While it’s true that everyone has rough days at work, few people have ones where they find themselves dropped into the middle of a fishing boat mutiny, tasked with getting the bleeding Captain to safety. Today’s guest is one of those precious few - and, in fact, that day wasn’t even close to his most difficult assignment!
20-year U.S. Coast Guard veteran and Aviation Survival Technician (AST)/elite Rescue Swimmer, Mike Romano, joins Sandra and Sandy today to share his incredible journey from collegiate athlete to Search and Rescue specialist where he routinely performs daring rescues in the most perilous conditions. Highlighting the resilience, responsibility, and rigorous training required for his role, Mike discusses the intense physical and mental demands of his training, the crucial teamwork and communication needed during missions, and the importance of adapting to unpredictable situations. Mike's firsthand accounts of high-stakes rescues, specialized equipment, and valuable advice for aspiring ASTs underscore the bravery and dedication of Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and will undoubtedly leave listeners both amazed and inspired by their unwavering commitment to saving lives.
0:00 Start
0:33 Introduction
2:06 Mike’s journey to rescue swimming
7:42 Rescue swimmer training
9:45 Mike’s team and its structure
11:05 Planning ahead and improvising
13:12 Transporting rescuees in the helicopter
15:15 CRM and ORM training
17:06 Mike’s medical training
18:19 His law enforcement role
19:31 The equipment and technology he uses
23:30 Some of Mike’s more perilous experiences
35:27 The feeling after a successful mission
37:23 Contact with rescuees after the mission
38:18 Dealing with the unpredictability of the job
39:35 Mike’s career rescue stats
40:31 His advice for those considering entering the field
Key Takeaways:
"Don't have a backup plan. Have this be your one and only goal. Work hard. Just know as physically exhausted as you think you are, you can do more."
"Coast Guard rescue swimmers are some of the most elite yet unsung heroes in our military."
"They physically drain you as much as possible to make you try to think and just have that mental toughness."
"When we get on scene, a lot of times it's very different. You’ve kind of got to be very flexible and roll with all the punches."
"You just kind of put yourself in the mindset of 'so others may live' and stick with that motto."
"The pridefulness of it, the, like, 'Hey, I did a great thing.' It's an incredible feeling to pull somebody out of their most difficult situation."
Keep the adrenaline rush going at:
Homepage: theadrenalinezone.com
Instagram: / theadrenalinezone
X: / adrenalinezonep
TikTok: / theadrenalinezone
Mike’s LinkedIn: / mrromano