Eighth Western Rivers Region
Aids to Navigation - The Aid Verifier Program

Last updated: 6 December 1998

Index (Jump) to Topics:

Purpose of Our Mission
Roles and Responsibilities
Aid Verifier Program Goals
The Aid Verifier Candidate
Aid Verifier Training
Reporting Aid Verifier Training
Aid Verifier Certification
Reporting Aid Verifier Certification
Certification Currency
DOs and DON'Ts for Aid Verifiers

Memorandums of Understanding at the national level between the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Auxiliary have defined certain activities that are the responsibility of Coast Guard units but that can be performed by qualified Auxiliary resources.

At the district level, these activities are further defined via the district's operational procedure and policy statements. For example, in District Eight, the "CCGD8 Standard Operating Procedures, Chapter 22, Section 6" contains these statements as they apply to verification of private aids.

At the unit level, specific verification programs and activities are jointly developed by the local Auxiliary division and the Coast Guard Cutter that share an area of responsibility (AOR). Experience has proven that a good working relationship (and personal relationship) between the:

Coast Guard unit (CG Cutter) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) and crew, and the
Auxiliary Division Captain (DCP) and the Division Staff Officer - Aids to Navigation (SO-AN)

Where the units and the local Auxiliarists work together year-round:

• This results in better planning and scheduling of activities:
  Aid Verifier training (and "NE" training if available), Aid Verifier certification, aid verification patrols, AOR coverage, etc.
• Needs unique to the unit and the AOR can be addressed:
  Special training, running buoy lines, reverification requests, administrative support, watch standing qualifications, land mobile support for Cutters under way -- list is limited only by the imagination of the Cutter OIC, the Auxiliary DCP and Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary policies and procedures.
• Visible and measurable results are achieved:
  More qualified Aid Verifier resources are available; verification reports are timely, complete and accurate; the number of private aids that have to be verified by the units (because the Auxiliary didn't verify them) is zero.
• Ancillary needs are met:
  Coast Guard duty assignments are for a limited time. Auxiliary members have often lived in an area for several years. Auxiliary knowledge about the local area (places to live, churches, schools, doctors, stores, etc.) is a valuable resource and this knowledge should be offered to the unit OIC for newly arrived personnel and their spouses.

Remember: Experience has shown that the best Auxiliary aids to navigation programs are those that have been established for an area through the joint efforts of the local Auxiliary division elected officers / staff and the local active duty unit OIC and crew!

The performance of all members of the Auxiliary A-Team should be focused on the following goals of the aids to navigation program:

1. Deliver timely, 100% defect-free (no exceptions) verification results to our customers, the cutters (for Coast Guard and private aids) and DWRO-Bridge Administration (Saint Louis, for bridges).
2. Develop high quality Auxiliary Aid Verifier resources in sufficient numbers needed to accomplish the aid verification mission in 8WR.
3. Provide the training necessary to develop and maintain qualified Auxiliary resources. Promote the Auxiliary Aids to Navigation Programs.
4. Establish ongoing relationships and plans and programs with the peer active duty Coast Guard units and functions to assure our mutual needs will be met.
5. Establish and maintain communication links (up and down) between all levels of the AN staffs, the Aid Verifiers and the Auxiliary elected officers.
6. Challenge the Auxiliary AtoN staff to provide whatever support the Aid Verifiers need to do their job.
7. Execute missions safely and have fun!

An Auxiliarist who wishes to qualify as an Aid Verifier:

1. Must have successfully completed Auxiliary Basic Qualification training including the Boating Skills and Seamanship (BS&S) Course.
2. Should have a good working understanding of the aids to navigation ("Your Highway Signs") and the "Inland Boating" BS&S lessons.
3. Is not required to be boat crew qualified.
4. Is required to attend Operations Workshops if mandatory.
5. Is encouraged to participate as a trainee with a qualified Aid Verifier on aid verification patrols (or multimission safety patrols).

Note: The Aid Verifier training materials assume that the trainee has the working knowledge or aids to navigation basics (characteristics, shapes, colors, etc.) as described in the above lessons.

The Coast Guard District Eight Standard Operating Procedures, Chapter 22, Section 6 (CCGD8 SOP) promulgates Aid Verifier training by the Coast Guard units (cutters) for Auxiliarists within the cutter's AOR. Also, Auxiliary instructors are expected to supplement the Coast Guard training resources in order to reach as many of the Auxiliary flotillas as possible.

Individuals qualified as Aid Verifier instructor / trainer include:

1. Qualified Auxiliary instructors who are currently qualified as Aid Verifiers and who have acquired, and know how to present, the Aid Verifier training materials.
2. Coast Guard cutter active duty or attached reserve personnel who are designated as a qualified trainer by the cutter's OIC. Per CCGD8 SOP, the OIC is responsible for determining the training curriculum to be used by Coast Guard personnel. The Auxiliary 8WR training materials will be made available to the OICs should they elect to use them.
3. Coast Guard District Eight and Director of Auxiliary Operations Training personnel who are subject knowledgeable.

Note: Attending a required annual workshop does not constitute nor replace Aid Verifier training.

The Coast Guard or Auxiliary instructor should complete a form CGAUX-30 Workshop Attendance Report for all Auxiliarists who attended training. The original form should be sent to the division SO-IS so the Auxiliarists will receive credit for the training.

If any of the attendees are certified during the training, this can be noted on the form and one copy of this form should be sent to the Director of Auxiliary and one copy to the DSO-AN.

Certification (or in Auxiliary terms, qualification) of an Auxiliarist as an Aid Verifier can be designated by the following individuals:

1. Auxiliary Qualification Examiners who are aid verification knowledgeable and who have agreed to certify Aid Verifers.
2. Coast Guard cutter active duty or attached reserve personnel who are designated by the cutter's OIC as qualified to certify Aid Verifiers.
3. Coast Guard District Eight and Director of Auxiliary Operations Training personnel.
4. Auxiliary personnel who are designated by Coast Guard District Eight Operations Training or by the Director of Auxiliary Operations Training Officer as being qualified to certify Aid Verifiers.

If certification is done as part of an Aid Verifier training session, the person who certifies the Aid Verifiers can indicate on the form CGAUX-30 Workshop Attendance Report which of the attendees are in fact certified as Aid Verifiers. In this case, copies of the form CGAUX-30 should be sent to the Director of Auxiliary and to the DSO-AN. The Director's office will use the information to create a Member Qualifications form (CGAUX-34) which is used to update the member information in AUXMIS and is placed in the member's file.

Optionally, a list of the certified Aid Verifiers with their member numbers can be sent, via mail or E-Mail, to the Director of Auxiliary and the DSO-AN.

The Coast Guard District Eight Standard Operating Procedures, Chapter 22, Section 6 (CCGD8 SOP) states that annual re-certification is not required for Aid Verifiers who submit a minimum of three valid aid verification reports per year. However, re-certification is required on a triennial basis for all Aid Verifiers.

The required minimum verifications can include:

Private aid verifications and discrepancies
Bridge verifications and discrepancies
Coast Guard aid discrepancies.

Aid Verifiers may be required to attend an annual Operations or Aids to Navigation workshop in order to maintain currency.

However, given the policy statements above, all AN staff officers and Aid Verifiers are strongly encouraged to attend all available training each year. This is a good way to find out about changes.

These and any other meetings, formal or social, provide the best opportunity for all members of Team Coast Guard to get to know each other. Development of interpersonal realtionships is just as important as learning aid verficiation skills!

An Auxiliarist must NEVER:

• Touch an aid to navigation (Coast Guard or Private Aid)
• Enter private property (trespass), even if to only visually verify an aid
• Contact a private aid owner
• Originate correspondence to a private aid owner.

Auxiliarists should always:

• Recommend establishing new aids
• Report unauthorized aids
• Redirect private aid questions to the District Commander(oan)
• Report discrepancies at any time regardless of the primary mission acivity or while on a recreational outing
• Maintain a superior working relationship with the AOR cutter. Don't hesitate to ask them questions, or for clarification.

Note: All private aid reports should be made through the AOR cutter.

Back to the Top