Underwater Vehicle Extrication Specialist

Underwater Vehicle Extrication Specialist Level I

Contaminated, Overhead Environment and Penetration Dive Operation

Is your team responsible for responding to vehicles partially or fully submerged in the water? If yes, then this training is a must. Fire departments wouldn’t let members extricate patients from cars without specialized training and practice sessions, so why will dive teams send divers into vehicles without proper training or equipment?

This three and a half day program follows the same format, duration, maximum students, course set up and costs as RDS&R/R.

Certification: Underwater Vehicle Extrication (ANDI/LGS) for divers included in course fee, Wall certificates for all students in course fee. Divers and Tenders can purchase additional diver certifications (NAUI, PADI, and ACUC) and Underwater Vehicle Extrication Tender Certification (photo ID card, additional wall certificate and two decals) for $25 each ($26 if purchased after the last class day).

Prerequisite: RDS&R/R or RDIDR/R

Day One – 4 hour classroom session and First 1-2 hours of Day Two

Review and preassessment test of RDS&R procedures and information

What happens to a vehicle when it hits the water

What happens to the passengers

Site set-up, including decon station

Additional necessary equipment – full face masks, four-wire communication systems, drysuits, bungee cords, etc.

What happens to objects with air inside the vehicle – dangers

Fuel on surface management

Vehicle line tending procedures

Vehicle back-up diver procedures: back-up becomes the primary diver’s tender underwater outside the vehicle.

.How to assess, approach and work around the vehicle in blackwater

How to enter the damaged vehicle

Victim search and extrication procedures – and what if the victims are not in the vehicle?

How to use window punches underwater

Dangers of using pneumatic tools underwater (these are skills for the Level II course)

Dangers of carpeted conversion vans

Diver contingency plans

Review of patient handling procedures

Day two morning land session – 3-4 hours

Divers in full gear (plastic scuba tank) and blacked out masks work with tenders in one or more vehicles that have been set-up with many entanglements and with a few sharp edges.

afternoon session – 3-4 hours

Set-up the scene and perform searches and victim extrications with proper patient handling.  If course is for law enforcement then full body mannequins will be placed in body bags underwater.

Day three

One hour lecture on the basics of Archimedes Principle and lifting techniques. (these hands-on skills are part of the Level II program)

7-9 hours of dive operations including removing doors, steering wheels, etc. and replacing these parts to learn how to work around vehicles and how to work closely with back-up diver in blackwater – with and without four-wire communication systems. Practice breaking vehicle windows.

Day Four

Half hour classroom on lifting techniques.

6-8 hours of dive operations that may include lifting the vehicle and one hour for written examination and final debriefing.