Towboat Pilot

EMS•Henderson, KY

22d•Onsite

About The Position

This full-time position involves ensuring the overall safety of the towing vessel and its crew, as well as assisting in the safety of coworkers. The role includes reporting and correcting hazardous conditions, making and breaking tow for customer vessels and other EMS boats, and picking up and delivering barges. Daily inspections of firefighting and lifesaving equipment, participation in drills and safety meetings, and learning emergency duties are also key aspects. The position requires ordering supplies, taking on fuel and water, and providing continuous training for new hires and trainees. Daily safety inspections of equipment and the vessel structure are mandatory, including visual inspections of critical areas. Assisting new crewmembers with training, including the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), is also a responsibility.

Requirements

Valid Merchant Mariner's Credential with a Western Rivers endorsement
Valid Medical Certificate
Valid TWIC card
At least a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's Permit
Meet the Physical Requirements
Able to perform the Emergency Duties
Reliable transportation to and from work
Able to pass a pre-employment DOT 5-panel Urine Drug Test
Speak, read, and write English well enough to maintain vessel logs, read training materials, and follow written instructions.
Climb at least 3 sets of stairs or ladders in short succession (from wheelhouse to engine room).
Hear and respond to radio communications with significant background noise.
Lift, pull, push, and carry ship's stores, vessel's rigging and other equipment up to 70lbs over distances of up to 1000'.
Perform general vessel maintenance in tight quarters, including stooping, crouching, and crawling while using hand tools and power tools.
Routinely walk and maintain balance across uneven, slippery, or unstable surfaces without assistance
Step over high doorsills, bullrails, and other structural obstacles.
Walk up or down a ramp with an incline of up to 10° (17% grade), and length up to 100'
Participate in drills that may include carrying firefighting equipment up several flights of stairs, retrieving objects from the water, and carrying dewatering pumps in a short amount of time.
Assist an injured person from a barge to the boat.
Carry a 40lb extinguisher up one or more flights of stairs.
Crawl on all fours across steel decking to escape a smoke-filled area.
Extract an unconscious person from a vessel in distress.
Hear, and rapidly respond to, alarms, bells, and whistles.
In short succession, carry a 50lb de-watering pump, carry a 5g gas can, and carry accompanying hoses (20-30lbs each); Set up and start the de-watering pump and effectively operate a firehose under high pressure.
Retrieve an unconscious adult from the water and onto the boat.
Throw a 5lb ring buoy at least 25' and retrieve it with an adult attached.
Unface and face-up the boat alone to retrieve unconscious or immobile victims from the water or from a barge.
Perform any duties required of them to ensure the safe operation of the vessel to which they are assigned, and those duties may include assisting other teams at EMS as needed.

Responsibilities

Responsible for the overall safety of the towing vessel.
Responsible for aiding in the safety of all coworkers.
Report any and all hazardous or unsafe conditions and making corrections when able.
Make and break tow for customer vessels and other EMS boats.
Pick up and deliver barges to and from customer docks.
Perform daily inspection of the vessels firefighting and lifesaving equipment.
Participate in all drills and safety meetings.
Learn and perform assigned duties in emergency situations.
Learn when to use PPE and know the right type(s) to use for any task.
Ordering stores and supplies on a regular basis.
Taking on fuel, water, oil, etc.
Provide continuous training for other new hires and Job Corps trainees.
Conduct daily safety inspections of equipment and vessel structure, including walking and visually inspecting the exterior of each deck, the engine room, the wheelhouse, and any other areas of the vessel that are critical to the safety of the vessel and the crew.
Assist new crewmembers on tow for training purposes, including donning PPE, which may include a personal flotation device (PFD), as well as eye protection, face protection, splash protection, foot protection, hearing protection, or hand protection, depending on the task.