You "CAN" volunteer to provide real time information to the Coast Guard about the waterway you see from your location. CAN members need only their eyes and a phone. No other experience or equipment is required, although binoculars might be handy in some cases.

Each volunteer will receive a job aid that provides information on how to make notifications and what is reportable. You will learn how to estimate oil spills, position aids to navigation, estimate distances from flare sightings, how to estimate wind and sea conditions, how to report suspicious activity and other interesting facts. General boating education is also available from the Auxiliary for you as a CAN member.

As a volunteer, you may be called upon to verify or monitor information during a search and rescue case, especially when the expected time for Coast Guard responders on scene is lengthy. Additionally, you would support the Coast Guard's Aids to Navigation mission by conducting visual checks after a storm.

A CAN volunteer, knowing in advance the bearing of an aid from his or her home or workplace, could report back when called upon. You could also respond to a call from the Coast Guard to verify a vessel's location. This would be helpful in identifying positions of vessels too small for locating by other means. Finally, volunteers could check their nearby beach for evidence of a false alarm, flare sighting, oil spill impact or disabled/sick wildlife.

As a volunteer, you may report items whenever and wherever you see them, not just from your home or work.