Auxiliarist Bill Tull (30-6) and 2 CG personnel. Bill served as the Liaison Officer.

What do a nurse, fireman, teacher, social worker, administrative assistant, massage therapist and computer guru have in common? The Incident Command Post for Operation Independence 2005.

Late in June, Commander Suzanne Engelbert, USCG, Captain of the Port of St. Louis, graciously invited Auxiliarists to “come and play” with the active duty and reserves. So we did. We joined the five-day Incident Command System (ICS) Surge Operations over the July 4th weekend.

The Marine Safety Office-St. Louis (MSO) assigned us positions within the ICS structure - Liaison Officer, Resource Unit Leader, Communications Unit Leader, Documentation Unit Leader, and Operation Branch Director.

On July 1st, the MSO conference room was transformed into the Incident Command Post for “Operation Independence 2005.” MSO St. Louis supported 63 events spanning 1500 miles of river – from South Dakota to St. Louis along the Missouri River, from St. Paul to St. Louis along the Mississippi, in addition to the Lake of the Ozarks. Each shift commenced with a 30-minute operations briefing to review the daily Incident Action Plan (IAP).

The Incident Commander, command staff, general staff, branch directors, division supervisors, and unit leaders attended these briefings. Those who were off site joined the briefing via conference call. Everything from weather to barges carrying hazardous materials to the general public using the Coast Guard porta-potties was discussed.

Auxiliarist LaDonna Darks (3-13) and CG personnel. LaDonna is helping track resource information.

After the briefing, the staff began the monumental task of managing the plethora of information. The Documentation Unit Leader recorded all pertinent conversations as well as snatching every piece of paper and filing it.

The Resource Unit Leader tracked all resources for all events, which included personnel, vehicles, boats, one golf cart, and one gator.

The Communication Unit Leader monitored radio transmissions among the venues.

The Operations Branch Director was responsible for the implementation of the portion of the Incident Action Plan (IAP) for events without a Patrol Commander (PATCOM).

The Liaison Officer interacted with police, fire departments, and the various fair coordinators.

We were brought in as members of Team Coast Guard, given jobs, and recognized as equal members of the Team. There was no distinction between Active Duty, Reservists, and Auxiliarists. This seamless integration demonstrates the changing course and role of the Auxiliary - the Auxiliary is a force multiplier for the Coast Guard.

Auxiliarist Tom Hunt (30-2) and CG Petty Officer discussing the Documentation Unit information.

Those of us who participated in this event had completed ICS 100 and 200 study and testing courses. Some had also completed courses ICS 700 and 800.

We encourage all Auxiliarists to complete these courses so they too may have the opportunity to become a part of these exceptional learning and service opportunities.

Editor’s note: The air conditioning in the St. Louis Federal building was turned off for the holiday weekend, therefore the uniform of the day was civilian casual.