Chief Danner is currently the Senior Chief in charge of the US Coast Guards Aviation Survival Technician (AST) Rescue Swimmer School. He is directly responsible for curriculum development, recruitment, selection and training for all USCG Rescue Swimmer candidates. Prior to his assignment as the Senior Chief in charge of the school, he was a member of the Coast Guard’s Standardization team, also known as “The STAN team”. This team is responsible for traveling all over the world and conducting inspections of all USCG Aviation SAR assets. They are charged with ensuring compliance of USCG SAR standards and administering “check rides” to pilots, hoist operators and rescue swimmers.
Chef Danner’s other accomplishments include;
Developing a new rescue swimmer harness (TRI-SAR) for the Coast Guard that combined three pieces of rescue equipment into one. It provided safer insertion and extraction, efficiency, and comfort, as well as a cost savings to the Coast Guard. Air Force Para Rescue men and US Navy Rescue Swimmers are currently using this harness with slight modifications and color patterns.
While stationed at USCG Training Center Cape May Chief Danner created several new exercise lesson plans for recruit physical fitness.
After approximately 20 years of service and three model changes the current Rescue Swimmer seat cushion for the HH-65C needed to be replaced. The other aircrew positions got new stroking seats but the RS position had not changed. Going through the Coast Guard Flight Safety office at Headquarters Chief Danner got permission to look for a suitable replacement. Oregon Aero in Scappoose OR had the seat we needed and that seat is currently going through the final approval process (ACCB) at this time and should be in prototype with in a few months.
Chief Danner rewrote the Aviation Survival Technician (AST) Airman training guide (Syllabus). This guide is being used by operational rescue swimmers to train AST candidates for AST “A” school (Rescue Swimmer School).
Jeff was one of three instructors to create and teach the first AST Train the Trainer course to operational rescue swimmers using Mark Verstegens multi-faceted core performance methodology taught at Athletes Performance mentorship program.
