Ponce Inlet ready 24/7/365

Greetings from Coast Guard Station Ponce de Leon! Station Ponce de Leon otherwise known as Station Ponce Inlet is located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. My purpose for starting this blog is to write about the day-to-day happenings at the station. I have been at the station for a year now and am amazed everyday at what the crew is called upon to do, and the things they accomplish. Many of these accomplishments go unnoticed by the general public, so if I can shed a little light on what we do and give the crew some recognition then I've accomplished my goal. Station Ponce Inlet is crewed by 30 Active duty personnel and 30 Reserves plus or minus 5 on both the active and reserve sides at any given time. Any given day the crew will respond to at least 1 to 2 calls for assistance, and conduct 5-10 vessel inspections. Calls can range from the routine to the heart stopping.
Many people have allot of questions about the Coast Guard and often really don't know what we do on a local level. In addition, allot of people join the Coast Guard with the misconception that they will be sailing the high seas busting drug runners the day after they graduate boot camp. Well I'm hear to tell you, that's not gonna happen. You may find yourself on the high seas, but like any career where you start at the bottom there are allot of things that need to get done for that boat to be launched and make the drug bust. And that's where the new guy or gal will find themselves. Its the same for stations there are allot of things that have to happen for the boats to be ready all the time and the crew trained and ready. Plus who do you think does maintenance on the grounds, and buildings? That's right, us. So as I said in the beginning of this post my goal is to shed some light on what we do everyday, not just the rescues but the everyday routine that does not often get seen or written about. I hope if your interested in joining you will find my posts helpful, or if you are simply interested in following the crew as we face the daily challenge of being ready 24/7 I hope you all enjoy!