By Janet Jacobs
Joe Erwin of Corsicana has been named Commander of the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 5-14, which is the group that patrols Cedar Creek Lake.
He takes over from the out-going commander, Jim Salzmann.
The flotilla’s primary responsibility is to assist the regular coast guard in their missions,” Salzmann said. “It primarily takes the responsibility for recreational boating safety.”
The group has someone on patrol every weekend day, and they’re on call for search and rescue duties at all times. Last year, the group did 50 search and rescue calls. Some of those were as simple as helping someone with a disabled boat with a tow or a little fuel, other times it was for lost boaters, Erwin said.
“If we get the call, we have someone who can go out and provide assistance,” he said.
The group also conducts monthly safety classes, and they do the occasional boat show or classroom visit.
“We also do vessel safety checks,” Erwin said. In addition to looking for the typical safety equipment such as life vests and fire extinguishers, they also make sure the anchors have a long enough line, and that the vessel is in good working order.
“All the kinds of things that help prevent us from having to do search and rescues,” Erwin said.
Although Richland Chambers is closer, Erwin began his work in the flotilla on Cedar Creek Lake, where he sails with his wife, Cindy.
He’d like to create a detachment, or sub-group of the Flotilla 5-14 to patrol Richland Chambers, too, he said.
“We need a few more members from that lake to join and get trained,” he said. “We have extensive training for our members. You have to be trained to even be crew.”
The flotilla members don’t have enforcement authority, but when they see someone drinking and driving on the lake they can call in the game wardens.
“We work very closely with the Parks and Wildlife game wardens,” Salzmann said. “They have complete authority, but they’re spread pretty thin, so we fill in for them on education to boaters.”
The flotilla commander’s job is to administer the various duties, help fill empty slots in the roster as people sail on, and oversee the group’s dry-land activities.
For fun, the group has monthly socials, Erwin said.
“We love what we do, it becomes a passion, sharing the enjoyment of boating.”
The Cedar Creek flotilla has 30 members and a staff of 16 officers with various duties. The flotilla is part of a regional division of 12 flotillas, and the larger district has 76 flotillas in a six-state area.
Nationally, there are 33,000 people in the coast guard auxiliary, roughly the same number of sailors in the regular U.S. Coast Guard.
“It’s an all-volunteer group,” Salzmann explained. “The coast guard doesn’t pay for our uniforms or the use of the boats or our time. We’re responsible for ourselves. It’s a real asset to the coast guard to have a volunteer force that acts responsibly and relieves them of a lot of their recreational boating safety duties.”
Joe Erwin has been in the flotilla for about eight years.
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