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Flotilla 101

This paper is for our new members and my feeble attempt to explain what the US Coast Guard Auxiliary does and how we are organized.  Most new members are overwhelmed with all the information, terms, abbreviations and relationships but, over time and experience a lot of it will become second nature.  Don’t worry about it – We are here to have fun – not work!

The Auxiliary is nation-wide and is organized into Regions, Districts,Divisions and Flotillas.  The Flotilla is the smallest organization and is where the actual “hands-on” work is done.  Our Flotilla here in Elizabeth City is Flotilla 01, part of Division 16, part of the 5th District Southern Region. We call it Flotilla 16-01.  The Flotilla has elected officers (Commander, Vice Commander), Officers appointed by the Commander and regular members.  There is no pay – all are volunteers.  

The flotilla (as in many organizations) divides various responsibilities among the officers.  Some of these are administrative (Commander,Vice Commander, Secretary, Information Systems, etc.) and some are functional (Operations, Member Training, Vessel Exams, etc.).  I will list all of these and their basic job descriptions in a later paragraph.

There is an established structure and method of operation within the Flotilla called the Chain of Leadership. In the military it is called “Chain of Command” but no one carries rank in the Auxiliary.  Picture this:  The Flotilla Commander is, of course, the person responsible for leading the Flotilla and answering to the higher levels (Division, District).  The Vice Flotilla Commander is like a Chief or Staff or orchestra conductor and is responsible for the operation of the Flotilla and making sure all the players are in tune.  The Vice Flotilla Commander reports to the Commander and all of the officers report to the Vice Flotilla Commander.  He/She is the one person with a finger on the pulse of the organization.  It is very important that everyone follow the “Chain of Leadership.”  The Commander directs actions through the Vice Flotilla Commander.  Officers direct their issues to, and through the Vice Flotilla Commander.  If they were to go directly to the Commander they would be taking Vice out of the chain and thus would not be aware of what was going on.  

Communications is very important to our Flotilla.  As I’m sure you know, most communications in this era are electronic.  Mostly gone are the days of paper letter writing.  We conduct almost all of our Flotilla communications with Email.   Most of us check our Email several times a day.  Whether you use a home computer or smart phone it’s important that you have access to Email. 

Everyone in the Flotilla should have at least one job – ones that they want to do.  In appointing officers, the Commander makes sure of that.  Following is a list of the Flotilla offices and a brief description.   Most, if not all of these jobs require more than one person.  First, let’s start with some acronyms:

FC – Flotilla Commander

VFC – Vice Flotilla Commander

FSO – Flotilla Staff Officer

Here are the staff Functions: 

FSO-CM (Communications) – Responsible for all the radio stuff

FSO-CS (Communications Services) – The Internet and website person

FSO-DV (Diversity) – Manages a program to recognize we are a verydiverse group

FSO-FN (Finance) – Keeps the checkbook and manages bank accounts

FSO-HR (Human Relations) – Recruits new members.  Manages all the membership requiremennts.

FSO-IS (Information Services) - Manages all the USCGA data reporting requirements

FSO-MA (Materials) – Manages all of our equipment.  Stuff like life jackets, whistles and knives

FSO-MS (Marine Systems) – Inspects commercial vessels, ports andfacilities.  Environmental  protection.

FSO-MT (Member Training) – Qualification training for the variousactivities (like boat crew training)

FSO-NS (Navigation Systems) – Inspects and reports on navigational aids

FSO-OP (Operations) – Plans and directs all boating operations (patrolswith the Coast Guard)

FSO-PA (Public Affairs) – Advertising, attending events with our booth,newspaper interface

FSO-PB (Publications) – Newsletter – keeps everyone informed of Flotilla activities

FSO-PE (Public Education) – Teaches boating safety to the generalpublic

FSO-PV (Program Visitor) – Visits boating venues, marinas, storespromoting the Flotilla

FSO-SR (Secretary/Records) – Meeting and flotilla records

FSO-VE (Vessel Exams) – In charge of inspecting public and flotillaboats for compliance

As you can see, our functions are very diverse and there’s a lot to pick and choose from.  All of these duties require training and some certification. My best advice for newcomers is to attend meetings and ask the FSOs questions about what they do.  We do have an unofficial title called Assistant FSO. If you see something you think you’d like to do why not sign up as an assistant.  That way you will be working with the FSO for that function.  This makes sense because it is one way for us to “groom” members to take on a higher role as they progress in knowledge and experience.  So, what do you want to do?  If you want more detailed info about a position contact the Flotilla Commander and he/she can provide you with the full position description.Meetings:  

Our Flotilla meets once a month (third Tuesday) in the evening. We do have an optional dinner at a local restaurant prior.  Meetings are announced  in advance by Email.  The Flotilla meetings are“official” functions and follow Robert’s Rules of Order.  We wear Tropical Blue uniforms at Flotilla meetings.  Staff meetings are casual.  Our Division and District also hold quarterly meetings that you can attend.

Uniforms:  Uniforms are covered in detail in the USCGA Manual.  It is very important, especially in public, that we wear our uniforms correctly and have a good personal appearance.  To the untrained eye we are hard to tell apart from our active duty counterparts.  The common uniforms we wear are Tropical Blues for meetings and other land activities. This is the uniform with the short sleeved light blue shirt and blue pants.  The uniform we wear for on the water activities and work parties is the Operational Duty Uniform (ODU).  This is a utility uniform with dark blue shirt and pants.  A variation of this is the hot weather uniform consisting of a USCGA T-Shirt, shorts and boat shoes. Uniforms can be purchased at the local USCG Exchange (CGX), through the USCG Exchange on line, the Auxiliary Association and at our District store on line.Boating Activities:  

Operations:  You don’t need to own a boat or even know how to operate one to be in the Auxiliary.  We do perform various missions for/with the Coast Guard and, as such, must conform to their regulations.  Crews must be trained and certified and we have training programs for that purpose. Each mission requires USCG orders. We do not have Flotilla-owned boats and use our member’s boats but they must be specially equipped and inspected at which time they are called“Facilities.”  Each mission must have a Coxswain (pronounced "cox - en") who is in charge and responsible for the mission and crew safety,  and one, or more crew members(depending on the size of the facility). Crew members must take a course of instruction and must pass both classroom and on the water examinations. Coxswains receive more complex training and examination.  It is fairly simple to qualify as a crew member and difficult to achieve a Coxswain rating.  If you are thinking  about getting into boating or want to learn how to “do it the right way” this is something you should consider.

Where to find out about stuff: The first thing you’ll need to do is check out our Flotilla website.  Here is the link to it:

 https://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=054-16-01https://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=054-16-01

This site is open to the general public but certain sections can only be accessed when you log in with your member number and password.  You will see a list of menu items on the left side of the home page.  One important one is Internet Links.  There you will find links to all the USCGA websites.  One stop shopping.

ID Cards and buying stuff:  After your application is accepted and personal security check approved you will receive a letter from the District Commander and your ID card.  You can use this card to gain entry to any Coast Guard facility or store.   Please note that it will not allow entry onto DOD military installations.  One of the first places you will want to visit are the Exchange stores (CGX) where you can purchase uniform items.  There is a shopette at Base Elizabeth  City and a much larger one in Chesapeake(Greenbriar).  The only things you can’t buy with your Auxiliary ID card is liquor and tobacco items.  You can also purchase stuff on line.  Yes, there’s a link on our website for that as well.