Idea for accountability

[sharpenu]

Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum, since it does not discuss an actual incident, but prevention of potential ones.

In the fire department, there is a system being used called a personnel accountability system (PAS), the goal of which is to track firefighters located in an IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health) environment. Understandably, it is easy for incident command to lose track of firefighters in the chaotic environment of an incident. After years of study and experience, several useful systems have been developed that allow the incident commander (IC) to safely track the location and status of crewmembers on the scene.

The fire departments in this area have gone with a system that I feel could be easily adapted to use by dive operators in tracking divers.

Each diver would have a tag with a personal identifier on it, one that is particular to that diver. Be it a nuimber or the divers name. As each diver enters the water, his tag is placed on a tracking board, along with the time he/she entered the water. On SI, the tag is moved to the SI portion of the board, along with the time.

You think this would help, or is this unneeded clutter? Better only for rec, or tec, or not needed? Thoughts?

 

[zboss]

Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum, since it does not discuss an actual incident, but prevention of potential ones.

In the fire department, there is a system being used called a personnel accountability system (PAS), the goal of which is to track firefighters located in an IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health) environment. Understandably, it is easy for incident command to lose track of firefighters in the chaotic environment of an incident. After years of study and experience, several useful systems have been developed that allow the incident commander (IC) to safely track the location and status of crewmembers on the scene.

The fire departments in this area have gone with a system that I feel could be easily adapted to use by dive operators in tracking divers.

Each diver would have a tag with a personal identifier on it, one that is particular to that diver. Be it a nuimber or the divers name. As each diver enters the water, his tag is placed on a tracking board, along with the time he/she entered the water. On SI, the tag is moved to the SI portion of the board, along with the time.

You think this would help, or is this unneeded clutter? Better only for rec, or tec, or not needed? Thoughts?

You are assigned a diver number for the day... the diver calls out his number when s/he gets in the water and calls ot out when they are back on the boat. The DM checks off a box in both cases.

 

[DandyDon]

DAN offers this system to operators. I've seen the boards, but the operators weren't bothering to use them.

Wish the Coast Guard would require their use by all!

 

[aquaoren]

DAN offers this system to operators. I've seen the boards, but the operators weren't bothering to use them.

Wish the Coast Guard would require their use by all!

Weren't these boards and tags even free of charge?

 

[DandyDon]

Weren't these boards and tags even free of charge?

I just called DAN. They are still available, and still FREE! Their web site...

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/industry/dids.asp

...says they are free to Business members, but they are actually free to any operator. Shipped free in the U.S. Foreign operators just pay for freight and customs fees.

We need to start bugging the boat operators. Her's the brochure and sign-up form. I'm gonna' start carrying copies and pressuring operaots....

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/industry/DIDSOrderForm.pdf

 

[cool_hardware52]

Little is really new in this world, they been doing the tag method in coal mines forever. Prodecures and systems can be "perfect" People are not, no real use if the operators won't use em.


Regards,



ch

 

[Rick Murchison]

I've seen several variations on the tag system tried. It all boils down to this: If one person is put in charge of keeping track of the system and that person does not dive and that person has no other duties during the entry/exit of any diver - the system works. If more than one person is responsible (especially the divers themselves), or if the person responsible is diving or if the person responsible has other duties that could conflict during diver entry/exit, the system always eventually breaks down.
Rick

 

[nwdiver2]

I use that type of tracking system on my boat with up to 12 divers aboard. It is a white board with 12 spaces each with a divers name in it and a number, each diver has a numbered disk clipped to his BC on entry (this is taken from a peg beside their name on the board) by the DM then the disk is replaced on the board when they exit the water; with a glace the DM or I can see who’s aboard and whose still in the water. It is essential in the northwest for drift dives. If the DM is diving I am then responsible for the tags.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Most operators around here use a simple system. It consists of a clipboard and paper. On the paper you write the buddy teams, and the starting gas pressure for each diver. When the diver boards the boat after the dive, you write their ending pressure.

One glance at the clipboard tells you whether someone's missing or not. The boat doesn't leave till everyone's ending pressure is recorded.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[cornfed]

You think this would help, or is this unneeded clutter? Better only for rec, or tec, or not needed?

The DAN tags mentioned are really small. You can clip them off and not worry about them. One of the operators I use in NC has them and I think it's a nice touch.