rkinder
Registered
I had a conversation with another instructor yesterday that became the inspiration for this post. One of his comments was that Public Safety Command Staff and Budget folks do not see the need for more than basic training or equipment in water rescue. After all we have so few water related calls compared to everything else. Why should we invest large amounts of time and money above the basics for water rescue?
Looking from just a budget point of view this is true. The problem is that while water related calls account for less than 5 percent of all emergency calls it results in more than 15 percent of injuries and death for Public Safety Personnel.
While more equipment and relevant, challenging, organized team based training will decrease these statistics the most important part of decreasing our injuries is US. So what is my point?
The best analogy is when you first got your learners permit to drive, what did most of us do? We bugged our parents or anyone else to let us drive, it did not matter if it was to the store up the street or 3 hours up the road, if the car moved we wanted to be behind the wheel. That is how most of us become good at anything, Practice, and More Practice.
So how is Diving or Swift Water any different? Why do we get a certification and just practice a few times a year or maybe less. Why do we consider ourselves to be Public Safety Divers with just an Open Water Certification, and a couple of dives?
I would like to challenge each and everyone of my fellow PSDs to aim for the following minimum training goals before we consider ourselves to be a Public Safety Diver.
1. Open Water Diver (SCUBA) (4 Dives Minimum)
2. Minimum Number of Dives Beyond Open Water (25)
3. Logged Open Water Hours (12)
4. Zero Visibility / Low Visibility (where applicable) Hours (3)
5. Annual Medical Statement (RSTC)
6. Annual Dive Physical (35+) (Physician Approval to Dive)
7. Diving Injury Recognition and Field Treatment
8. CPR for the Professional Rescuer
9. Oxygen Administration
10. AED
11. Spinal Immobilization (Land)
12. Spinal Immobilization (Water)
13. Basic Equipment Decontamination and Maintenance
14. Basic Ropes and Knots
15. Report Writing and Scene Documentation
16. NIM's (100, 200, 700, 800)
17. Basic Search Patterns
18. Small Object Recovery
19. Public Safety Diving (PSD-1) Awareness Level
Please remember the most important part of any mission is that we and all of our team mates go home to those we love. In addition we dont take home anything that will hurt our family or friends. This includes PTSD, for what we do and what we see never goes away and influences us each and every day.
To all in PUBLIC SAFETY, STAY SAFE LOVE YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND TEAMMATES.
THANK YOU.
Looking from just a budget point of view this is true. The problem is that while water related calls account for less than 5 percent of all emergency calls it results in more than 15 percent of injuries and death for Public Safety Personnel.
While more equipment and relevant, challenging, organized team based training will decrease these statistics the most important part of decreasing our injuries is US. So what is my point?
The best analogy is when you first got your learners permit to drive, what did most of us do? We bugged our parents or anyone else to let us drive, it did not matter if it was to the store up the street or 3 hours up the road, if the car moved we wanted to be behind the wheel. That is how most of us become good at anything, Practice, and More Practice.
So how is Diving or Swift Water any different? Why do we get a certification and just practice a few times a year or maybe less. Why do we consider ourselves to be Public Safety Divers with just an Open Water Certification, and a couple of dives?
I would like to challenge each and everyone of my fellow PSDs to aim for the following minimum training goals before we consider ourselves to be a Public Safety Diver.
1. Open Water Diver (SCUBA) (4 Dives Minimum)
2. Minimum Number of Dives Beyond Open Water (25)
3. Logged Open Water Hours (12)
4. Zero Visibility / Low Visibility (where applicable) Hours (3)
5. Annual Medical Statement (RSTC)
6. Annual Dive Physical (35+) (Physician Approval to Dive)
7. Diving Injury Recognition and Field Treatment
8. CPR for the Professional Rescuer
9. Oxygen Administration
10. AED
11. Spinal Immobilization (Land)
12. Spinal Immobilization (Water)
13. Basic Equipment Decontamination and Maintenance
14. Basic Ropes and Knots
15. Report Writing and Scene Documentation
16. NIM's (100, 200, 700, 800)
17. Basic Search Patterns
18. Small Object Recovery
19. Public Safety Diving (PSD-1) Awareness Level
Please remember the most important part of any mission is that we and all of our team mates go home to those we love. In addition we dont take home anything that will hurt our family or friends. This includes PTSD, for what we do and what we see never goes away and influences us each and every day.
To all in PUBLIC SAFETY, STAY SAFE LOVE YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND TEAMMATES.
THANK YOU.
