At Catalina, "Don't call for help"

[robertarak]

So a few weekends ago (yeah it took time for this to bubble up inside me enough to post about it) I was at Casino Point on Catalina with a small group. After the first dive, I went over the the trailer to get an air fill. While I was talking to the guy at the trailer and setting up a tab, some guy comes up, interupts my conversation (becasue he is obviously important) and tells the air fill operator, "I'm conducting a rescue class, so if someone comes over and asks you to call 911....DON'T"

I would go on here to explain the feelings I had, but I am sure you all know exactly how I felt. I did let the guy at the trailer know, in no uncertain terms, how I felt, and suggested that if anyone asks him to call for help...TO DO IT!

I am not real sure what the point of this post is, but I really wanted to vent.

 

[Quarrior]

When I took my Rescue class we called for pizza, that way nobody got to excited. I've seen so many posts on here about this subject. I just cannot imagine any instructor not having something for his/her students to call for other than what would normally be responded to as an emergency.

 

[The Chairman]

We are discussing this very thing right here: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=195988

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

We are discussing this very thing right here: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=195988

Not everyone reads the regional forums ... I don't, unless I'm visiting that part of the world.

Back to the point, it was good for the instructor to let people know he was conducting a Rescue class ... but dumb for him to say what he did. Does he think his class are the only divers in the water or something?

Like others, I have my students yell something else (recently, it was "peaches" ... since I'm kinda tired of pizza). When they're towing the victim in, rather than yell for someone to "call 911", they say "call Bob".

I do let other classes in the area know that we're conducting a Rescue class, and assume that they're smart enough to figure out that if someone's calling for peaches, or towing a victim and yelling for shore help or bystanders to "call Bob" they'll figure it's just part of the class.

I did have another diver once try to rescue one of my "unconscious" victims ... he'd arrived at the site after we'd gotten in the water ... but he figured it out rather quickly when the "victim" suddenly regained consciousness, broke away, turned to him wagging his finger, and promptly dropped back to the bottom and became "unconscious" again ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[DandyDon]

I recently read here that Padi now requires calling "Help!" when playing the victim in a Rescue class. We used "Hamburger!" as the code for help in class and "Call for Pizza!" as the code for 911. I just don't anyone making that mistake in a real emergency, but yeah - if I hear Help! or "call 911!" - I'm going to do what I can to do help or call.

 

[Bubble Junky]

When I took my Rescue class we called for pizza, that way nobody got to excited. I've seen so many posts on here about this subject. I just cannot imagine any instructor not having something for his/her students to call for other than what would normally be responded to as an emergency.

PADI have tried to get away from the 'Pizza' yelling after people have actually shouted it in real emergency situations. I get my students to 'ask' for help, rather than bellow it out accross a dive site.

 

[Gary D.]

Not only were his actions inappropriate in don’t call 911, but he opened himself and others up for some major liability issues.

Gary D.

 

[Quarrior]

PADI have tried to get away from the 'Pizza' yelling after people have actually shouted it in real emergency situations. I get my students to 'ask' for help, rather than bellow it out accross a dive site.

No offense intended here. But, if a diver has qualified for their Rescue cert and doesn't understand the difference between Pizza and Help, they need all their gear confiscated and C-card pulled.

All this does is add more emphasis to my biggest complaint about the system. That being the ability to go OW, AOW, Rescue, DM, bam, bam, bam and not have any real diving experience in the process.

PADI should not be changing policy to make up for pure stupidity. They should be pounding the stupidity out of the diver's head or pulling certifications.

JMHO

 

[saltydawg]

.

PADI should not be changing policy to make up for pure stupidity. They should be pounding the stupidity out of the diver's head or pulling certifications.

JMHO

This is a major problem in all of America way too many feel the need to change standards in too many things to try and cheat Darwin.This really tweaks me. to no end..this is pet peeve #2 right after accepting personal responsibility.

 

[ReefHound]

No offense intended here. But, if a diver has qualified for their Rescue cert and doesn't understand the difference between Pizza and Help, they need all their gear confiscated and C-card pulled.

I doubt that any of those divers would fail to understand the difference... while sitting at their computer. In a crisis situation a person may instinctively revert to their training and call for pizza without even realizing it. I'll bet if you asked them afterwards they would "remember" clearly calling for Help.

As for me, if I hear someone yelling to call 911, I'm calling 911. Much better to sort out a false alarm later than to delay response to the real thing.