Eric Helpenstell News

You only get one chance at a first impression and the same rings true on an incident — you get one chance at an initial response. The initial response phase of an incident is where all of the pre-planning, drilling and staging of equipment comes together. Many times I have shown up on an incident to find that the preplanning is going to lead to a seamless transition in operations and that everything that could be done is being done. Other times I arrive on scene and am surprised an incident did not happen earlier with the chaos around.

Academy graduates entering their first job with a maritime employer will leave the position within the first year almost 50% of the time. This rate is many times greater than the national average for college graduates in their first job after graduation — except for RN’s (47% leave within a year). Registered Nurses and Maritime Academy graduates often cite the same reasons for leaving a position within this first year. A new hire in the nursing field is cited as costing $30,000…