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Water temperature: 39 degrees. Air temp: 36 degrees. A stiff wind
was in the air; “it’s going to be a cold one,” thought Paul Mills.
He went through his gear bag looking for three undergarment layers,
one dry suit, gloves, helmet, mask and snorkel, and fins.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul Mills is an aviation
survival technician at Air Station Cape Cod. While his skills are
honed from hours of training, making sure his gear is prepared is
just as crucial.
“Cold weather – it’s less about training and
more about the equipment that keeps us alive,” he said.
“Preparation can be the difference between life and death,” said
Mills.
Cold weather gear is required to be worn when the
water temperature is 55 degrees and below. The water temperatures in
New England can get below 30 degrees, but that doesn’t stop a
well-dressed crew.
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January 19, 2017 - Petty Officer 2nd Class Paul Mills, an
aviation survival technician, trains in the swimming pool with a
comrade at
Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. This
rescue technique is what rescue swimmers use when bringing survivors
to the basket to be hoisted into the awaiting MH-60 Jayhawk
helicopter to bring them home safely. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by
Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole J. Groll)
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“During a [search and rescue] case, I’m jumping in to
save a life no matter what,” said Mills.
He said it’s
not just the water that’s cold, but the wind too.
“The cold I feel doesn’t come from the water, but from the
rotor blades of the helicopter,” he said. “I feel warm in
the water with all the gear on.”
The three layers of
undergarments, similar to long underwear, are warm. Next,
the dry suit, which is leak-tested to make sure those
undergarments do not get wet, keeps the core of the swimmer
warm. The harness goes on after the dry suit. It connects to
the hoist hook and contains all of the rescue and survival
gear.
“The harness is full of pockets holding
supplies such as a strobe light, a knife, a personal locator
beacon, a radio, and a flashlight,” said Petty Officer 2nd
Class John Brennan, another aviation survival technician at
the air station.
According to Brennan, a rescue
swimmer in full cold weather gear can survive in the water
for roughly 14 hours.
Even though the weather
changes, the training doesn’t. Mills works out three days a
week with his crew and swims two days a week. In between, he
goes up in the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter in full cold weather
gear and conducts hoist training with local Coast Guard
small boat stations and cutters in the area.
The
swimmers and aircrews conduct training hoists during the
cold weather, but are cautious of the weather conditions. If
the weather is bad, there is no reason to put a crew at risk
when a life is not in jeopardy. Hoist training is just part
of how Mills and his team stay prepared to face the chilling
cold water during a search and rescue case.
During
certain times of the year, the swimmers train at the beach.
They practice going through the surf and conducting rescues
using a dummy or each other as victims.
When there is
a search and rescue case, the water temperature doesn’t
matter, because the risk is always measured against the
value of saving a life.
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January 19, 2017 - Petty Officer 1st Class Justin Munk, an
aviation survival technician, walks in full cold weather gear on the
tarmac of Air Station Cape Cod in Massachusetts before a
training flight to help a crew member become a fully qualified
flight mechanic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Nicole J. Groll)
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Mills said he relies on the gear he has to do its job and
protect him from the cold. And as his crew members agree,
dressing for the weather is the best policy.
“There
isn't much that you can do for cold weather,” said Brennan.
“You can dress for it, but cold is still cold; you have to
simply put up with and power through it.”
During winter 2015, the air station
crews did power through it. Air Station Cape Cod performed
over 250 rescues and saved about 80 lives.
Last
winter, Mills said he was personally involved in five search
and rescue cases where lives were saved.
But there
were other cases that didn’t end as well, he said. “There
were four cases where lives were lost to the cold water,” he
said.
The cold takes lives, it’s best to be prepared
with proper gear to withstand the frigid water.
By U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole J. Groll
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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