Prevention
Prevention officers exercise Coast Guard authorities to protect the environment, provide security, and prevent casualties to people and property.
Do you like to solve complex problems, lead, improve systems and processes, and serve others by ensuring their safety? If so, consider the prevention career path. You’ll learn about maritime transportation systems, and set and enforce standards for maritime safety and security.
As you progress, you’ll work toward becoming a prevention department head responsible for coordinating all prevention operations at a Coast Guard sector. With more experience, you’ll rise to command of a Coast Guard sector.
Vessel Inspections
A common first assignment, you’ll master safety, security, and environmental compliance requirements for vessels of all types. You’ll also certify U.S. commercial and foreign vessels for compliance with U.S. regulations and international treaties that ensure the safety of the maritime transportation system and protect the environment.
Marine Investigations
When accidents occur at sea, you’ll determine the cause of the event by conducting interviews and evaluating evidence, collecting the facts of the casualty, determining the need for fines or criminal prosecution, and making recommendations to prevent future incidents.
Waterways Management
You’ll ensure access to navigable waterways, and promote safe and environmentally sound marine transportation systems by managing waterway infrastructure and vessel movements, communicating waterway conditions, and exercising authority of the Coast Guard Captain of the Port. Assignments include vessel traffic service centers, marine safety units, navigation centers, or international ice patrol.
Port and Facility Safety and Security
You’ll oversee compliance with regulations that keep shoreside port facilities operating safely. From explosives and hazardous cargo to shipping containers, your enforcement efforts will mitigate threats to workers, the port, and your community.
Marine Safety Engineering
You’ll be a technical expert in all aspects of commercial vessel and offshore safety and design, reviewing vessel plans for compliance, providing technical advice to the field during casualties, and developing standards to improve safety.
How to Become a Prevention Officer
You can enter the prevention specialty by beginning your career through a general commissioning source like OCS and choosing assignments in the specialty. Maritime Academy Direct Commission Officer Program graduates are especially well-suited for this field.