On Wednesday evening about a dozen members of SFD completed the hands-on portion of the new Search and Rescue course initiated by the United States Coast Guard to train local agencies to assist with marine incidents and emergencies in their areas. The Coast Guard instructor was very generous in his praise of SFD's performance on the water, remarking that it was a pleasure to see a group that had paid so much attention to its practice sessions and did everything so well. All that remains is for the SFD members to pass the Coast Guard's written examination and our department will then be fully certified to participate in this new partnership between the Guard and local marine assets. Ours is a pilot program covering the East End, the western portion of Great South Bay and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean. Beginning next month the program will be extended to the area covered by LINSMART (the North Shore of Suffolk County).