451:
450:
439:
434:
430:
420:
417:
415:
412:
410:
407:
405:
402:
400:
397:
396:
386:
385:HH-60 Jayhawk
382:
381:Massachusetts
378:
371:
366:
359:
354:
350:
346:
339:
334:
327:
322:
321:
320:
317:
315:
310:
308:
304:
303:Kevin Costner
300:
299:
288:
284:
281:
279:
275:
271:
267:
263:
258:
256:
252:
248:
238:
234:
231:
229:
224:
221:
220:
208:
206:
202:
198:
194:
190:
186:
182:
178:
169:
165:
161:
157:
153:
149:
146:
143:
139:
132:
127:
122:
113:
110:
102:
91:
88:
84:
81:
77:
74:
70:
67:
63:
60: –
59:
55:
54:Find sources:
48:
44:
38:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
433:
318:
313:
311:
298:The Guardian
297:
294:
285:
282:
259:
244:
235:
232:
225:
218:
214:
180:
176:
175:
159:Abbreviation
105:
99:January 2013
96:
86:
79:
72:
65:
53:
41:Please help
36:verification
33:
291:Pop culture
472:Categories
425:References
266:California
247:helicopter
69:newspapers
314:Jack Ryan
301:featured
251:parachute
167:Specialty
141:Issued by
393:See also
217:SS
170:Aviation
211:History
83:scholar
255:rating
85:
78:
71:
64:
56:
278:Basic
90:JSTOR
76:books
305:and
151:Type
62:news
199:in
187:.
181:AST
162:AST
45:by
474::
379:,
264:,
207:.
203:,
195:,
351:.
276:-
179:(
112:)
106:(
101:)
97:(
87:·
80:·
73:·
66:·
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
