There are several types of law enforcement officials. All of which have their own responsibilities. One group which plays a vital role in the safety of the public is the coast guards.
The Importance of Coast Guards
Quite often the importance of coast guards is not given much thought until something in the news surfaces about them. For example, the recent government shut down brought great concern as to the damage which it was doing to this particular category of law enforcement officials. Then, many people realized just how vital their services were.
Coast Guard Duties
What some may not realize is that similar to pirates, the coast guard are out in all weather which makes their tasks even harder. This group is classified as military services. The person in command of the coast guards is the Coast Guard Commandant, who has the rank of a four-star admiral. Some of the duties which a coast guard is responsible for are:
- Assisting people in distress
- The protection of property
- Search and rescue
- Interception of illegal immigrants
- Drug seizures
- Boat missions
- Boarding vessels
- Responding to hazardous chemical spills
- Navigation assistance
Not only is this a long list of tasks, but they are all attended to in an average day numerous times.
Coast Guard Training
The training for coast guards is dubbed Coast Guard Boot Camp. This is where all the training takes place for those who are aspiring to become coast guards. There is only one location where this takes place; it is at Cape May in New Jersey. Those who have qualified to attend this training will spend 53 challenging days here.
An attendee can forget about any outside communication while in training at the camp. The days are long and hard, with the first day not ending until about 12:30 am, only to be summoned by the company commander at 5:30 am. This first day may sound like a rough one, but it is nothing compared to what is to come. The early days are spent mostly on paperwork, and real training doesn’t begin until the fourth day.
Most who have completed the training say the first week is the toughest. While this may sound all negative, everything which takes place at the boot camp is preparing the future coast guards for what will be expected of them as graduates and once they are in the field.
No doubt if the general public could follow these recruits around through even a portion of their training, they would have a new found respect for them.
Making the Decision
Making the decision to become a coast guard should be given careful thought. As can be seen, the training is rigorous, and the job tough, but to most, they find it rewarding.