Canadian Coast Guard holds open house in Saint John

Those who had always wondered what the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) does on a day to day basis got a behind the scenes look Saturday in Saint John, N.B.

The CCG held an open house at its McIlveen Drive location in the Port City which not only served as a chance to show the public all the different avenues that come with working for the coast guard, but also as a recruitment measure to encourage more residents to join the team.

“I’ve seen a lot of smiles so everyone seems to be having a great time,” says John Lambe, who is the acting regional director for integrated technical services with the CCG. “There’s a lot of interest in all the groups so it has been a great day.”

The open house treated residents to everything the coast guard has to offer from the radars used to track vessels, to the oil spill response equipment used by the team when necessary.

“The helicopter is always a great draw,” jokes Lambe referring to the CCG’s helicopter that was on display for residents to check out and even take a seat in. “Everything is doing great and gathering lots of attention as well as our construction equipment and other tools that have been a great draw for everyone.”

Lambe says the ultimate goal of holding open houses like this is to boost recruitment efforts, noting the Canadian Coast Guard College is located in the Maritimes on Cape Breton Island.

He also adds the coast guard is much more then just being on a boat, and a lot of people don’t know all the career paths that come with working for the CCG. While everyone is most familiar with the work done on ships by fleet members, Lambe says the CCG employs electronics technician, red seal trades people, and consumption and treatment services (CTS) officers.

“We want to demonstrate everything that we do,” Lambe says. “There are a lot of people working behind the scenes to ensure the safety of those at sea and provide all the services Canadians deserve.”

While there are no dates set, Lambe says the CCG will host more open houses in the future.

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