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Public Education = Promotion = SUCCESS
PUBLIC EDUCATION CLASSES
In addition to the
information posted on this web site and the information contained in
various AWW brochures and posters, the Coast Guard is conducting
public education classes to better prepare people for participation
in America's Waterway Watch program.
Trained instructors from
both the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary conduct
these classes, and an awareness-building segment on AWW is
included in every Boating Safety class offered to the public.
PROMOTING, ORGANIZING AND
MONITORING
Fortunately, and unlike
some other countries, the United States has not had a rash of
terrorist activity within its borders, though the threat remains
quite real.
Both the Coast Guard and
its formally organized civilian component, the Coast Guard
Auxiliary, have altered their priorities somewhat to address
maritime security issues. The Coast Guard itself has shifted many of
its resources to security related law enforcement missions. Members
of its Auxiliary, in addition to increased activity in augmenting in
support billets and picking up more safety and security patrols on
water, air and land, have directed their resources to areas related
to Recreational Boating Safety (RBS). These traditional Auxiliary
services include courtesy Vessel Safety Checks (VSC), Safe Boating
Courses for the recreational boating community, and visiting marine
dealers and other waterfront business to gain their cooperation in
promoting safe and secure boating practices, and environmental
protection. And as the Coast Guard team members most directly
involved in public contact activity, these Auxiliarists are in the
best position to promote, organize and monitor activities related to
America's Waterway Watch.
To be sure, distributing
AWW information to the public and businesses around America's
waterways is important, and will serve to build awareness about
potential terrorist threats and the need to report any suspicious
activities observed by people involved in the program -- at least
for a while. But in the absence of any real threat occurrences being
observed and reported, attention and vigilance may wane, and
complacency may once again set in.
This possibility
highlights the need for continuous promotion of the program at both
the national and local levels, the
need to keep a loosely organized group of citizens involved in
meaningful activity, and the need to monitor and recognize the
important service they are providing. As described elsewhere on the
web site (Localized Programs and Variants),
the national America's Waterway Watch program may vary in
name and scope depending on the needs of the Coast Guard in specific
areas of the country. The following sections describes some of these local
variations -- variations that define and expand the program to include
other Recreational Boating Safety concerns, address the need to promote the program
through close coordination and teamwork, and the need to organize
all local Coast Guard resources in support of AWW.
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To Report
Suspicious Activity:
Call
the National Response Center at
877-24WATCH
If There Is Immediate Danger to Life or
Property, Call 9-1-1 or Call the Coast Guard on
Marine Channel 16 |
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