Failed rescue (video) ...

[BladesRobinson]

Please click on the attached link...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4922466872520171377&hl=en

There is a learning lesson here for water rescue personnel. It may be worthwhile showing this at the next dive team meeting and brainstorm what could be done differently.

Some may recall that public safety diver Mike Gurley died a similar fate years ago. After being trapped for an extended period of time, screaming through his U/W comm system for his teammates not pull any harder (for fear that his legs would be pulled from his body) the decision was made. Mike went unconscious before the final pull was made with a crane. He was brought to the surface in cardiac arrest and resuscitation efforts by his friends and teammates failed to revive him. It was a "simple training dive" gone awry.

Looking at the video and having the advantage of doing a "Monday morning quarterback" some believe an aggressive maneuver with a backhoe should be considered. Breaching the pipe to allow water in (and decreasing suction) is one option. Collapsing the pipe or taking other actions to prevent water flow is another. Is there a gate valve upstream or downstream that can make a difference? The bottom line is the situation is NOT going to get better over time unless immediate actions are taken. Other considerations might include placing a full face mask on the victim (diver or confined space unit) connected to a remote (surface) air supply.

I believe teams should take a moment to pre-plan for a situation similar to the one shown in the video. Who would be called to assist on an operation? How long would it take for them to respond? Who has the authority to stop the flow of storm water? Who is responsible for damage caused by the flooding when storm water stops flowing? Who can make the call to place life safety before property loss in a situation such as the one shown? Will that person have the support of their supervisors, councilmen, commissioners, the press and fellow citizens? Is there a "gate valve" that will stop water flow in the storm water system? Do you know where the "gate valves" are located?

I look forward to the online discussion that will follow.

Please sign on to the SAR Diver forum to see what other public safety divers think and contribute your thoughts. The SAR Diver forum can be accessed at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SAR-Diver Forum registration is "free" but participation is restricted to public safety divers and industry professionals. We can also discuss this issue on SCUBABOARD but SAR-Diver may have broader opinions.

The bottom line is we ALL have a need to pre-plan.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO OTHERS WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM THIS TYPE OF DISCUSSION.

Blades Robinson, Director
Dive Rescue International
www.DiveRescueIntl.com

 

[bridgediver]

I remember that one when it first came out. Its a tough one for sure!

I'm pretty sure that the guy died from exposure/hypothermia (not drowning) which would complicate the life over limb question so I'm not sure that providing air would have been much help in this instance.
-- its hard to predict when hypothermia is at its "killing" state and even before this point rough patient handling could be enough to push them over the edge. How long can you work an extrication before its too long? If they tore his leg off and he died they would no doubt get even worse critisim.
Catch 22 for sure

I feel for those guys. You can practice preplan and train for almost everything but there will always be something that will bite you in the ***. The frustration that they must've had... What it does underscore to me is the importance of the divers resting and being prepared to dive in case the need arises. These guys were caught off guard at one point - but it does happen to the best of us

 

[dittrimd]

It is interesting to hear the father talk about how nobody seemed to be working together or basically a lack of unified command. The biggest clusters I have been a part of were primarily becuase of a fundamental lack of unified command. To many chiefs of service not being able to collectively work together and bring about an effective course of action. If I had a dime for every hour I wasted on a large incident becuase of command's inablity to make decisions I would have the nicest dive gear around.

Maybe we all need some more NIMS training.

Mark D.

 

[BladesRobinson]

Maybe we all need some more NIMS training.

I must point out that last year DRI began offering a Water Operations Officer Development (WOOD) course that provides ICS training and also trains supervisors how to better manage waterbourne operations. There are several WOOD programs listed on the training calendar but if one is not offered in your region, there is an opportunity to host a program and a number of your teammates can attend at no charge. Check out: Dive Rescue International - Supplying Water Rescue Training and Equipment

WOOD program information follows:

Water Operations Officer Development
Dive Rescue International’s Water Operations Officer Development training is designed to build student's skill path to water incident command. Topics covered include:

• Utilizing incident management system for water rescue
• Performing incident assessment at a simulated emergency situation
• Creating written incident objectives for a water emergency event
• Listing strategic and tactical considerations for various emergency water situations
• Determining management position requirements for water rescue events
• Demonstrating the expansion and contraction of Incident Management System to meet the needs of the incident
• Discussing tactics for large and small-scale events
• Demonstrating resource deployment, personnel accountability, logistics management, and implementation of tactics at a simulated rescue event
• Performing risk management activities

This course takes incident command principles and applies them to large and small-scale water rescue scenes. Students participate in incident command scenarios and make risk management decisions. Through practice during scenario execution and discussion students prepare for incidents of various magnitudes where the local NIMS-based ICS may transition to Unified Command.

Duration - 3 days (24 hours)
Recommended for - Emergency services personnel responding to diving and surface incidents
Prerequisites - Member of a public safety agency and at least 18 years old

 

[Yotsie]

While watching the video, a FFM is the first thing I thought of while the officer was holding the victims head up. I was amazed to see some guys simply standing around scratching their heads. I agree, we have the luxury of "Monday morning quarterbacking" it. I'm of the school of thought that someone, regardless of rank, should take "the bull by the horns" and try something. Using a piece of heavy machinery upstream to create an eddy and/or divert water flow was another idea as I watched.

I'm sure others have more ideas....

Out here in Cali, ICS is king.... I spent a week going through and ICS 300/400 course. Good stuff...Fire, Police/Sheriff, EMS all on the same page and "Agency Having Authority" is never an issue.

And now for my guiltless plug for DRI....Hosting a class does take some work, but the payoff is the top notch instruction you and your team will receive in return. The DRI staff is extremely easy to work with and will do everything in their power to make it easy for you.