CBS 3's Kate Bilo Gets A Taste Of Coast Guard Boot Camp
CAPE MAY, N.J.(CBS) -- The Coast Guard is Jersey-made. Up to 3000 and women go through Cape May's Coast Guard Training Center every year. It's the only one in the country. Meteorologist Kate Bilo got to experience just some of what they go through.
The 8-week boot camp is no day at the beach: no cell phones, no email and lots of yelling, starting as soon as you get off the bus.
"I knew I was going to be yelled at and stuff and I was ready for it," Coast Guard member Jordan Salazar of Boise said, "but as soon as I got off the bus when I got here, it still caught me off guard."
Chief Robert Arseneaux explained "it's added stress. We want to see how they perform under the added stress that we give them."
On a ship, there's no 911. These recruits must become their own firefighters.
We get a quick lesson in handling a hose, then we're all in the same boat -- putting on gear for the first time and diving into the smoke. The fire is really just LED lights, but those are real hoses and real water pressure.
As a branch of the Armed Forces, Coast Guard recruits need to learn to shoot weapons. These are real guns. Instead of bullets, they have lasers for instant feedback.
Of course, everyone needs to learn how to throw a line to snag a vessel. They have a mockup of the ship and a mockup of a pier.
It was a beautiful day, but an exhausting one.
"A lot of people do come here thinking it's going to be kind of summer camp-ish because it's Coast Guard," said Chief Warrant Officer John Edwards, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Cape May. "That's not the case."
After the 8 weeks, recruits are ready to be deployed to their first base for additional training.
Cape May is throwing a celebration this weekend to honor the Coast Guard. The 3-day festival began Friday, May 8. Saturday, May 9, the public can go on base, tour ships, watch a search and rescue demonstration, and enjoy a carnival for the kids.
For more, go to www.coastguardcommunity.org