Serving Your Community There are many brave well-educated and well-trained men and women who work in careers that serve their communities Whether they are rescuing people caught in a hurricane saving people trapped inside a burning building or finding out the cause of a traffic accident these workers are committed to making their communities safer places to live and work 4
Many communities around the world are built along coastlines because close access to water makes transportation easier The Coast Guard is in charge of enforcing the law and ensuring the safety of people on the water and the environment as well as managing search and rescue operations The Coast Guard is responsible for the safety and security of vessels and people from the icy waters of the Arctic where oil tankers cruise ships and fishing boats travel to the parts of the oceans filled with oil rigs and boats for personal use and recreation Brave members of the coast guard help bring a citizen to safety after his boat overturns in the ocean 5
career 1 career 1 COAST GUARD COMMANDER The Coast Guard includes a number of wonderful careers such as helicopter pilot radar operator security personnel ship officers aircraft crew and of course the very exciting career as a Coast Guard commander Coast Guard commanders may be in charge of different units including helicopter pilots and rescue boats Commanders need to make sure the helicopter pilots are well organized and trained because in order to do their jobs they must often fly in terrible weather or dangerously close to huge ships They risk their lives attempting rescues and arresting smugglers and other criminals while at the same time ensuring that ships and boats are operating safely and legally They protect our coastlines and the people and vessels that operate along them 6
During emergency events such as hurricanes the Coast Guard is often called on to rescue people caught in storms A Coast Guard commander may be responsible for directing helicopter crews to the areas where they are most needed Helicopter pilots race to areas where people are in need People may be trapped on top of homes or buildings surrounded by flood waters or struggling to stay afloat The helicopter pilot lowers rescue crews from their hovering helicopters to reach victims and pull them to safety What an exciting and rewarding career Think Like a Coast Guard Commander Suppose a hurricane has created massive flooding over a wide area on the east coast of North America Your unit is called to rescue victims trapped on rooftops in the city where your Coast Guard base is located The water is so high on city streets that it is very tough to use street addresses to find victims Your first job is to organize the Coast Guard personnel into squads including helicopter crews Hurricanes often bring flooding and very high winds to coastal lands It is not unusual for Coast Guard personnel to have to risk their lives to save people during storms 7
