Class Specification: RESCUE BOAT CAPTAIN
ITEM NUMBER: 2926
APPROVAL DATE: 06/09/2006
DEFINITION:
Commands and operates a rescue boat engaged in rescue operations in the coastal waters of Los Angeles County.
CLASSIFICATION STANDARDS:
Positions allocable to this class typically work under the administrative supervision and technical direction of the Section Chief, Lifeguard Services, Fire assigned responsibility for the Rescue Boat section and/or the respective Section Chief of that area. Positions assigned to Catalina Island work under the administrative supervision and technical direction of the Senior Rescue Boat Captain as an extension of the Section Chief, Lifeguard Services, Fire on the mainland. Each position is responsible for the command of an inboard engine boat, and supervision of at least one crew member during a shift, and for the independent determination of a proper course of action during an emergency. The rescue boat patrols an assigned ocean area and responds to observed incidents, or those monitored on the radio, such as tired swimmers, sinking or beached boats, boats on rocks, boat fires at sea, sick or injured persons at sea, and ditched or crashed aircraft. Responses are conducted in all weather or sea conditions and at any time of the day or night. Positions in this class must exercise, singly and in combination, a knowledge of currents, tides, weather conditions, coast piloting, seamanship, various navigational aids, first aid, ocean lifesaving, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), marine firefighting, and boat and crew capability in order to ensure the safe and efficient protection of life and property in the coastal water.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:
Patrols an assigned area of coastline, responding to observed incidents, or those monitored on various radio frequencies, as quickly as possible; lays course to be followed to reach location of emergency situation by reading and interpreting charts, taking and plotting bearings and distance, and considering combinations of navigational variables such as shoal conditions, locations of hazards to mariners, location and volume of traffic in shipping lanes, winds, currents, wave conditions and operating characteristics, and capabilities of the rescue boat.
Administers or directs the administration of first aid to victims of drownings, heart seizures, broken bones, lacerations, or other medical emergencies.
Releases the more seriously ill or injured victims to Advanced Life Support (ALS) personnel, paramedics, or medical doctors.
Directs the crewmembers and others in the daily maintenance of the boat and in the periodic sanding, painting, and minor refitting of the boat; refers major repairs to specialists.
Maintains log reporting all activities of the patrol; prepares maintenance records and writes a complete report of all major incidents for later use by others in investigations or legal proceedings.
Provides on-the-job training to crewmembers and to other temporarily assigned personnel in areas such as seamanship, boat handling and operation, towing, navigation, and helicopter boarding.
Prepares performance evaluation on all assigned personnel.
Maneuvers the rescue boat in and out of surf line to assist shore-based lifeguards in effecting multiple rescues and into and through shallow, rocky waters to retrieve and tow beached boats; maneuvers the rescue boat alongside other boats in poor weather conditions and high seas to remove persons, fight fires, or to attach lines or pump hoses.
Swims to shore, to distressed boats, or to victims in the water when knowledge or skill required there is beyond capability of crewmembers, such as assessing fire damage or attaching complicated tow lines, and when it has been determined that the rescue boat crewmembers can handle boat maneuvering.
Responds in a lifeguard four-wheel drive vehicle to incidents where additional resources or emergency paramedic care may be required when assigned to Avalon, Isthmus, or Marina Del Rey. Adheres to the terms and conditions of the Avalon Paramedic Contract.
Engages in the physical fitness program established by the department in order to maintain sufficient capability to perform ocean lifesaving duties.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:
Two years of experience as a crewmember of an inboard engine ocean rescue boat, including experience in the operation and piloting of the boat at the level of Ocean Lifeguard or Ocean Lifeguard Specialist in the service of the County of Los Angeles.
LICENSE:
(1) U.S. Coast Guard Motorboat Operator's License and Assistance Towing License Endorsement, (2) A valid California Class C Driver License is required to perform job-related essential functions of the position.
PHYSICAL CLASS:
4 - Arduous.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
Ability:
Positions assigned to this class must have the ability to swim 500 meters within ten minutes.
Certification:
(1) County Beach Lifeguard Training Certificate, (2) Emergency Medical Technician I Certificate, (3) SCUBA Certificate.
