Equipment replacement

[CCTX50]

Recently one of our divers was at about 20 feet when his BCD failed. The connection between the bladder and the hose failed and caused all air to escape and fill with water. Diver did not panic and worked his way out of a potentially dangerous situation. The diver had comms and there were other team members close by so all worked out for the better.

Now to my question... We are trying to convince our department heads of the importance of annual inspections/ maintenance schedules for all dive equipment. In this process I am trying to determine what other dive teams are doing. Do other teams follow manufacturers recommendations on annuals or do they have their own system? Is there any set schedule to completely replace equipment? (Similar to Law Enforcement Bullet Resistant Vest - every 5 years) Do teams automatically replace equipment after so many years no matter the condition? What is the operational life expectancy of a BCD. 1st and 2nd, and so forth?

Any comments/help is appreciated.

 

[DiveGusto]

You might want someone on the team to be the logistician to service, maintain, & keep logs for all the team gear. Keep tags handy to write down problems things to be checked then tie it onto the equipment to get it out of service so it is not used until repaired.

 

[tstormdiver]

Might want to look into OSHA's standards on diving, as this may encompass PSD (especially if the members are apid when doing the Public Safety Diving)

 

[BladesRobinson]

Might want to look into OSHA's standards on diving, as this may encompass PSD (especially if the members are apid when doing the Public Safety Diving)

Before this gets blown out of porportion (again) the OSHA standard EXEMPTS public safety divers working under the authority of a governmental agency and makes NO distinction between paid or volunteer divers. ALL public safety divers working under the authority of an governmental agency and working in the capacity of public safety are exempt.

To answer the original question, I would suggest that PSD teams follow the manufacturer's recommendation. Most manufacturers suggest annual service and inspection by a technician that is certified by the manufacturer to service the equipment. At Dive Rescue International it is not unusual to recieve an Interspiro full face mask that has been serviced at a local dive store by a person that has not recieved Interspiro technician certificaiton. The regulator will be missing a part or will be assembled incorrectly. If you own Aqua Lung gear, have it serviced by an Aqua Lung technician. If you have ScubaPro, have it serviced by a ScubaPro technician. That's not rocket science but I believe there are stores that will attempt to help (or make a dollar) but may not have the training required by the manufacturer. Ask to see the certificates of the technician making the repairs.

These technicians are also in a good position to offer a recommendation as it relates to wear, tear and the need for replacement. To make a blanket statement that the equipment needs to be replaced on a # year schedule is not realistic since the frequency of use will vary from diver to diver, team to team.

I have a strong suspicion that a letter on dive store letterhead that reads along the lines of:

"... I am an authorized service technian for #### BCD Manufacturer. I have inspected the BCDs used by the #### Dive Team and they nearly worn out. It is my professional opinion that they should be replaced in an effort to prevent injury or death..."

If such a letter is submitted I suspect your department head will be jumping through hoops to get the BCDs replaced quickly.

Good luck!

Blades

 

[ReefGuy]

We solved this by sending myself and one other member to be certified to repair and service our BCDs/regulators/ffms. We service them on an annual basis, unless a problem is reported, then they are serviced on the spot.

 

[RoonDawg]

Good Info, Blades, as usual.

Just curious, does DRI conduct th Interspiro Tech certifications, or is there another vendor? Our old Dive team commander just retired, and I think he was the only person on our team qualified to service our FFM's.

Thanks in advance!

Rich Rooney

 

[Upstate Scuba OWI]

Good Info, Blades, as usual.

Just curious, does DRI conduct th Interspiro Tech certifications, or is there another vendor? Our old Dive team commander just retired, and I think he was the only person on our team qualified to service our FFM's.

Thanks in advance!

Rich Rooney

OTS is doing Guardian, and Interspiro Tech certifications at DEMA on November 4th in orlanda Florida. They also post other tech classes on their site