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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"
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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In 1999, along with the realignment of enlisted aviation rates throughout the USCG, the
Aviation Survivalman rating was redesignated to Aviation Survival Technician.
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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
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packing and maintenance. Successful completion of this course results in being awarded the
Aviation Survival Technician
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as well as a number of actual ASTs and Coast
Guardsmen as extras, and told a fictional story of two rescue swimmers.
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Initially, all new ASMs were required to complete US Navy
Helicopter Rescue Swimmer school at
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IMO Awards for
Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2013 go to American rescuers and a Chinese seafarer
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The course is 24 weeks long. The course includes instruction on rescue techniques,
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deployment techniques, and myriad technical skills from small engine repair to
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291:(NREMT-B) test as part of their qualification as a helicopter rescue swimmer.
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school. After seven weeks of EMT training, they must take and pass the
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featured a helicopter rescue swimmer in the pilot episode.
469:"Coast Guard School Tough Swimming, Few Pass Rescue Course"
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285:National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
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204:Coast Guard Aviation Technical Training Center
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398:after retrieving a rescue training dummy.
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
27:United States Coast Guard rescue swimmer
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208:Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City
194:) is a rating or job specialty in the
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499:United States Coast Guard job titles
323:In 2019, the Amazon Prime reboot of
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494:United States Coast Guard Aviation
420:United States Air Force Pararescue
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69:"Aviation Survival Technician"
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449:Basic AST school information
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18:Aviation survival technician
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196:United States Coast Guard
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273:Training Center Petaluma
358:train off the coast of
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430:Aviation Ordnanceman
342:Rescue Swimmer Wings
54:improve this article
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16:(Redirected from
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71: –
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65:Find sources:
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170:Abbreviation
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110:January 2013
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52:Please help
47:verification
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302:Pop culture
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436:References
277:California
258:helicopter
80:newspapers
325:Jack Ryan
312:featured
262:parachute
178:Specialty
152:Issued by
404:See also
228:SS
181:Aviation
222:History
94:scholar
266:rating
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289:Basic
101:JSTOR
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73:news
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