Marine Emergency Response Group

07/31/2023

Attention Virginia Boaters: As of July 1, 2023, motorboats are required to slow to no-wake speed within 200 feet of a law enforcement or emergency services vessel when displaying blue or red flashing lights. Remember, tow boats display red flashing lights as well as fire/rescue boats.

Please spread the word about the new regulation throughout the boating community.

Backstory: While operating on the scene of an emergency incident on the edge of a very narrow channel on the Occoquan River Saturday, I witnessed several motorboats passing our 2 fire/rescue boats and 2 police boats, all of which were displaying red and blue lights as appropriate, without coming off plane and without even slowing down. As a result, we were forced to take control of the channel to slow vessels down so we could stabilize/investigate an incident.

Remember, fire/rescue, police, and towboat operators are trying to assist a boater in need. The regulation was passed to prevent further damage or intensification of an incident, and to reduce injuries to first responders/towboat operators while operating on these scenes. Watching for and reacting to wakes also takes our much needed attention from working on patients and reducing damages already done to the vessel(s) involved in the initial incident.

Thank you for your assistance 🙂

06/15/2023

If you are submitting for a new Merchant Mariner Credential (license) or a renewal, expect long wait times and very little communication from the USCG contractors. After several emails, online status checks and finally calling, we have been told they have up to 10 business days to acknowledge receipt of your application package followed by another 19 business days of staging to determine your order for processing. Example, from a renewal submittal on 6/4, we were told to expect a processing order status around 7/11. Keep your patience people!

06/05/2023

Building upon our training program, we are proud to see Prince Rupert Port Authority advancing their skills and partnering with other local agencies to make port safety their number one priority.

03/13/2023

USCG Merchant Mariner Course being presented to PWC police and Fire. Keeping our local agencies boat operators educated and professional.

07/18/2022

We are expanding to Cartersville Georgia!!! Look for in-person OUPV course advertisements for the Allatoona Lake area within the next few weeks.

07/04/2022

Good camaraderie among those keeping us safe and responding to our emergency needs 🙂

Destin Fire Department having a little fun and helping our Marine Unit cool off on this hot summer day!
Teamwork Makes the Dreamwork! 😎👍🐬

07/02/2022

We are one of several USCG approved teaching companies in this area. Fairly easy to get through the licensure process in less than the cost of a single charter (in most cases).

Unlicensed charter operators and uninspected vessels pose significant risk to passengers and other boaters on our waterways.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region, in partnership with the Prince George's County Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, commenced a summer-long enforcement and awareness initiative this weekend aimed at combating illegal charter and passenger vessel operations in the Maryland-National Capital Region.

The goal is to ensure public safety by detecting and deterring illegal passenger vessel operations through a robust on-water presence, education and outreach, termination of unsafe operations, and justified enforcement actions.

During last night’s patrol, Coast Guard and partner agency members suspended the operation of one illegal passenger vessel and provided safety information and educational outreach to others.

The Coast Guard urges the public to exercise caution before chartering a vessel and consider these key questions:

• Does the vessel have a Coast Guard licensed master aboard?
• Does the vessel have proper documentation and safety equipment aboard?
• Are the master and crew enrolled in a Department of Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing program?
• If carrying more than six passengers, does the vessel hold a valid Certificate of Inspection issued by the Coast Guard?

For questions about merchant marine licensing, contact the Coast Guard at 1-888-427-5662 or 1-888-I ASK NMC.

07/02/2022

A little fun with local media yesterday while driving a few safety tips to mariners.

Recognizing the Occoquan Woodbridge Lorton Volunteer Fire Department on First Responder Friday during our FOX 5 Zip Trip to Occoquan!

06/24/2022

Planning to head out on the boat this weekend or camping in an RV? If so, for your safety, make sure you have the correct smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Read more: https://owlvfd.org/2022/06/20/smoke-and-co-detectors-for-boating-and-rv-enthusiasts/

04/18/2022

Congratulations to the team who worked tirelessly and without further incident to refloat the Ever Forward.

With the vessel on its way, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to investigate the cause of the grounding.

More: U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic

And https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCG/bulletins/313d6fa

04/17/2022

Test Day; Congratulations to our OUPV students who completed 56 hours of classroom instruction over the past 4 weeks and successfully completed their testing today.

04/04/2022

As a first responder, we frequently train to provide emergency services; unfortunately, we rarely conduct training scenarios where we become the emergency.
We are thankful everyone was quickly rescued in this incident. As with every incident in the fire service, we find the positives in incidents like this one to help prevent the next one. Even before the after action or incident report is released, we can take a few minutes to cover the potential emergency situations we could face on our vessels and review our course of action to ensure those potential outcomes would be as successful as this one.