2/8/07

Auxiliary Coast Guard unit seeks volunteers at Lake Marion
By Eric Goold

ERIC GOOLD/Manning Times
Wyboo resident Dick Phillips wears a Coast Guard uniform as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He is seeking volunteers for a unit at Lake Marion.

Wyboo resident Dick Phillips is looking for volunteers to help form an Auxiliary Coast Guard unit at Lake Marion.

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed civilian volunteer component of the U.S. Coast Guard and is actively seeking volunteers interested in serving their country and their community. The role of the Coast Guard Auxiliary is to be a force multiplier for the Coast Guard.

Phillips, a retired ceramic engineer, is part of a Coast Guard Auxiliary unit at Little River for eight or nine years before coming to Wyboo. He sees an opportunity to apply his previous experience at Lake Marion.
“We’re interested in getting more response to build up our Coast Guard Auxiliary presence on the lake,” said Phillips. “After moving up here I can see the need for the Coast Guard at the lake, from a safety standpoint.”

Coast Guard Auxiliary units conduct safety patrols, assist the Coast Guard with Homeland Security duties, teach boating safety classes, conduct free vessel safety checks for the public, as well as many other activities.

“I think anyone who goes out to the lake on a good day or a holiday can see the amount of boat traffic out there,” said Phillips. “There’s a need for a Coast Guard Auxiliary patrol to help out. More importantly, we need to get boating education going so we can get to people on the lake and stress the importance of safety and safe procedures.

“If the need ever arises, and we hope it doesn’t, we are also trained in search and rescue and could be an adjunct in that operation,” he said.

Coast Guard Auxiliary units are maintained under the Department of Homeland Security but have no authority to conduct military or law enforcement operations.

“There’s no military action or law enforcement,” said Phillips. “We would not participate in those activities in any manner. Our purpose is for safety and education, safety patrols and whatever would come up in that area.”

Volunteers are fully uniformed civilian members of the Coast Guard. They provide their own private boats when working for the Auxiliary.

“Basically all the boats we use are essentially privately owned,” said Phillips. “If we get an order to go out and do a patrol, the fuel expenses are reimbursed by the Coast Guard.”

The role of Coast Guard Auxiliary units has really grown in the past couple of years, especially since it was put under the control of the Department of Homeland Security.

“The Auxiliary is being asked to do a lot more of the routine Coast Guard duties,” said Phillips. “Safety patrols, pollution control, oil spills, accidents on the water. It’s really grown over the last couple of years.”

So far, Phillips said about 15 people have expressed interest in volunteering. He’ll be holding a meeting with them at a later date.

“If you like being on the water and you like to do a little bit more than just go out for a ride, and you like to contribute to safety on the lake, this is a way to do it,” said Phillips. “The camaraderie between the men and women of the organization is another great thing about it.”

Anyone interested in volunteering for the Coast Guard Auxiliary or in getting more information can contact Phillips at 478-7873.