In support of a presentation at Sector this weekend I did a bit of analysis on our member locations. To assuage my privacy concerns and obligations this only maps to the Zip code location. The pin indicates the center of the Zip code where one or more members reside so in less populous areas the pin will likely be fairly far from the actual residence of the member. This also means that there is only one pin per Zip code where we have multiple members - 12 members in the most shared Zip code.
So how can we use this data?
It helps us communicate where we can provide RBS and other services to the American people
It helps identify areas we need to target recruiting to extend our reach or fill in gaps in our service area
It helps us understand where we could serve members by establishing detachments (although location is only one factor in such considerations).
At our annual Operations workshop we discussed sources of river temperature. We've traditionally focused on water temperature as the trigger for wearing our various types of cold water gear. We need to be thinking beyond just the determination of when we need to be in our dry suits to a major consideration in our risk management. Today the Columbia is 5.4 ºC = 41.72 ºF below Bonneville Dam near Warrendale, Oregon. We need to be asking ourselves what additional risks come at river temperatures of 40ºF, and not just for surface operations - what about doing work on local piers and docks?
There are a number of sources of river temperature data. For the Columbia I use:
This data is in ºC so you can use this conversion chart:
Please note, for surface operations the river temperature is determined by the OIC of Station Portland, if it is near to the 50ºF or 60ºF points please err on the side of caution and/or check in with Station. Also remember that Columbia and Willamette temperatures can differ significantly.
On Saturday at the District meeting Captain Kaup and Captain Myer discussed Sector Columbia River. Captain Kaup will be the Sector Commander and Captain Myer will serve as the Deputy Sector Commander. The presentation was an excellent overview of the new Sector and our role in the success of the Coast Guard missions throughout the Sector AOR.
CAPT Kaup, CAPT Myer, Capt Englebert, and DCAPT-E Kathleen Goodwin review a DVD of Eastern Area Auxiliarist performing missions.
COMO Vass asked for assistance of lawyers to help members of the Iowa National Guard prepare for overseas deployment. If you have legal expertise and are willing to assist please let me know and I will get the appropriate contact information.
It would be great to see this program succeed and expand to assist our citizen soldiers from States in the Northwest.
Shipmates,
On Friday and Saturday (12-13Feb) I attended the District Meeting. There were a number of points that will be of interest to the general membership.
New paddle craft safety course: Within the month a new paddlers safety course will be available for us to teach. Paddling related injuries and fatalities are a major issue, particularly in our area where we have so many members of the public participating in paddle sports and recreational paddling of all sorts. This course is a great opportunity to strengthen our outreach on paddling safety. Tim Young, VFC 76 is our paddle safety lead and I know we have a number of members who are very interested in paddling safety and paddle craft operations.
New Auxiliary Manual: The new Auxiliary Manual may be released within 30 to 60 days. The manual should incorporate the changes to the National organization, as well as other changes promulgated since the last (F) edition was published in 2004. We can expect additional changes to be incorporated into the new manual. As with all policy changes I ask your patience as we determine the impacts and incorporate the changes into our Auxiliary practices and activities.
Online testing revisions: The online tests have been reviewed to remove or clarify questions that were inaccurate, tricky or did not properly reflect a member's understanding of the required material. We had issues where certain questions had very high failure rates, often an indicator of a bad question rather than a lack of knowledge on the part of the members taking the test. The tests should now be a better reflection of our member's knowledge.
Remote teaching of ICS-210: We will be able to conduct ICS-210 training, with Coast Guard instructors, via video conferencing.
Online mission and activity reporting: In the next few years we should have direct online reporting of member activities and missions to replace our current forms. This will reduce the paperwork overhead experienced by our IS officers, ease reporting by members, and should result in more hours reported by members with greater accuracy. Complete, accurate, and relevant reporting is important as we expand our missions.
Metrics: We report to track activity for awards and qualification maintenance but the reporting is also used to manage our programs and determine needs. These numbers will be directly incorporated into the Coast Guard's future SOPP (Standard Operations Planning Project) so our activity will be part of the Coast Guard's overall view of risks and risk management. This is part of the reasoning behind the new 7029 so we can better understand our value to the Coast Guard.
Strategic approach to what we do for the Coast Guard: Traditionally we've gone to our active duty counterparts and asked what they need of us. Captain Englebert, the Sector Seattle Commander, wants us to change our approach - to take the reporting and metrics on Auxiliary capacities and Coast Guard needs and develop strategies which meet needs. This would allow us to go to our OICs and Commands and say "This is what we can do for you", being proactive to meet risks and needs. We'll discuss this much more in future posts.
Finally, I'd like to thank the Division members who assisted with the raffle including Doug Balkema, Mark Murphy, Barbara Korsmo, Todd Mains and Brian Rollins. We also had assistance from the DCDR of Division 6, Gary Kobes and the VCDR Emily Chaput. The raffle was a success and raised over $400 for the District.
The transition of the leadership continues with the announcement of three Vice Admirals who will serve under our next Commandant. An item caught my eye, one of the three is a Portland native. Pending confirmation by the Senate, Rear Adm. Robert C. Parker will be promoted to vice admiral and assigned as commander of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area.
Parker, a native of Portland, Ore., serves as the U.S. Southern Command’s first director of security and intelligence in Miami, where he directs U.S. military operations and intelligence efforts, and coordinates interagency operations in Southern Command’s area of responsibility. He is the first Coast Guard officer to serve as a director in a Department of Defense command. In his new position at Atlantic Area, Parker will command an area of responsibility that ranges from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf and includes five Coast Guard Districts, 42 states and over 14 million square miles.
For those of you keeping track of modernization this means Rear Adm. Parker will take responsibility for the Coast Guard Operations Command (OPCOM).
[Republished from the Division 7 newsletter The Daymark, February 2010]
Shipmates,
In January I discussed my desire for the Auxiliary to be where you, and future members, choose to contribute your valuable time and energy. I have established four key principles for myself and the Division staff as we work to make the Flotillas and the Division the volunteer opportunity of choice. These are the principles that, along with the Core Values, will guide us in 2010.
Support the Members by supporting the Five Flotillas and the Flotilla leadership: Our missions are executed by our members as individuals, small teams of members and as Flotillas. The role of the Auxiliary organization, Division and above, is two-fold. First, the organization exists to provide the framework that enables the members of Flotillas to successfully and safely execute the mission. Second, the Division, District and National organizations work to direct the membership towards the missions identified by the Coast Guard. The Division leadership and staff serves the Flotillas. As the Division staff and leadership serve the members working through the Flotillas via the Flotilla Commanders and parallel Flotilla staff should a key objective. There are circumstances where the Division role in a mission or activity goes beyond simple coordination and the Division staff, Division Board or Vice Commander and I will need to assume management and leadership of that mission or activity. This may be due to operational necessity, the scale or complexity of the mission, a mismatch between the skills and assets of the Flotilla and the task, a very short timeline, a directive from District or National, or due to a directive from our Active Duty operational commanders. In this event we must be cognizant that there is a tradeoff when the Division takes the lead. While the Division's role may enhance execution of the mission or activity we have missed an opportunity for the Flotilla leadership, staff and members to take ownership of the mission or activity, develop capability in the mission or activity, and develop as a cohesive unit. Ultimately the Division will succeed when each of our five Flotillas has the capability, confidence, member strength and collective desire to execute the wide variety of Auxiliary missions we face.
Connect recruiting to mission execution with a focus on the member experience: We focus on recruiting and on the output of our members in mission execution. Between these two points we do a mixed job of preparing new members to execute missions. There must be a clear path for new members, and existing members wishing to explore additional opportunities, to move into new mission areas and achieve the qualifications necessary to participate fully.
The Division leadership intends to encourage and facilitate a systematic approach to qualifying new members in a variety of different areas using an academy model. The academy model has benefits all participating members, trainees, instructor cadre, and mentors. It is my hope the academies will continue to be sponsored and managed by the Flotillas with overall coordination of timing by the Board and Division staff.
We need to examine all our processes to identify issues that prevent our members from participating and then do our best to remove those blocks we can.
Promote personal and organizational readiness: Be Semper Paratus as individuals, teams, crews, Flotillas, and as a Division.
The Division leadership will discuss, promote and exemplify personal readiness.
We will encourage and support Flotilla readiness programs and projects.
We will seek the necessary resources and facilitate the training required for members to be ready.
The Division will build a contingency planning working group to workshop plans and determine the need for training, exercises and additional capabilities and equipment.
We will emphasize the impact readiness has on safety and safety has on readiness. We can only be ready if we operate safely and only operate safely if we are ready.
Communicate to build tolerance for change: Over the last few years we've seen a number changes in our mission set, policy and organization. I expect this pace of change to increase, perhaps dramatically, as the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary continue to modernize.
The Division leadership will communicate to our membership that the Auxiliary is in a time of growth and change.
We will assure the context for policy changes is provided and help members see meet the challenge -- providing the what, why and how of the change
Some changes may be difficult, it is important to remember our role as a component of the Coast Guard and our commitment to the Core Values as we adapt and build a stronger Auxiliary.
Finally, as always, let the core values be our guide
Honor: Integrity is our standard. We demonstrate uncompromising ethical conduct and moral behavior in all of our personal actions. We are loyal and accountable to the public trust.
Respect: We value our diverse work force. We treat each other with fairness, dignity, and compassion. We encourage individual opportunity and growth. We encourage creativity through empowerment. We work as a team.
Devotion to Duty: We are professionals, military and civilian, who seek responsibility, accept accountability, and are committed to the successful achievement of our organizational goals. We exist to serve. We serve with pride.
Thank you for your service. As always be safe in all your Coast Guard and life activities and look to the safety of your shipmates.
Shipmates,
We all play a leadership role in the Auxiliary whatever our office or title. One of the keys to leading an organization like ours is understanding the motivations of our members. The model we use to understand motivations can have a significant impact on where we spend our energy and what activities we pursue to increase the effectiveness of our members.
In my time in the Auxiliary I've been presented a few models of what makes the Auxiliarist tick.
Model 1: Motivated by awards and recognition -
Model 2: Service -
In examining these and suggesting an alternative I am not dismissing these models or the practices developed based upon the models. Each has elements of truth
Shipmates,
Please watch the Commandant's comments on the Haiti response and how our doctrine and principles made the Coast Guard effective in the face of the crisis. If you have not yet read the principles laid out in Publication 1 I encourage you to do so and to apply them to your actions as Guardians.
Thank you for your service,
Daren
Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Thad W. Allen delivers an address at Coast Guard Headquarters today, praising the Coast Guard for its actions in assisting the people of Haiti who were affected by the recent earthquake, Jan. 27, 2010.
U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 1st Class Kip Wadlow
Shipmates,
Division 7 will hold our February meeting on Monday, February 01, 2010 in the Sector Portland Mess Deck at 1900 (7pm). Flotilla 73 will be our host for February. The uniform is Tropical Blue or Winter Dress Blue - as always a reminder to the Board and Staff, we lead by example.
All members are invited and encouraged to attend.
Preliminary Agenda
Division 7 Meeting
Mess Deck
Sector Portland
1900 Monday February 1, 2010
Call to Order: DCDR-7
Flag Salute: Host Flotilla Commander 7-3
Invocation: Ken Anderson
Roll Call – FC & Staff Officers
Introductions: Guests, Senior Officers, Sector, Station
Shipmates,
It is time to sign up for watch standing shifts for the 2010 Pacific Northwest Sportsman's Show - February 10-14. As one of our marquee Recreational Boating Safety events the Sportsman's Show is an outstanding opportunity to educate, communicate and recruit.
Uniform will be ODU and booth staff will wear inflatable life jackets to demonstrate the ease of wear of these devices.
A shuttle will transport members from the West Marine Delta Park location to the show. If you do not require transport please let us know.
Signing up for shifts
1) Review the current available shifts on the online calendar (if you are viewing this in your email you may need to visit the Division7.org site to view the calendar):
2) Send an email with your shift choices for open shifts to veryuseful@gmail.com and cgd.7aux@hotmail.com - first choices and second choices on any given day would be appreciated to assist scheduling. (e.g. Tuesday Shift A then shift B). If your are willing to fill in any shift please indicate that willingness.
3) We will update the calendar each evening. Since updates are made every 24 hours we may have the occasional conflict for requested shifts. Shift conflicts will be resolved based on first email received. We hope to accommodate everyone's desire to work the show.
4) Confirmations will be sent via email. If you do not see a confirmation email within 24 hours please follow-up via phone. The final schedule will be circulated ahead of the show.
We will also be seeking members to assist with setup and breakdown.
As with everything we do please be flexible as we work to staff this event.
Thank you in advance for your participation and thank you for your service,
Daren Lewis, DCDR
John Hillbrands, SO-PA 2010
Shipmates,
There is a tradition on Twitter to recommend favorite fellow Twitter users each Friday. I plan to use Friday's to highlight another great official Coast Guard blog or website. In week #1 I introduced The Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER), last week I introduced The Coast Guard Compass and today...
Back in September 2008 Admiral Allen introduced iCommandant, his blog, which was a major step in what has become a Coast Guard wide social media initiative. A few units had blogs or blog "like" features but the Commandant's approach fostered blogs across the Coast Guard. Today we have more Guardians telling their stories and the Coast Guard story than ever before.
You can read his initial intent and see the video describing the effort here:
Shipmates, We will be conducting our first Division staff meeting this evening. One of the key responsibilities of each staff member is to provide a report. These reports are often seen as an opportunity to describe the activities of the officer and the activities in their program area. An effective staff officer does far more than simply execute - they also plan, build capacity in the program area, address needs or gaps, and seek opportunities to grow their programs. The reports provided to the members, leadership, and staff up and down the chain of leadership and management should reflect the full range of these activities.
We are requesting that all Division staff reports address the following points:
Execution: What has been accomplished in my area of staff responsibility including my own efforts, those of my reporting staff and those of the membership?
Expected execution: What accomplishments/missions are expected in the near term?
Execution opportunities and planning: What accomplishments/missions are in the planning stages? What is on the horizon? What are our opportunities?
Program development execution: What have I and my team done to build program capacity? Who has been trained? What partnerships have been developed? What materials have been developed or are now available?
Program development planning: What is planned to build program capacity?
Needs/gaps: What is missing that I need and/or needs leadership attention or action to resolve?
If you are a Flotilla staff member I encourage you to discuss reporting requirements with your Vice Flotilla Commander. This format may be one you wish to adopt.
Shipmates,
Thank you to all of our members who have maintained the watch at the Portland Boat Show over the last four days and will do so on the last day tomorrow. I spent the day on the show floor spreading the boating safety message and enjoying the fellowship of my shipmates. Today we had the CRYA Daughters of Neptune with us to fit life Jackets on young boaters. The Daughters did a great job. If you have an RBS event with kids please consider asking the Daughters to help.
Here is a brief video from the show floor:
...and yes it is perfectly okay to remind me to slow down.
Shipmates,
Parker, a native of Portland, Ore., serves as the U.S. Southern Command’s first director of security and intelligence in Miami, where he directs U.S. military operations and intelligence efforts, and coordinates interagency operations in Southern Command’s area of responsibility. He is the first Coast Guard officer to serve as a director in a Department of Defense command. In his new position at Atlantic Area, Parker will command an area of responsibility that ranges from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf and includes five Coast Guard Districts, 42 states and over 14 million square miles.
We will be conducting our first Division staff meeting this evening. One of the key responsibilities of each staff member is to provide a report. These reports are often seen as an opportunity to describe the activities of the officer and the activities in their program area. An effective staff officer does far more than simply execute - they also plan, build capacity in the program area, address needs or gaps, and seek opportunities to grow their programs. The reports provided to the members, leadership, and staff up and down the chain of leadership and management should reflect the full range of these activities.
