Rescue diver training

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Frosty

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Hey folks Im scratching my head a bit with rescue diver training. 99% of it lines up with rescue training I've had in other walks of life or are a logical speciality.
One detail that continues to bug me is the order Padi feel you should deal with an emergency in.
In every other senario I would stop to think.Delegate (or be delegated to) then secure the scene before looking to start rescue activities.
I understand that the poor sod could drown etc etc but bigger picture in my mind has the diver and rescuer dead due to not securing the scene.

Am I just thinking totally wrong ?
 
Hey folks Im scratching my head a bit with rescue diver training. 99% of it lines up with rescue training I've had in other walks of life or are a logical speciality.
One detail that continues to bug me is the order Padi feel you should deal with an emergency in.
In every other senario I would stop to think.Delegate (or be delegated to) then secure the scene before looking to start rescue activities.
I understand that the poor sod could drown etc etc but bigger picture in my mind has the diver and rescuer dead due to not securing the scene.

Am I just thinking totally wrong ?


Short answer? Yes.

Stop, think, act. That's the PADI mantra and that follows into the PADI rescue course. If you see a diver with a problem at the surface, you delegate someone to keep an eye on them while you organise a plan of action. This could be entering the water or throwing a line/device. Either way you need to weigh up options before you attempt a rescue. Whether you are delegating as the highest certed diver or being delegated to.
 
There's not much of a scene to secure in diving. Stop. Figure out the right course of action. Take the action. Do it without killing yourself!!
 
You have the right thinking. And wart already clarified that it's inline with PADI.
Form a quick action plan before attempting a rescue, it doesn't do any good to get yourself in a sticky situation and become another victim yourself. This isn't to say take 10 mins thinking of a detailed plan of action, as I'm sure your previous rescue training has already taught you. Just form a quick action plan in your head, communicate it to the necessary support, and go through with it.
If need be, send a teammate in to rescue the victim while you delegate.

A good case of this would be in a class setting. We had 2 instructors, 4 DM's, 3 Rescue divers, and 20 Basic students for a skin dive. One team outside our class was entering the beach, got knocked over, and needed to be rescued. Well having 30 people bum rush them wouldn't help that case, which is what would have happened if one DM hadn't stopped the entire class from doing just that. One instructor, myself, and a few other rescue divers went in to pull the team out, but neglected to tell the class what to do before we left. We just reacted and ran off. So definitely communicate and get a plan of action before attempting a rescue.

The communication is more important on land. Underwater, it may not even be an issue; but you should still have an idea of what you're going to do.
 
As with most scuba classes, the basic content for rescue is standardized, but the practical application varies with instructors. Safety of the rescuers is important at all stages, as in approaching a panicked diver properly so they can't or don't endanger you. There have been a number of good threads on SB about where that line is, rescuer safety vs. act quickly, and variations emerge depending on how close your relationship is with the "victim," (spouse, parent, chid, etc) something that is outside the scope of protocols but a very real part of decision making. Real world decision making is just that, fact specific, and urgency driven. No class will teach you a calculus applicable to all occasions.
DivemasterDennis
 
When I did advanced rescue with NAUI, the standard was to establish a scene manager if enough qualified people were available, and then that person would supervise/drive the rescue activity, monitor what was going on, make sure resourced were called/brought in, manage bystanders, secure gear/evidence once the rescue was complete if needed, and document, document, document!

And be damn certain to not create another victim!

If you don't have the extra body, then somebody needs to take on some of those responsibilities when you hit land again - even if it means having a bystander take notes.

- Tim
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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