OXNARD, Calif. — The Coast Guard invites members of the media to tour Coast Guard Station Channel Islands Harbor and ride aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Blacktip in anticipation of the 7th Annual Safe Boating Expo.

The media event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 7 at U.S. Coast Guard Station Channel Islands Harbor, located at 4201 S. Victoria Ave., Oxnard, Calif.

The 7th Annual Safe Boating Expo, which is scheduled for May 12, is open to the public and will feature demonstrations of search and rescue, firefighting, first aid, life jackets, and proper boating practices.

Lt. Timothy McGhee, commanding officer of Station Channel Islands Harbor, and Senior Chief Petty Officer Gregory Simcic, officer-in-charge of Cutter Blacktip, will be available for interviews to discuss the importance of boating safety and the roles their crews play in executing important Coast Guard missions.

Members of the media wishing to attend the tour and/or ride along are asked to arrive at the Coast Guard Station by 9:45 a.m. May 7. Please confirm your attendance by contacting U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliarist Henry Goldman at (805) 985-7740, or (818) 425-6123.

To view a flyer for the 7th Annual Safe Boating Expo, click HERE.

LOS ANGELES  — Media are invited to attend the remobilization and offloading of Coast Guard Reserve personnel, boats and equipment from Air Force cargo planes, including a C-5 Galaxy and three C-17 Globemasters, Sunday at 1 p.m.

Coast Guard Port Security Units 311, 312 and 313 will be returning from San Clemente Island, Calif., Exercise Patriot Hook, an annual Air Force Reserve Tanker Airlift Control Element exercise simulating a joint force response to a natural disaster.

During the exercise, the PSUs were tested on their ability to be ready to deploy within 96 hours of notification and established sustained and self supporting operations within 24 hours. This includes staging and loading of equipment, establishing a base camp and life support area to conduct first aid for the disaster victims and conducting gunnery exercises and security operations.

As part of the Deployable Operations Group, the Coast Guard’s eight PSUs are a deployable specialized force that provide waterborne and shore-side protection for shipping and port facilities as well as humanitarian support during natural disasters. They have previously deployed in support of Operation New Dawn, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, the 2010 Haitian Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

Who - Port Security Unit 311, Los Angeles;  Port Security Unit 312, San Francisco; and Port Security Unit 313, Seattle.

What - Remobilization and offloading of  Coast Guard Reserve personnel from Exercise Patriot Hook, including boats and equipment from Air Force cargo planes, including a C-5 Galaxy and three C-17 Globemasters.

When – Sunday, March 18th at 1 p.m.

Where - Joint Forces Training Base Los Alamitos
11200 Lexington Drive
Los Alamitos,CA 90720-5000


Editor’s note: Media interested in attending the offload should contact Petty Officer Seth Johnson at (310) 781-0288 to arrange access to the base.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Thirty-four Reserve and Active Duty Enlisted Petty Officers stationed within the Coast Guard District 11 Region will be recognized during an awards banquet Friday as nominees for the Active Duty Enlisted Person of the Year (EPOY) and Reserve Enlisted Person of the Year (REPOY) awards. 

The two petty officers selected will compete for the national honors of being the Coast Guard’s Active Duty EPOY and the Reserve EPOY in Washington, D.C.

The following additional information about the event apply:

WHAT: Recognition ceremony and banquet for EPOY and REPOY awards

WHERE: Coast Guard Island, Point Welcome Conference Area

WHEN: 6 p.m. March 9, 2012

The EPOY and REPOY program recognizes top-performing enlisted men and women in the Coast Guard. These men and women were nominated by a panel of senior enlisted members who evaluate based on established criteria that includes performance, work ethics, military bearing, standards of conduct and a strong community service commitment.

The Coast Guard D11 region encompasses California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah;  the coastal and offshore waters out over thousand miles and the offshore waters of Mexico and Central America down to South America.  Our operations are staged and directed out of our units throughout California.

This event is not open to the public, however, the media is invited to attend. For more information, contact Chief Petty Officer Sarah B. Foster at 510.437.3325; email sarah.foster@uscg.mil.

VENTURA, Calif. - The media is invited to attend public outreach events held by the Coast Guard and other oil spill response agencies Sept. 13, at the Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center and the Harbor Cove parking lot in Ventura, Calif.

Government and industry experts will be facilitating seminars in the visitor center's auditorium on three main topics: Deepwater Horizon response, Oiled Wildlife Care Network, and Sensitive Sites Strategy from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. 

Coast Guard Capt. Roger Laferriere, Commanding Officer of Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, will present information on his time as a Deepwater Horizon Incident Commander in Louisiana.  Laferriere is featured in an article titled "Oil Spill Response: Knowing Your Enemy", which describes the different variables an incident commander takes into account during a spill response.

Static displays of different types of response equipment will be located in the Harbor Cove parking lot from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m.  These include communications trailers, equipment for repairing breached hulls, and the off-shore deployment of a Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS) from the Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb.  The VOSS deployment will take place from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., and can be viewed from the shoreline.  The Coast Guard will provide close-up photos and videos of the demonstration that same day to all interested media members.

The Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center is located in the Channel Islands National Park at 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura.  The Harbor Cove parking lot is located across the street from the visitor's center. 

LOS ANGELES — The Coast Guard announces its National Preparedness Response Exercise Program (NPREP) pre-exercise Public Outreach events to be held Sept. 13, 2011 in Ventura, Calif., free of charge.

Government and Industry experts will be facilitating seminars on three topics of interest: Deepwater Horizon Response, Oiled Wildlife Care Network, and Sensitive Sites Strategy, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Static displays such as communications trailers, a HASS-like boat, Patch technology for vessels, off-shore deployment of a Vessel of Opportunity Skimming System (VOSS) from Coast Guard Cutter George Cobb, and others, will be available for viewing from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.

The seminars and displays will be held at Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center located at Channel Islands National Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr, Ventura, Calif. Displays will be at the Harbor Cove parking lot across the street from the Visitor Center, and the seminars will be held in the auditorium.

The actual NPREP exercise will take place on Sept. 14 and 15 at an undisclosed location in the vicinity of Ventura County. For additional information on the public outreach events, contact Lt. Jennifer Osburn at (310) 521-3847.

Agencies/Organizations Participating include U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEMRE), Regulation and Enforcement), Patriot Environmental Services, Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN), Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), AeroVironment Inc., Clean Seas, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC), Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary (CINMS), Channel Watch Marine, National Parks Service (NPS), County of Ventura Office of Emergency Services, County of Santa Barbara Office of Emergency Services, NRC Environmental Services, O'Brien's Response Management Inc., Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) and more.

September is National Preparedness Month, and the NPREP is part of the committed effort to strengthen the Nations' response capabilities. The national preparedness architecture encompasses the full spectrum of prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts to prepare the United States for all hazards.

As of 2009, the Citizen Corps National Survey revealed that only 57% of Americans surveyed report having supplies set aside in their homes just for disasters, and only 44% have a household emergency plan. National Preparedness Month serves to encourage individuals across the nation to take important preparedness steps including: getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, being informed about the different emergencies that may affect them, as well as taking the necessary steps to get trained and become engaged in community preparedness and response efforts.

How quickly a company or organization is able to get back to business after an earthquake, a tornado, a fire, a flood, or a terrorist attack often depends on emergency planning and preparation done before the disaster strikes. The Ready Campaign highlights three steps to Business Disaster Preparedness: 1) Plan to Stay in Business; 2) Talk to Your People; and 3) Protect Your Investment. These steps underscore how important it is for businesses to document their property/equipment, back up business-critical information, and put a response team in place.

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — Members of the media are invited to view a rescue demonstration by a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolpin helicopter and a 45-foot multi-mission response boat at 9:30 a.m., May 26, at the Coast Guard base on Terminal Island.

Coast Guard boarding officers will be available for interviews regarding boating under the influence laws, which will be a focus during the holiday weekend's safety patrols.

Media will view the rescue demonstrations from the pier, roughly 125 yards from the boat and helicopter.

A press release containing background information on the event can be found at: https://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/834/1098315/

The Coast Guard base is located at 1001 S. Seaside Ave., San Pedro, Calif., 90731. The media availibilty will begin at 9 a.m., and members of the media should arrive by approximately 9:30 a.m.  The rescue demonstration is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., but due to possible mission requirements the event could happen slightly before or after that time.

Television stations wishing to conduct a live broadcast of the event must get prior approval from PA1 Adam Eggers, who can be contacted at (310) 521-4260.

SAN PEDRO, Calif. - The Coast Guard will hold two separate public meetings regarding a "Port Access Route Study: In the Approaches to Los Angeles - Long Beach and in the Santa Barbara Channel," October 13 and 14.

The study will assess the possible need to create a new vessel routing system or modify the existing system due to increased vessel traffic bypassing the Santa Barbara Channel Traffic Separation Scheme, opting for routes around the southern portion of the Channel Islands.

A Traffic Separation Scheme is a traffic management route-system that separates the traffic lanes ships use while entering and exiting port.

Creating a vessel routing system could increase the predictability of vessel movements which may decrease the potential for collisions, oil spills, and other events that could threaten the marine environment.

The October 13 meeting will be held at the Oxnard Harbor District offices from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.  The meeting October 14 will be at the Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, 2nd floor board room, also from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

People wishing to attend either meeting must have government-issued photo identification with them to enter.  If you have any questions concerning the meetings or the study, please contact LTJG Lucas Mancini, Coast Guard; telephone 510–437–3801, e-mail Lucas.W.Mancini@uscg.mil