I liked Alaska so much that I included it on my list of choices for my next duty station, and was assigned to Group Ketchikan, AK. There I was a QM3 working at the Operations Center as a SAR Controller. The duty-QM worked one shift with a duty-RM to monitor operations of all CG units in the Group Ketchikan area, essentially all of SE Alaska. Also the most of the maritime distress calls in SE Alaska came to that Opcen, via radio (VHF or HF) or via telephone. If it was an urgent call within range for the CG small boats at Station Ketchikan, the Duty Controller would hit the alasrm and send them out (if they were not already out). Otherwise the dutyController and duty-RM would have to coordinate other resources to respond. Sometimes this would be another larger unit that was already out on patrol. Other times we would have to send an Urgent Marine Information Braodcast (UMIB) to alert ANY vessels nearby the emergency and request that they assist. That's one of the things about working emergencies on large bodies of water. The response time is not minutes like most of us are used to from fire and police departments on land.

The duty schedule was usually three 12-hour day-shifts, three days off, then three 12-hour night shifts, then 3 and a half days off.

This message is a continuation of my reply to somebody's message "Considering BM", in this section.