Tenders in the PSD arena
As we talk about public safety diving (PSD) we hear a lot about the divers and their training or types of equipment divers need to get the job done safely. But when it comes to tenders they often get lost in the shuffle. There are those who say you can take anyone off the street, hand them a tether line and make them a tender. What do tenders do after all? They get divers items they might have forgotten or need, and then they just...
Technical Ice Diving
Technical Ice Diving The words “technical diving” are popping up all around the diving world these days. Sometimes I am not sure how they actually relate; does technical diving mean that we are just diving mixed gases, or does it mean that we are actually planning a technically responsible dive? No matter how you look at it, the words “technical diving” have a definite meaning when we discuss ice diving, and specifically as it...
Public Safety Diving in the new Millennium, part #2
Sitting on the river bank some 45 years ago watching my father teach many of the first Public Safety Divers I thought, this is as good as it gets. I remember thinking what PSD would be like fifty years from now. Well it has not changed all that much in all those years. The gear has improved but the basic mission remains the same – find what we are looking for and go home when the job is done. Techniques however, have changed...
Public Safety Diving in the new Millennium, part #1
In the 80s, and even through the early 90s, it was an oddity or even exotic for a fire or police department to have a surface / subsurface water rescue team. As we rescue our way through the year 2000, weather patterns are changing. Flooding has become a major issue in our country. The number of drowning’s has certainly not reduced. In fact drowning continues to dominate in accidental cause of death to children in North America....
Underwater Vehicle Extraction
There Are no Flags In Underwater Vehicle Extraction The human senses are fully stimulated when a rescuer responds to a typical auto accident. The flags are up. The visual sense sees the twisted, collapsed metal, the entrapped conscious and unconscious bodies, and the bleeding, physically injured limbs. The audible sense hears the moans and cries of pain and confusion. The sense of smell recognizes the odors of fuel. Combined instantly...