OCBP takes part in rescue simulation with former colleague, now a rescue swimmer
OCEAN CITY — The rescue helicopter crews out of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station Atlantic City train relentlessly when they’re not out patrolling or conducting actual rescues.
They want to be so well-trained that when the emergencies arise, their efforts feel routine. A few weeks ago, that training took them to the back bay in Ocean City, where it had an interesting twist.
That’s where a group of Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeguards learned a few things, including what it’s like to be on the other side of a rescue and what those Coast Guards members do.
Normally, the OCBP guards — like their counterparts along the South Jersey shore — spend their summers watching over and protecting the hundreds of thousands of tourists who swim and play in the Atlantic Ocean daily.
On a morning in late August, it was their turn for an enlightening and uplifting experience, pun fully intended.
Around 9 a.m., jet skis operated by lifeguards Ben Nugent and Michael Fiscus and carrying Lt. AJ Oves and Deputy Chief Dan Casey came racing through the bay. They caught up to a small boat captained by Jeffrey Valentine and crewed by Joseph Degirolamo and David Pace north of the Route 52 causeway bridge. It was where beach patrol Lt. Matthew DiMarino was waiting.
Soon afterward, a bright orange MH-65 Echo helicopter came into view. As it got closer, the noise of the turbine engines grew louder and the rotor wash on the water surface more evident, especially as it hovered off the bow of the boat.
The first training exercise was the Coast Guard lowering a rescue basket to the boat some 40 feet below, a detail handled with ease by the crew in the helicopter, including pilot Lt. Sabrina Monaco and flight mechanic Adam Timberlake.
The pair kept in constant contact, with Timberlake providing directions for Monaco to maneuver the helicopter. Timberlake, leaning out of the helicopter’s open door but attached to a gunner’s strap to keep him safe, raised and lowered the basket. Degirolamo and Fiscus received the basket with just as much ease and then released it again.
Then came what seemed a trickier part (to the spectators) as the OCBP guards watched.
Aviation survival technician Conor Plasha, the rescue swimmer, came into view near the open door of the helicopter and Timberlake helped hook him into the hoist. Timberlake slowly lowered Plasha right onto the deck of the boat by the bow. After Plasha unhooked himself, he greeted the crew members and DiMarino. As the helicopter moved back into place, Plasha hooked himself up to the hoist cable and Timberlake raised him again.
What made the moment special is that Plasha is a former lifeguard on the Ocean City Beach Patrol, a point of pride among the guards.
“We had some of our guards take part in the Coast Guard exercise with Conor Plasha because it was a great chance for them to see real-life rescue work up close,” OCBP Chief of Operations Erich Becker said. “It gave them valuable training and showed how the skills they learn here on the beach patrol connect to what other rescue professionals do.”
“It also helps us build good relationships with the Coast Guard,” Becker said. “If there’s ever a situation where we need to work together, having that familiarity makes a big difference,” he added.
The guards enjoyed being able to witness the Coast Guard rescue crews up close and personal, to see their professionalism, and they had fun experiencing what it was like to be lifted up to the helicopter.
“The best part was definitely getting rescued by Conor and hoisted in the basket up to the side of the helicopter,” Oves said of the unforgettable experience. “The whole experience was in a controlled environment, so it felt safe and professional.
“I got a good understanding of the dedication and attention to detail that all the members involved in helicopter rescue have for their craft,” he said. “Everyone was very professional and welcoming.”
DiMarino said it had been his dream to train with the Coast Guard. He said the most intense part was going up to Air Station Atlantic City ahead of time and learning from the pilot, Lt. Monaco, where the lifeguards and jet skis had to be located.
“The entire OCBP unit was focused, which resulted in compliments from the USCG on our professionalism,” he said.
He also had fun being able to do it all with Plasha, “who inspired me to join beach patrol. The pride I feel for him I can’t describe. I had fun being around good-hearted people. At the end of the day, we all want to do our best to help anyone we can.
“I also had a blast being hoisted,” DiMarino said.
“When agencies can come together, the training possibilities to be as best prepared for the community as we can be is a very rewarding and a critical part of living in a Coast Guard area,” he added.
Casey said he got “a glimpse into how dedicated, professional and truly amazing the United States Coast Guard is at what they do.
“As deputy chief of the OCBP, I’m continuously looking to improve the Ocean City Beach Patrol and make this organization the best it can be,” he said.
“Being a part of this experience with the United States Coast Guard and seeing their level of professionalism gives us something to strive for and sets a goal of how to handle emergency situational training,” Casey said.
What he enjoyed the most, he said, was chatting with Plasha in the water and then having the former OCBP guard ask, “You ready?” And then he was hoisted up in the basket, where he felt “the pure excitement.”
The beach patrol, Casey said, does a lot of “amazing” training that the public doesn’t get to be part of, including with personal watercraft, paddleboards and boats.
“However, this training … is a regular occurrence for Conor and the rest of his crew which includes being 30-plus feet in the air and flying around South Jersey,” he said. “For Matt, AJ and I, this training was on another level and something we might never get to do again. I feel very fortunate to be able to be a part of this level of training with such a professional crew and organization.”
The lifeguards were impressed seeing their former colleague in action.
“Conor is doing an incredible job and was very professional throughout the entire process. He is representing the beach patrol to the highest standard,” Oves said.
“I think what Plasha is doing with the Coast Guard is extraordinary,” DiMarino said. “To earn his spot as a rescue swimmer, get stationed back at Air Station Atlantic City and live in Ocean City, I’m just so happy for him. He deserved this and everything we continued to witness through his greatness. He is an incredible person and everyone at the Air Station Atlantic City have been incredible to be able to work with.”
Casey was extremely happy for Plasha becoming a rescue swimmer. Casey said his wife, Lexi Santer, and Plasha worked together on the beach patrol in the summer of 2015, guarding together on the 30th Street beach.
“To look back and see everything he has done from then to now is truly inspiring and I feel very lucky to know him and see how well he is doing,” Casey said. “Conor is an incredible person and sets an example of how hard work and dedication pays off.”
The guards also said they appreciated their chief approving the training with the Coast Guard.
“He has allowed us to do these training exercises and trusted us to make him and the city proud,” DiMarino said. “We appreciate every chance we get to train with the USCG and look forward to more partnerships. I truly cherished this memory and I am grateful to have Conor Plasha, Lt. Monaco and everyone else at the Air Station fly over and provide watch and assistance for all of us here in the Jersey shore.”
Casey thanked the chief for his support with the training exercise.
“It is my hope that this experience leads to more joint training exercises between our two agencies,” he said. “Being able to train and lead from the USCG will only improve the OCBP and make our organization better.”
“We don’t usually work directly with the Coast Guard unless it’s an extreme situation like a boat in distress or a lost swimmer. In my time as chief, I’ve never had to coordinate with them for a lost swimmer and I hope I never do,” Becker said.
The chief added that most of the work with the Coast Guard is community outreach, such as when Plasha and crew landed at the Ocean City Municipal Airport and did a Q&A with the guards.
“We invited other South Jersey beach patrols to join and it was a big success,” Becker said. “Events like that show our staff how the beach patrol can prepare them for future careers in lifesaving and public service.
“I have a lot of respect for the Coast Guard and the work they do,” Becker said. “It’s reassuring to know they’re close by if we ever need them, and the community can take comfort in that too.”
By DAVID NAHAN/Cape May Star and Wave
