Northern Area Regional Training, November 6–7
Two days at Base Seattle on how we can serve the Coast Guard in Puget Sound
All members of the Northwest District's Northern Area, Divisions 1 through 4, are invited to the 2026 Northern Area Regional Training, hosted by Division 2 on Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7, at Coast Guard Base Seattle (Rainier Room, Building 4). This year's theme is how the Auxiliary can be of service to the active-duty Coast Guard in the Puget Sound area, with a focus on five areas: public affairs, incident command, pollution response and prevention, culinary assistance, and search and rescue.
Day 1 brings presentations from our outgoing and incoming District leadership and from Northern Area leadership. Capt. Michael Hunt, commander of Sector Puget Sound, and several of his department heads will discuss their priorities for 2027 and how the Auxiliary can help. Members will also meet our new Director of Auxiliary and talk with the District's Operations Training Officer and Order Issuing Authority, the active-duty officers who oversee Auxiliary operations. District Public Affairs will close the day with a session on working with the public at boat shows, regattas and other events.
Day 2 introduces three advanced courses that are normally multi-day certification classes for active duty: Incident Command System courses ICS-300 and ICS-400, and Search Coordination and Execution. The overviews are meant to encourage members to sign up for the full courses when they are offered. The day ends with an overview of the Marine Safety Pollution Investigator qualification and a session on the 2027 annual Team Coordination Training and Risk Management requirement for surface operations.
Friday evening, from 6 to 8 p.m., there will be a dinner at the Base Seattle galley, prepared by the Auxiliary's culinary assistance members. A $10 contribution is suggested to cover the meal; anything left over goes to Northern Area operations.
There will be a virtual option, but the organizers strongly encourage attending in person for the fellowship and networking. Seating is limited to 100, so sign up early.
Source: Bill Cotter, Vice Division Commander, Division 2.