Military Careers: Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer

Picking the right military career can be a good stepping stone to a career in civilian life. The thing is to pick one that you like, are qualified for and is in demand in the private sector. Check out the requirements for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. It is a tough job for tough candidates, but if you cut the mustard, you have a good and rewarding career ahead of you.

To become a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer you need to attend the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer School in Elizabeth City N.C. In order to graduate, you must excell in flexibility, strength, endurance, be able to function efficiently for 30 minutes in heavy seas and be able to make split second life-saving decisions. Getting to this point is not easy and neither is the job.

Before you apply be sure you know how to handle yourself in the water and feel comfortable in that environment. You will need to be able to work while holding your breath and stand up to 10 to 20 foot waves. Consider taking the Ocean Life Guard course at your local Red Cross. You will learn the basics and if you do not do well here, you will not be a candidate for the job.

You will need to complete and pass an advanced EMT course that encompasses not only the skills needed in a regular emergency situation, but the skills required to save lives in the high seas, rough terrain and other dangerous situations where someone who passed a regular EMT course would not have the necessary skills.

Each month you will have to prove that you can do the crawl for at least 500 yards in 12 minutes or less, swim underwater for 25 yards and repeat it four times and do a buddy tow for 200 yards. There are on land requirements also. You must do 50 shoulder with pushups, 60 sit ups, five pull ups and 5 chin ups.

If you want to succeed, you need to go above and beyond the minimum. When you can do 100 pushups in 2 minutes, 100 sit ups in 2 minutes 15 to 20 pull ups, swim 500 to 750 yards in 12 minutes or less, run 1-1/2 miles in under 9 minutes and do the underwater swim and the buddy tow, you will be above average and have more of a chance of passing the course, which has an average attrition rate of 50 percent

Regular exercise is extensive and is necessary to keep you fit and flexible enough to perform the job. It consists of neck flexion, shoulder rotation, the swimmer stretch, deltoid stretch, lower back stretch, groin stretch, inside hurdlers stretch, calf stretch, sitting body twist and tricep stretch.

Sources:

Military Dot Com

U.S. Coast Guard