How does your team respond?

[bobcoop06]

As a PSD, you've gotta keep your equipment ready for a quick response. Having all volunteer teams here, it can kind of a challenge sometimes to divers and their equipment to a scene. So how do you do it? What way works best for your teams and your response procedures?

As a fire department team, all of our equipment stays at the station. We have an area where all of our equipment is stowed. Whoever is responding grabs their bag and puts it on the truck. We have a pickup truck ('08 F150) that we use for water rescues that general equipment (tanks, ropes, etc) stays on. Being on a lake, our boat stays in the water and we just respond to the boat. We also have a smaller jon boat on a trailer for use in the rivers, wetlands, etc.

For the County team, everybody carries their personal equipment in their vehicles. The coordinator drives a truck that carries the extra tanks, ropes, extra equipment and such. There's also a trailer full of equipment for dive team responses.


How do you all do it?

(PS- I apologize if this is an old topic that has previously been talked about. I looked but couldn't find it!)

 

[Gary D.]

Our gear is in our rigs 24-7-365. We have access to roughly 8-10 boats around the county that are on the water. We have 4 SD boats on CdA Lake one on a northern lake with more to be added soon. We also have several fire boats ready to go whenever we need them. Most are on the water all year long.

As far as BU gear goes it will come from the Marine Building later.

Gary D.

 

[ditch-diver]

As a PSD, you've gotta keep your equipment ready for a quick response.

We gotta?? Sorry, no quick response here. We are strictly recovery. With team members spread over 150 miles, it is impossible for us to be there in time. There is a set of rescue divers with the Coast Guard who are straight rescue. When they fail, we are called in for recovery and investigation

 

[Anti-Hero]

We have 3 response rigs, that carry all the gear, 1 boat, and access to several fire / police boats on the local waters.

 

[Siilverback]

We are spread throughout the County. For a call out our supervisors can deny our individual response due to low manpower. We then have to go to our residences get our gear while another team member goes and gets our bus that has additional gear and extra tanks. We average an hour from initial call out until we arrive on scene. It sucks but its the best we can do right now. We are low on the pole but no one else would do what we do.

 

[Yotsie]

We are also a strictly recovery unit only. The team members are assigned at various facilities throughout our county. When we get a cal out, a text message with details and a Nextel group talk announcement is made. Our gear is store in a 20’ Wells Cargo toy hauler we converted into a dive trailer for all of our gear. The pull vehicle is a 2006 Chevy extended cab 2500HD 4X4. This truck/trailer combo is stored in a bay at the Sheriff’s Department hanger at the airport (centrally located in our county).

Team members respond to the hanger, get briefed on the particulars of the mission as they are known at the time and we respond as a group from there. On some cases, I will respond directly to the scene for size up and formulating a plan.

All of our gear is provided by the department (long, hard battle, but we got there) so it is all in the trailer, ready to go.

 

[BladesRobinson]

Indian River County (FL) Fire Rescue keeps four units assembled on the dive truck and two unit unassembled on the primary dive boat. Each diver is issued a set of personal equipment that they keep in a gear bag that they put on the truck or boat as needed. Additionally, every engine company is equipped with PFDs, a rope bag for water rescue, a throw bag, a chest harness, quick release snap shackle and a set of mask, fins and snorkel. We have three shifts and 11 divers assigned per shift. At least three divers are assigned to the dive station (truck & boat) and the rest are spread around the county for fast response.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

It depends a little bit on if its summer or winter. we are all volunteer, recovery team only, supply our own gear, and live in the largest county (square miles) in Minnesota so response time is usually slow.

I got a page last summer during the morning hours of work, asked for permission to leave at lunch (take half day off). came home and had a good meal, packed up gear, drove to the sheriffs dept, loaded equipment in the dive vehicle, waited for a couple other people whom I was expecting around the same time, drove to the scene, waited 2 hrs while SAR towed the fish around (no last scene point...), had a few hits that couldn't be identified, sent down an ROV which couldn't see anything cause viz was zero, geared up, jumped in. total I bet it was 7 or 8hrs after the call that I finally got wet. The guy floated the next day far away from the search area in about 8 feet of water tangled in weeds.

In the winter there is usually a known location cause someone left a big hole in the ice so we get wet sooner but usually people are busy setting up a command post, hooking up the comms, and what not so that when the recovery is made everything is all ready to go. I have yet to do an ice recovery so I cant say for sure but I bet a minimum of 2-4hrs after the call when someone gets wet.

We are recovery only and have some strict protocols about how many divers have to be on scene to even do the dive. usually there is a briefing about how best to tackle the situation where people can voice concerns or make suggestions. Its not a fast paced rescue situation but you wouldn't find anyone around that would do that anyway for free I dont think.

 

[DiveOps257]

My Fire Dept. staffs 2 rescue units with 2 sets of dive gear and 1 rapid entry system. Each unit is staffed 24/7/365 with at least 1 diver in the 2 man crew. We also have every engine/quint/battalion van equipped with rapid entry systems and PFD's. We have 3 shifts with 5 diver's on staff per shift to account for Kelley days/vacations/sick time/what-have-you. Every diver keeps their personal gear (i.e. suit/mask/fins/etc) with them at all times on duty. Both rescues with dive gear respond to all calls when available (at least 1 at all times) and all divers on shift respond with their respective units. Our team coordinators are paged out at home when not on shift. Our department is strictly rescue oriented as we leave recovery for our PD units to process evidence. So far its worked out nicely for our department.

 

[novicediver]

The Denver metro area has what is called the Metro Dive Team which consists of Westminster, West Metro, and South Metro Fire Department members. Each department has their own dive van and I believe each have a Zodiac. (I am not a member of either dept so do not quote me on that aspect) The Denver Fire Department has their own dive team and are also now doing joint training with the Metro Dive Team and will respond to any surrounding department if they are asked.