Meet
Al Jensen, the Flare Guru of Metro Seattle
By
Ron Wendland Flotilla Public Affairs and Publications Officer, Flotilla 12,
Edmonds, WA
Reprinted from “Buoy 13” a District 13 publication, Patrick Wills,
Editor.
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| Al Jensen, a hard working Auxiliarist from Flotilla 12, Edmonds, WA receiving collected expired flares from Doug Elrod, manager of West Marine store in Edmonds, WA (USCG AUX Photo) |
This story starts in 1999 when Auxiliarist Al Jensen, who at that time was the District 13 Publications Officer, attended the Auxiliary’s District 13 Spring meeting. Rear Admiral Blayney, USCG, the then District 13 Commander attended and was one of the featured speakers.
During his speech RADM Blayney mentioned the huge cost the Coast Guard was expending responding to false flare sightings, “A calculated number close to $1.3 million per year in District 13,” he said. He also mentioned there might be a possibility the Auxiliary could help with this problem.
Auxiliarist Jensen decided this was a problem he would take on. His first step was to find an acceptable method of disposal, which turned out to be the King County Bomb Squad. Al then set up a number of locations in the metro Seattle area where the public could take the flares. He then collected them from those sites and delivered them to the bomb squad.
In 1999 Auxiliarist Jensen disposed of 2740 flares and in 2000, received a Superior Professional Achievement Award from the Commander of District 13 for saving the district almost $700,000. The collection continued up to 2006 when the Environmental Protection Agency detected sulphur build up in the ground waters of the bomb squad facility.
The collection program was suspended while Jensen looked for a new repository, which he found in late 2006. This new group will remain unnamed as their capability is maxed out by Jensen's collections. It is however an environmentally clean operation with no chemical escapement. The program continues through this writing.
Auxiliarist Al Jensen has, at this point, collected and disposed of 19,136 flares and saved the Coast Guard millions of dollars in responses to false flare sightings. He will be celebrating his 20th year in the Auxiliary this April and is very active as the Flotilla 12, Edmonds, WA, Program Visitor Officer.
~IJLA