United States Coast Guard Research Articles

Offshore Oil and Gas Safety: Protection against Explosions

Offshore oil and gas operations carry a high risk of explosions, which can be efficiently prevented in many cases. The two most used approaches for prevention are: (1) the “International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres” (IECEx) and (2) European “Atmosphere Explosible” (ATEX) schemes. The main shortcoming for the IECEx scheme is in the fact that it does not cover nonelectrical equipment, while for the ATEX scheme, it is due to the allowed self-certification for a certain category of equipment in areas with a low probability of explosions, as well as the fact that it explicitly excludes mobile offshore drilling units from its scope. An advantage of the IECEx scheme is that it is prescribed by the US Coast Guard for protection against explosions on foreign mobile offshore drilling units, which intend to work on the US continental shelf but have never operated there before, with an additional requirement that the certificates should be obtained through a US-based Certified Body (ExCB). Therefore, to avoid bureaucratic obstacles and to be allowed to operate with minimized additional costs both in the US and the EU/EEA’s offshore jurisdictions (and very possibly worldwide), all mobile offshore drilling units should be certified preferably as required by the US Coast Guard.

Optimal heterogeneous search and rescue asset location modeling for expected spatiotemporal demands using historic event data

The United States Coast Guard is charged with coordinating all search and rescue missions in maritime regions within the United States’ purview. Given the size of the Pacific Ocean and limited available resources, the service seeks to posture its fleet of organic assets to reduce the expected response time for such missions. Leveraging 7.5 years of historic event records for the region of interest, we demonstrate a two-stage solution approach. In the first stage, we develop a stochastic zonal distribution model to evaluate spatiotemporal trends for emergency event rates and response strategies. In the second stage, results from the aforementioned analysis enable parameterization of a bi-objective MILP to identify the best locations to station limited heterogeneous search and rescue assets. This research models both 50th and 75th percentile forecast demands across both the set of current homeports, and a larger set of feasible basing locations. Results provide a minimum 9.6% decrease in expected response time over current asset basing. Our analysis also reveals that positioning assets to respond to 75th percentile demands sacrifices, at most, 2.5% in response time during median demand months, whereas positioning for median demand results in operationally inadequate response capability when 75th percentile demands are encountered.

Linking Datasets to Characterize Injury and Illness in Alaska’s Fishing Industry

ABSTRACT Limited research has characterized nonfatal injury/illness in Alaska’s hazardous fishing industry. This study aimed to determine (a) the utility of linking datasets to conduct surveillance, and (b) injury/illness patterns during 2012–2016. Data were obtained from the Alaska Trauma Registry (ATR), Fishermen’s Fund (FF), and US Coast Guard (USCG). Datasets were coded to identify patterns in injury/illness characteristics and circumstances. Probabilistic linkage methods were utilized to identify unique incidents that appeared in more than one dataset. After linking datasets, 3,014 unique injury/illness cases were identified. By dataset, 2,365 cases appeared only in FF, 486 only in USCG, 110 only in ATR, 25 in ATR and FF, 15 in ATR and USCG, 10 in USCG and FF, and 3 in all datasets. FF mainly captured claims submitted by small, independently-owned vessels in Southcentral and Southeastern Alaska. In contrast, USCG mainly captured reports from large, company-owned vessels in Western Alaska. By nature, cases were most frequently sprains, strain, and tears (27%), cuts (15%), and fractures (11%). Across fleets, injuries/illnesses most frequently resulted from contact with objects and equipment (41%), overexertion and bodily reaction (27%), and slips, trips, and falls (20%). Work processes associated with traumatic injuries were most frequently hauling gear (18%) and walking, climbing, and descending (18%). Half of all injuries were of moderate severity (53%). Linking datasets, which capture different segments of Alaska’s fishing industry, provides the most comprehensive understanding of nonfatal injury/illness to date. These results, stratified by fleet and severity, will inform prevention strategies.

TIPP—Life Jackets and Life Preservers

Patient Education| 2021 TIPP—Life Jackets and Life Preservers Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation TIPP—Life Jackets and Life Preservers. Pediatric Patient Education 2021; 10.1542/peo_document326 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All AAP SitesAll PublicationsPediatric Patient Education Search Advanced Search Subjects: TIPP - The Injury Prevention Program Topics: personal flotation devices If your family enjoys boating, sailing, canoeing, and kayaking on lakes, rivers, and streams, be sure your children wear the correct life jackets. If you do, they will be able to take part in these activities more safely. Many children and adolescents think life jackets and life preservers are hot, bulky, and ugly. This is no longer true. Newer models look better, feel better, and provide increased protection. Life preservers and life jackets are required by many states and must be present on all boats traveling on bodies of water supervised by the US Coast Guard. Parents should choose from the following personal flotation devices (PFDs) approved by the US Coast Guard. Child PFD approvals are based on the child’s weight. Check the user weight on the label. TYPE 1: This jacket floats the best. It is designed to turn most... © 2020 American Academy of Pediatrics. All rights reserved. You do not currently have access to this content.

Criticality assessment for a regional maritime economy.

To identify and assess the criticality for infrastructure assets and better understand their dependencies, interdependencies, and supply chain reliance. This study used a modified mission impact, symbolism, history, accessibility, recognizability, population, and proximity model combined with a deliberative process with regional subject matter experts. Hampton roads Virginia maritime area. Emergency managers, US Corps of Engineers, US Coast Guard, law enforcement, railroad industry, intelligence community, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia Department of Transportation, and Virginia Port. A prioritized list of one-to-n critical assets in the maritime area and identification of up and down-stream dependencies. The final most highly critical grouping included 26 out of 277 assets including especially important road bridges and tunnels, rail bridges and choke points, shipping channels, and marine terminals. Subject matter experts identified 277 critical infrastructure assets in the Hampton Roads Maritime Area (HRMA). From these, 26 assets that were deemed to be significantly more critical than others. From this reduced list, 12 were further assessed to be most important. The selection process provided significant support to those responsible for providing protection, mitigating potential damage, and planning recovery and allows informed, objective expenditures of limited funding. Additional key findings include the following: Proximity, or the potential for an asset that has been damaged or destroyed to cause direct harm to adjacent assets in the surrounding community, drives criticality in the HRMA more than any other factor in the model. A small group of 26 out of 277 assets exerts an outsized impact in the HRMA-nearly 20 percent of criticality-due to the potential consequences associated with their destruction or disruption. Road transportation, particularly tunnels, represents the primary dependency among critical assets. Major road and maritime transportation assets rely heavily on federal and state organizations to maintain their function. Supply chain: The critical asset group supports or supplies many missions and industries both nationally and internationally, including defense, manufacturing, commercial enterprise, and the movement of raw commodities.

Behavioral Modeling for Microgrid Simulation

Trends in power system simulation that demand computationally-intensive, physics-based models may impede the acquisition of useful results for applications like condition-based maintenance, electrical plant load analysis (EPLA), and the scheduling and tasking of finite generation and distribution resources. A tool that can quickly evaluate many scenarios, as opposed to intense, high fidelity modeling of a single operating scenario, may best serve these applications. This paper presents a behavioral simulator that can quickly emulate the operation of a relatively large collection of electrical loads, providing “what-if” evaluations of various operating scenarios and conditions for more complete exploration of a design or plant operating envelope. The presented simulator can provide time-series data of power system operation under loading conditions and usage assumptions of interest. Comparisons to field data collected from a microgrid on-board a 270-foot (82 meter) US Coast Guard medium-endurance cutter demonstrate the utility of this tool and approach.

An analysis of severity of oil spill caused by vessel accidents

Marine pollution, especially oil spill-based, affects both marine and coastal environment is one of the most important issues for the maritime industry. The accurate prediction of the severity of oil spill is of great importance in order to determine the accurate response methods. In this perspective, this study aims to predict the severity of oil spill in possible vessel accidents by examining data based on vessel accidents that cause marine pollution. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) database covering 2002-–2015 was utilized and a total of 1468 instances of vessel involved accidents leading oil spill were analysed using Decision Tree (DT) and data-driven Bayesian Networks (BN) called Tree Augmented Naive Bayes (TAN). As a result, the most important contributing factors affecting the severity of oil spill were revealed as “type of accident” and “type of vessel”. This study would be a guide that will assist authorities and policymakers in predicting the severity of oil spill, and contribute to the development of important strategies and countermeasures for vessel accidents leading oil spills.

Finding renewal in the midst of disaster: The case of the deepwater horizon oil spill

In 2010, the United States experienced the worst environmental disaster in its history. An explosion on a BP oilrig located in the Gulf of Mexico triggered the crisis. As a result, the United States coast guard and BP were charged with crisis communication in its response to the crisis. This essay provides an unprecedented examination and analysis of the communication experiences of public information officers who worked in the unified command center in Houma, Louisiana during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. The authors use the discourse of renewal theory to understand the communication practices and choices of the public information officers. Then, using the renewal framework, the authors present three implications for improving crisis communication research and practice.

The history and role of PAs in the US Coast Guard.

The US Coast Guard is a military service in the Department of Homeland Security charged with broad domestic and international missions. In 1971, the Coast Guard began recruiting physician assistants (PAs) in an effort to supplement physician staffing support. When first introduced, PAs were in the enlisted ranks. However, consistent with the other armed services, their entry ranks changed from enlisted to commissioned warrant officer and later to a commissioned officer status. As their numbers grew, PAs began augmenting and later replacing general medical officers assigned to treatment facilities and aboard ships. Their role is to keep the 43,000 men and women of the Coast Guard and their dependents healthy by providing medical care at 40 bases and stations. As of 2020, the Coast Guard has 47 commissioned PAs who work on shore postings, on polar-bound ice breakers, training ships, as faculty in the Interservice Physician Assistant Program, or as senior administrative officers. About one-third are female.

An Investigation of an Oil Barge Explosion in Corpus Christi, TX

On October 20, 2017, an articulated tug and barge carrying crude oil were preparing to get under way from anchorage when an explosion and subsequent fire occurred on the bow of the barge, killing the two crew. The National Transportation Safety Board and US Coast Guard conducted an official federal investigation. The explosion was found to have originated from an accumulation of gasses into empty compartment space that had leaked through a bulkhead from the adjacent crude oil cargo tank. The investigation found through-cracks and perforations stemming from corrosion in the bulkhead separating the compartments. This article highlights the findings and conclusions of the accident investigation while providing recommendations to prevent future accidents and to improve the safety of vessels shipping hazardous material.

Associations between Oil Spill Response Work and Acute Mental Health Symptoms among U.S. Coast Guard Responders to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Background/Aim: The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill was the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history. Over 8,500 U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) members were deployed to carry out a wide range of response and clean-up activities. Measures of oil spill response work, such as deployment length, timing, and oil exposure, may have an acute mental health impact. This population of USCG responders, many of whom are young, healthy, and have equal access to healthcare, has the unique potential to address challenges in understanding mental health impacts of disaster response work.Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 4,855 USCG responders, deployment-related exposures, health symptoms, and lifestyle factors were ascertained via post-deployment surveys. An oil exposure index (OEI), which incorporated duration/timing of response and self-reported crude oil exposure, was developed to semi-quantitatively estimate crude oil exposure(none; medium/low; high). To investigate associations with self-reported anxiety and depression, we used adjusted log-binomial regressions to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) and95% confidence intervals (CI).Results: Deployment duration of >30 days (versus <30 days) was significantly associated with increased prevalence of anxiety (PR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.19-2.05). Higher levels of OEI (versus none) were associated with anxiety (PRmedium/low=1.52, 95%CI= 1.26-1.83; PRhigh=1.70, 95% CI:1.44-2.03) and depression (PRmedium/low=1.72, 95%CI= 1.32-2.26; PRhigh=1.89, 95% CI: 1.47-2.42); p-trend<0.0001 for both.Conclusions: Our study found cross-sectional associations between oil spill response work and self-reported mental health symptoms among USCG responders. These findings may help inform disaster planners in implementing interventions to mitigate adverse health effects among response workers in future disasters.Disclaimer: The contents, views or opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official policy or position of USU, the Department of Defense, or the USCG.

Risk of persistent cardiovascular conditions in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort during five years of follow-up

Background/Aim: In 2010, nearly 9,000 U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) members led the clean-up response to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. To date, human studies evaluating persistent cardiovascular conditions associated with oil spill-related exposures are sparse. Thus, our aim was to prospectively evaluate risk of incident cardiovascular conditions among active-duty USCG DWH responders.Methods: Crude oil and oil dispersant exposures were ascertained via self-report from responders who completed post-deployment surveys. Cardiovascular outcomes, classified via International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition (ICD-9), were queried from military health encounter records for responders and non-responders up to 5.5 years post-DWH. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cardiovascular conditions diagnosed during 2010-2012 and 2013-2015.Results: This cohort (N=42,721) was predominantly male (~86%), white (~77%), and younger than 35 (~71%). Compared to non-responders, responders had an elevated risk for mitral valve disorders (ICD-9: 424.0) during 2013-2015 (aHR=2.12, 95% CI=1.15-3.90). Compared to non-exposed responders, responders reporting crude oil exposure had a significantly higher risk for essential hypertension (ICD-9: 401) during 2010-2012 (aHR=1.68, 95% CI=1.15-2.44); for those reporting crude oil inhalation exposure, aHR was 1.46 (95% CI=1.02-2.11). Responders with crude oil inhalation exposure also had a significantly elevated risk for palpitations (ICD-9: 785.1) during 2013-2015 (aHR=2.54, 95% CI=1.36-4.74). Risk estimates for hypertension and palpitations were slightly stronger and remained significant for responders reporting exposure to both crude oil and oil dispersant versus those reporting neither (aHRs=1.91 and 2.87, respectively).Conclusions: This study of healthy military members with equal healthcare access indicates that oil spill exposures may be associated with incident cardiovascular conditions.Disclaimer: The contents, views or opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official policy or position of USU, the Department of Defense, or the USCG.

Persistent Respiratory Conditions among Coast Guard Responders to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Five Years of Follow-up

Background: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To date, little is understood about persistent respiratory conditions associated with oil spill response exposures. We conducted a longitudinal study of incident chronic respiratory conditions in a cohort of U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) responders enrolled in an equal access medical system.Methods: For all active-duty cohort members (N=45,193) we obtained medical encounter data, 10/01/2007-10/1/2015, representing ~2.5 years pre- and ~5.5 years post-spill. We queried incident respiratory conditions classified by International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition. We used adjusted Cox Proportional Hazards regressions to compare responders to non-responders, responders reporting any crude oil exposure vs. none, and responders reporting any inhalation of crude oil fumes vs. none for earlier (2010-2012) and later (2013-2015) periods. We also evaluated joint effects of self-reported crude oil and oil dispersant exposures. Within-responder comparisons were adjusted for age, sex, and smoking.Results: Responders compared with non-responders were at increased risk in the later period for asthma (HR=1.48), dyspnea (HR=1.23), shortness of breath (HR=1.33), and cough (HR=1.27), in age- and sex-adjusted analyses. Oil exposed responders were at increased risk for asthma in the earlier period (HR=1.60) and for dyspnea (HR=1.52) and shortness of breath (HR=1.88) in the later period. Inhalation exposure was associated with increased risk of many respiratory conditions, including a two-fold elevated risk for shortness of breath in the later period (HR=2.11). Self-reported dispersant exposure further increased this association (HR=2.24). Most HRs were statistically significant.Conclusions: Our study, among a population with equal healthcare access, indicates the potential for crude oil exposures during a spill response to increase the risk for longer-term respiratory conditions.Disclaimer: The contents, views or opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not reflect official policy or position of USU, the DoD, or the USCG.

Exposure patterns among Coast Guard responders to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: a latent class analysis

Disclaimer: The contents, views or opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect official policy or position of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, the Department of Defense (DoD), or the United States Coast Guard. Background: The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was an environmental crisis for which multiple groups, including the United States Coast Guard (USCG), provided emergency response services. A cohort of 5,665 USCG oil spill responders completed post-deployment surveys on a number of topics, including oil spill-related exposures and experiences. Methods: This secondary data analysis of survey responses used latent class analysis (LCA) methods to determine the most common exposure patterns in this population of responders. Our LCA model was based on six indicator variables assumed to be independent of each other within latent classes. The indicator variables reflected different aspects of the responders’ experiences: exposure to oil, exposure to engine exhaust fumes, hand sanitizer use, sunblock use, mosquito bites, and level of anxiety. To assess the convergent construct validity of these models, we considered the relationship of the latent classes to indicators not used in the latent class models. We also considered the relationship to the types of missions reported by cohort participants. Results: The data were consistent with four exposure profiles, which we interpreted as “low exposure”, “higher environmental hazard exposure and moderate time outdoors, “moderate environmental hazard exposure and more time outdoors”, and “high exposure to both environmental hazards and time outdoors”. The tests for convergent construct validity supported this interpretation of the latent classes. For example, participants in administrative roles were most likely to be in the low-exposure latent class. Conclusions: The exposure pattern variables resulting from this analysis can help inform future studies of the health impacts of exposure mixtures among oil spill responders.

Ballast Water Treatment Performance Evaluation under Real Changing Conditions

We conducted a shipboard ballast water test using seawater of extreme turbidity collected from Shanghai Port (China) (>300 mg total suspended solids (TSS)/L), and normal seawater collected in other ports (<100 mg TSS/L). All three types of International Maritime Organization (IMO)-approved ballast water management system (BWMS) tested failed to properly operate because of filter clogging or insufficient generation of oxidants under near-fresh water conditions with extremely high concentration of suspended solid during ballasting. It was also found that the number of microorganisms increased with longer ballast water retention time, with higher numbers in the treated discharge water. The results suggest that when operating a BWMS involving a filter unit in areas with water having high concentrations of suspended solids, the filter unit should be used during ballast water discharge, rather than during ballasting. This method has the advantage of removing ≥50 µm organisms at discharge that could not be removed by a filter during ballasting. For ballast water retained for long storage times, the results suggest the use of BWMSs involving UV units or electrolysis during deballasting. In addition, BWMSs involving electrolysis units provide the opportunity to maintain residual total residual oxidant (TRO) levels, using a partial ballast tank. Although the BWMSs tested are a small subset of the large number of IMO-approved BWMSs, the results demonstrate that there is a significant gap between the technology currently available and capacity to meet IMO and US Coast Guard standards.

Association of Suicide Risk With Transition to Civilian Life Among US Military Service Members

Although interest is high in addressing suicide mortality after the transition from military to civilian life, little is known about the risk factors associated with this transition. To support the ongoing suicide surveillance work of the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, examining these factors is important for targeting suicide prevention efforts. To examine the prevalence, patterns, and associated characteristics of suicide mortality among US service members after separation from military active status. This retrospective population-based cohort study obtained demographic and military service data from the VA/Department of Defense Identity Repository. Individuals who served on active duty in the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard after September 11, 2001, and who separated from active status between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2017, were included in the cohort. Data analyses were conducted from September 9, 2019, to April 1, 2020. Suicide mortality within 6 years after separation from military service. A total of 1 868 970 service members (1 572 523 men [84.1%]; mean [SD] age at separation, 30.9 [9.9] years) separated from the military during the study period. Through the end of the study period (December 31, 2017), 3030 suicides (2860 men and 170 women) were identified as having occurred within 6 years of separation from the military. Statistically significant differences in suicide risk were found by demographic and military service characteristics. Suicide rates after separation were time dependent, generally peaking 6 to 12 months after separation and declining only modestly over the study period. Male service members had a statistically significantly higher hazard of suicide than their female counterparts (hazard ratio [HR], 3.13; 95% CI, 2.68-3.69). Younger individuals (aged 17-19 years; HR, 4.46 [95% CI, 3.71-5.36]) had suicide hazard rates that were approximately 4.5 times higher than those who transitioned at an older age (≥40 years). Service branch remained a risk factor for suicide even 6 years after separation; those who separated from the Marine Corps (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.36-1.78) and the Army (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.31-1.67) had a higher hazard than those who transitioned from the Air Force. The hazard for those who separated from the active component was higher than for those who separated from the reserve component (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.18-1.42). Service members with a shorter length of service had a higher hazard (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.11-1.42) than those with a longer service history. Results of this study show that not all service members who recently transitioned from military life had the same risk of suicide. The data suggest that awareness of military service and demographic characteristics can help identify those most at risk for suicide to target prevention efforts.

Feasibility of the Zero-V: A zero-emissions hydrogen fuel-cell coastal research vessel

A study is presented to determine the technical, regulatory, and economic feasibility of a coastal research vessel (named the “Zero-V”) powered solely by hydrogen fuel cells. Feasibility is examined in the context of science mission profiles of particular significance in coastal oceanography that require a modern, capable, general-purpose coastal research vessel. These missions translate into the primary Zero-V vessel requirements against which technical feasibility is assessed. Hull form analysis indicated a trimaran design enables a vessel that can meet all of the space and volume requirements as well as for fitment of the machinery, service, and control spaces necessary for operation of the vessel. To meet speed and range (endurance) requirements, the vessel needs to be constructed of aluminum to reduce weight. The beam (56 feet), length (170 feet) and draft (12 feet) of the vessel enable it to dock at all primary ports of call. With 1800 kW of installed proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel-cell power for primary propulsion, the cruising speed is 10 knots. With 10,900 kg of consumable LH2 stored in two LH2 tanks, the range of the vessel is 2400 nautical miles, with an endurance of 15 days. Both the greenhouse gas (GHG) and criteria pollutant (NOx, HC, PM10) emissions were estimated based on a complete “well-to-waves” (WTW) analysis. Using renewable hydrogen, the annual WTW GHG emissions predicted for the Zero-V are 91.4% less than those from an equivalent vessel running on conventional diesel fuel. Analysis of the WTW criteria pollutant emissions show that hydrogen PEM fuel-cell technology can reduce these emissions below stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 marine diesel engine emissions limits regardless of whether the hydrogen is made using natural gas or renewable methods.The capital construction cost is estimated to be ~ $79 M, not unreasonable when compared to other modern diesel-fueled research vessels of similar size and capabilities. The operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of the Zero-V were estimated to be 7.7% higher than operating the equivalent diesel-fueled vessel at the assumed fuel prices for LH2 made from steam reforming of fossil natural gas. The approach to safety for the Zero-V is described in terms of the arrangement of hazardous areas on the vessel. Regulatory review of the vessel design by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the Class society DNV GL found no fundamental or “show-stopping” design concerns that would prevent eventual deployment of the Zero-V. Overall, this study found it feasible from technical, regulatory, and economic perspectives to design, build and operate a coastal research vessel powered solely by hydrogen fuel cells.

Exploring the Possibility for a Common System for Joint Aeromedical Standards

The Physical qualification standards for aviation service used by the United States Army, Navy/Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard developed in parallel, diverging in many instances due to differences ranging from terminology to mission. Presently, standards and requirements for waiver vary widely between the services, in spite of minimal differences in aeromedical concerns for any given medical condition. Standardization or increased concordance between the services would have several advantages leading to more efficient and effective delivery of aviation medical support to the operational forces. This is particularly true in an increasingly joint operational environment. The authors have identified four major hurdles that must be overcome before the concept of joint aviation physical standards can be explored. These include: a difference in terminology including aviator classification, a difference in mission definitions and requirements, a difference in the processes of policy development, and a difference in the review and application of those policies. These hurdles are explored, and suggestions for their mitigation are presented with open discussion following.

Exploring the U.S. Coast Guard's stance agility on Twitter during Hurricane Harvey

AbstractDrawing on the contingency theory of strategic conflict management, this study examines how the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) used Twitter to communicate during Hurricane Harvey. A content analysis was conducted on tweets (N = 273) by using stances along the contingency's continuum, finding that the USCG frequently adopted stances on both sides of the continuum's spectrum throughout the disaster event. The analysis of USCG tweets provides a real‐world case study of how Twitter is used by organizations to strategically communicate with the public during a disaster event. Like many disaster aid organizations, the USCG must balance competing goals of assisting the impacted population, while continuing to secure funding from the U.S. government. The current study contributes to contingency theory of strategic conflict management literature by applying the theory to a disaster, providing tangible evidence that disaster communication research should consider incorporating different stances across the continuum, sometimes simultaneously, that could help guide strategies, ultimately helping the organization and public being affected during a disaster.

NILM dashboard: Actionable feedback for condition-based maintenance

Modern power monitoring systems record vast amounts of equipment operational data. For these systems to improve efficiency and performance, the data must be presented as an intuitive decision aid for watchstanders. The Nonintrusive Load Monitor (NILM) dashboard provides actionable information for energy score-keeping, activity tracking, and equipment condition-based maintenance (CBM). Using a NILM to present metrics that track changes in equipment signature and equipment behavior allows for effective CBM. Electrical monitoring through the NILM dashboard can identify both soft faults (the gradual degradation of equipment performance) and hard faults (the complete failure of a piece of equipment). This paper presents metrics and visualizations that have proven useful for CBM. Analysis from case studies of fault conditions identified aboard two United States Coast Guard cutters (USCGCs), SPENCER and ESCANABA, are discussed.