From the Bridge

From the Bridge-

We are gaining members and that is a good thing. Now we must take the time to get to know these members and help them with studying to become as active as they can be as they wait on their OS or Do to come back.

One of the best places to start new members is in a position where they may make the most impact to the boating public, the Vessel Examinations program. This is a place where they get to meet people and inspect their boats either at the ramp or at a local set up for VEs that your Flotilla Staff Officer for Vessel Examinations, FSO-VE, has set up for you.

As an example Flotilla 16-01 is doing a VE and PA booth at the local Academy Sporting Goods store in Broken Arrow on the 19th of May, just in time for National Safe Boating week.

Another program is that of Recreational Boating Program Visitor that is a great one to get a new member started off on. It deals with going to local business and partners to set up safe boating displays and gathering information from the public (business owners and customers) on what they would like for us to put out as far as literature is concerned. If you want to get your members involved in a very rewarding program this is one that is great. Contact Mike Cook the SO-PV/ADSO-PV and he will get you set up to qualify and get certified.

Inventory needs to be completed. For those that received items at the division meeting I have only received back a few AF538 forms (these are available on the 8WR website). PLEASE SEND THESE ASAP. I must collect them all and turn them into Mr. Leavell soonest. We are behind on this because of the storm in January canceling our original meeting date and thus the distribution of the gear. Once I receive the AF538s back from those that received gear I will be able to issue additional gear such as Strobe lights, PFDs, more knives, etc…

Operations is going to be going full throttle this year as we have many activities going on all around our AOR. In April we will be doing an overnight safety patrol with the Boy Scouts on LakeSkiatook by Tulsa.

Then there will be the high performance boat races on Greer’s FerryLake which will involve boats from our division on Arkansas waters.

In May at LakeTexoma there will be a BIG operation with Sector Lower Mississippi River, SectorOhioValley and Sector Houston/Galveston. We have been invited to participate and will. Bill Williams, Jerry Thornton and Marshall Bullard are on the committee for this exercise. We will use this as a way to get as many people QE’d as possible to complete their currency requirements. NOTE: If you need NavRules this year take them BEFORE you go before the QE.

We also will participate in a security exercise later in the year with the regular Coast Guard forces on our home waters.

This is in addition to all of the normal patrols that we should be doing through out the year on our home lakes.

There were two Defender class boats at the Port of Catoosa from SLMR with crew and an aviation helicopter to do practices in the waters in our area just in case of an emergency. COMO Bullard put in with the teams at the Port of Muskogee and acted as their “River Pilot” as they came up to the Port of Catoosa and the Rogers Point Ramp. They were met by Les Tuthill, SO-AN and the River Coordinator for Division 16 who helped them retrieve their facilities and get gas before getting them underway to Arkansas by trailer and another exercise at Lake Dardanelle.

The Coast Guard Response Department, that were on the Defender boats, met that night at a Tulsa Rib Crib with members of Flotilla 16-01 and guest COMO Bullard for some All-You-Can-Eat ribs and fellowship.

Les Tuthill, as designated Navigation System / River Coordinator, will act to help get everyone the time they want on the river system and at the same time make it beneficial to the Coast Guard by filling out reports on ATONS and river conditions as you navigate the system by spreading out the patrols over the year.

Please get a hold of Les, to schedule you in and don’t be surprised if he asks you to add a trip or two to your river patrols this year.

At the Spring Conference in Colorado Springs I brought up the subject of the cost of printing manuals and other forms to the members and the FCs and how it was very costly to do it the way that they are doing it now overall. I was told that they would get us CDs if that would help. With many new programs or revamped programs I have included in the budget for this year a one time offering of a print cartridge for your printer and a ream of paper. This is for you to vote on if you wish to do it.

There will also be a hand out at our spring meeting for everyone to look at regarding records retention. This was tabled at the SPRINGCON so that it could be brought back to the members for input. It will be voted on again at the FALCON in Rochester, MN.

A resolution was also made to see if National would allow other specialties such as IS, IT, CS etc.. to be considered for qualifying to run for office. There was some discussion about this last year but what was thought to have been signed into the AUXMAN evidently did not make it. We shall see what the resolution will bring next year.

BE SURE to get your reports to Glenn Bloom SO-CS so that he can paste them on the Division Website, , so that the members of the division can go get them to read.

V/R,Tracy