Currency

The BOAT Manual Vol I requires currency for most NASBLA courses.   BOAT Program Manual I Chapter 3.B and Chapter 7.A discuss currency.
 
7.A.3 Students completing a NASBLA Direct Delivery course are required to maintain currency in the course disciplines they have completed. Currency is submitted to NASBLA at the published currency intervals and must be signed by an agency’s training officer, supervisor, department head, or other command position.
 
Currency requirements ensure that the skills and knowledge learned are maintained and allow Incident Commanders to see the currency and qualification of responders. Currency is entered into the National Database. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure currency is maintained.
 
Currency task completion performed during normal operations can count towards these currency requirements. Documentation of task completion must be annotated on the underway log.
 
7.A.3.1 Currency periods for students receiving training and not a member of a NASBLA accredited agency are required for the following course and frequency:

* FBS requires annual maintenance of BCM and/or BOSAR in addition to FBS 

Personnel qualified in BOSAR, EVOC, or TOC will not be required to complete annual currency for BCM. Currency completion in the higher-level qualification level will meet requirements for BCM. For BOSAR qualifications, completion of search patterns required for currency must be completed even if higher-level qualifications are maintained.
 
The following courses do not currently have a recertification requirement;
• Officer Water Survival (OWS)
• Navigation Rules Online Course
• BUI (NHTSA has no recurrent training requirement)
• Boat Accident Investigation – Basic
 
The BOAT Program Director may require recurrent training or refresher training at a future date. It is highly recommended that recurrent or refresher training be completed, especially of an officer or responder has not actively performed the task covered by the training on a consistent basis.
 
7.A.3.2 Currency Documentation must be submitted annually on agency letterhead and signed by the agency Training Officer or higher-ranking official.
 
There are a couple ways to maintain currency:

1.   Complete the annual currency PQS tasks listed in the attachments.  You would complete these anytime you are underway for normal operations.  For the EVOC or TOC course the PQS items can be completed either during a PWCS mission or during a dedicated training exercise

2.   For the Tactical Operator course, attend a TOC Refresher 3-day course at your accredited agency or through a NASBLA Direct Delivery TOCR course.

3.   Conduct the PQS refresher tasks listed with a USCG small boat unit for BCM and/or BOSAR, of a Coast Guard tactical small boat unit for EVOC or TOC currency, and have the CO/OIC document the completion.  Please note that PQS for the EVOC and TOC Course are contained in the NASBLA BOAT Manual Vol IV, which is Law Enforcement Sensitive, and is not available for download. Please contact Courtney Livingston, BOAT Program Director at courtney.livingston@nasbla.org for more information if needed.

Currency can be signed off annually by your agency training supervisor, an Accredited Agency Program Manager (if you belong to an accredited agency), or a USCG CO/OIC of a CG small boat unit for BCM and/or BOSAR or a CG Tactical Unit for EVOC or TOC. You would have to document on the currency electronic forms on this page and send to Courtney Livingston at NASBLA to update your currency in the National Database.
 
Please note that FBS currency is in development and will be published shortly.