TowBoatUS Mystic Signs MOA with United States Coast Guard to Assist in Search and Rescue
MYSTIC, Conn. (PRWEB) August 06, 2015 -- [Update to Release issued August 6, 2015] Like all boaters, the crew of TowBoatUS Mystic, a 24-hour, on water recreational boat towing and assistance company, will render Good Samaritan aid when asked. And now when the US Coast Guard asks for help in locating lost boaters, the privately-owned towing company will be able to lend a better ‘Good Sam’ hand at finding them. That’s due to TowBoatUS Mystic’s completion in May of a new pilot Search-and-Rescue (SAR) training program developed by USCG Sector Long Island Sound that certifies non-US Coast Guard assets such as on water towing companies, police and fire departments or harbormasters for SAR response.
In a ceremony today at USCG Station New London to acknowledge TowBoatUS Mystic’s completion of the Coast Guard Search and Rescue Procedures and Boat Operations Training Course for members of the New London Port Security Group, Capt. Jeff Dziedzic of TowBoatUS Mystic signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with US Coast Guard Captain Ed Cubanski, Commander Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound. This latest certification follows years of TowBoatUS and Vessel Assist towers participating in a range of SAR courses that are endorsed by the US Coast Guard’s Department of Boat Forces, including the NASBLA BOAT program and the C-Port Boat Operator Search and Rescue/Commercial Assistance course.
Said Capt. Dziedzic, “We’ll always render emergency aid. We’re not in the rescue business — it’s just something you do as a fellow boater. This unique US Coast Guard training course along with our NASBLA BOAT Program training creates a cooperative environment and gets all of us on the same page with SAR protocols, communications and operations. The signing of the MOA represents a great achievement for my company as it sets a precedent of training and safety standards which greatly benefits the boating community and port partners. This voluntary, public-private working relationship it creates will ultimately help save lives and property during search and rescue missions.”
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About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):
BoatUS is the nation’s largest organization of recreational boaters with over a half million members. We are the boat owners’ voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We help ensure a roadside breakdown doesn’t end a boating or fishing trip before it begins, and on the water, we bring boaters safely back to the launch ramp or dock when their boat won’t, day or night. The BoatUS Insurance Program gives boat owners the specialized coverage and superior service they need, and we help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the non-profit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.
D. Scott Croft, Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS), 703-461-2864, [email protected]
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