Pat McMenamin, District 7 Chief of Staff
FROM THE DISTRICT 7 BRIDGE
So proud to be a member of District 7 First and foremost, let me begin by expressing my gra tude and apprecia on to all members of District 7 for the outstanding and reless effort you give each day. Your dedica on to duty and support to the Auxiliary and Coast Guard does not go unnoced. Although we faced a mul tude of adversi es this past year, COVID-19, lockdowns, economic and social strife, and AUXDATA II, you have remained steadfast in your commitment to a greater cause. I am just so proud to be a member of D7, where you have con nued to carry on as condi ons have permi ed. Although frustrated at mes, District 7 Auxiliarists con nue to meet the challenges and embrace the missions set before us. You and your safety are our main priori es as you make this organiza on successful! We are beginning to see more members par cipate in program visits, vessel exams, patrols and online boa ng educa on classes. Although our Auxiliary Scout (AUXSCOUT) program started this year, we were severely restricted in ge ng it off the ground. However, we were s ll able to help sponsor a few ships and set the stage to grow the program over the next few years. With recrui ng now back in ac on one-on-one, your con nued recruitment and reten on of members is vital to our success. Our Member Training officers have been in overdrive. I am most impressed with the amount of member training that our members accomplished these last several months. Keeping members engaged enhances our ability to keep our main job, Recrea on Boa ng Safety, on track. Congratula ons on your achievements so far during this very unusual year. You, our members, con nue to meet the on-going and updated training requirements. With the addion of the new Introduc on to Risk Management and the RM Team Coordina on Training, Health Risk Assessment form, and the Blood Borne Pathogens Awareness course, you met the challenge headon and made it happen. These addi onal training standards keep us up to date with our ac ve duty counterparts and ensure everyone completes the missions successfully and safely. 8
BREEZE
Issue 2 2020
Each year, I am amazed that our members step up their crea ve and innova ve ideas and programs to educate the general boa ng public. The latest data from Na onal Marine Manufacturers Associa on shows 2020 cumula ve sales of new powerboat retail sales were up 5%; personal watercra up 10%; saltwater fishing boat sales up 5%; and jet boats up 9% compared to a year ago. It is more important than ever to keep producing and releasing safety messages to the public. This can be easily accomplished by u lizing all the PA Resource Depot resources found on the District 7 homepage. Our District Staff Officer for Program Visitors informed me that the Depot has folders for downloadable social media messages, videos, radio Public Service Announcements and Na onal Safe Boa ng Week ‘Wear It’ images. New addi ons include the 2019 USCG boa ng safety images, Safe Boa ng Council’s life jacket label infographics, and several colorful boa ng safety images. Although we celebrate many successes, we s ll have work to do in many areas. We need to embrace “new” ways of making things happen and ge ng missions completed. We are s ll facing many unknowns in the coming months, and I understand your concerns. Online mee ngs and communicaons are essen al in keeping our members engaged. I also want to encourage you to get involved in the online boa ng educa on program. We have seen an enormous increase of boaters on our waterways this year. Offering an online boa ng safety class is vital in ge ng the boa ng public’s safety message. Yes, I would also love to be able to do in person classes, but that may not be an op on for the foreseeable future. We have many Auxiliarists ready and willing to assist each flo lla in se ng up a successful (Con nued on page 9) Newsletter for District 7 USCG Auxiliary
