U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

Posted by Gary O'Rielly 
on Feb 11, 2013
 
The past three weeks have been about the military presence in King and Snohomish County. We have a large contigent of men and women serving in the Navy and Coast Guard whose daily duties are protecting the United States and its citizens. First, we heard from Base Commander Captain Mike Coury, Naval Station Everett, then John Dwyer, Chief of the Inspection Divsion, United States Coast Guard Sector Seattle and this past week (Feb 8), Dave Safford, Vice Flotilla Commander for the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 18 which serves Everett and South Whidbey Island. Stafford has been with the Auxiliary for the past four years. He has been actively involved in Fire and Emergency Medical Services in Snohomish County for thirty-six years. In 2011, he retired from his career as a Paramedic Fightfighter with the Lake Stevens Fire Department. During his career with the Lake Stevens Fire Department, he was a field trainer for the Marine Fire/Rescue Program on Lake Stevens.

Dave Safford told our Club members that Lake Stevens is indeed part of Puget Sound with four creeks emptying into the Lake and there are three drainage basins that make up the watershed. The Lake outflow is on the northeast corner through North Cove and flows into Catherine Creek then Little Pilchuck Creek then the Pilchuck River and eventually the Snohomish River southeast of Snohomish. He went on to say that used motor oil is the number one water pollution problem in the United States. The Auxiliary is an all volunteer agency that augments the mission of the USCG. There are about 28,000 uniformed volunteers from all walks of life. And they are always looking for more volunteers. It is the largest volunteer organization in the world. It was formed by the United States Congress in 1933. A large part of their responsibility is educating the public on boating safety, assisting in rescue operations and being an additional set of eyes on the navigable waterways across America.

Like Rotary's Four Way Test, the Auxiliary is governed by and operates on Four Cornerstones: Operations & Marine Safety, Recreational Boating Safety, Membership Services and Fellowship. This was another example of a quality program scheduled by James Monroe and something that makes our Club a strong membership-driven group.