USCG Helicopter Rescue Swimmer AST A School (131 19)

Arguably the most widely recognized team of rescueswimmer operators, the elite United States Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician (AST), Helicopter Rescue Swimmer team is called upon to respond in the most extreme rescue situations. High seas, medical evacuations, downed aviators, sinking vessels, and hurricanes are some of the deadly scenarios that Coast Guard rescue swimmers are trained to handle. The Coast Guard s team of ASTs is composed of about 350 activeduty members, and only 980 members have passed the training to become Helicopter Rescue Swimmers since the mid1980s. AST A School in Elizabeth City, North Carolina lasts for 24 weeks, and includes intense physical fitness, long hours of pool fitness and instruction, extreme waterconfidence drills, and classroom instruction. The Coast Guard rescue swimmer training program is very challenging and is one of the toughest U. S. military training courses. Reportedly, only 75100 Coast Guard personnel attend the school each year. The attrition rate in