NAVEX 1st Quarter 2017 Edition First Edition | Page 12

Wes Baden, USCG Aux
Forging Interagenc
Joint Training by Flotilla and Local Fire Re
Story by Wes Baden
It’s no surprise that the Orleans, Massachusetts Fire
Rescue Department has had assets to respond to
emergencies on the water. The town, located near the
elbow of Cape Cod, is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean
on the east, Cape Cod Bay on the northwest, and a
large bay on the south. A large inlet of water runs
from downtown to Nauset Harbor and the Atlantic
Ocean. Commercial fishermen make extensive use of
these waterways. Recreational boaters and paddle
craft owners also are on the water, especially during
the summer when the population doubles because of
part-time residents and visitors to the Cape.
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Imagine the surprise, however, when Alden Lumbard,
Flotilla Commander, Nauset Flotilla 013-11-06,
Orleans, received a phone call from Anthony Pike,
Chief, Orleans Fire Rescue. The Department, he said,
recently acquired a surplus 25 foot full cabin SAFE
boat, which the Coast Guard had used as a Defender
class response boat. The boat now was equipped
with new communications and navigational gear and
twin 250 HP engines. The Chief expressed interest
in having Department personnel learn more about
Coast Guard Standard Operating Procedures for
search and rescue missions on the water. As Lumbard