I am an Acting Captain for a 84-man suppression F.D. in S. Ontario. Our city is bisected by the Otonabee River, where numerours water flow control dams exist. There is also a small lake ( or a VERY wide portion of the river! ) within our response district. Currently we are providing Level 3 water rescue service, though our current o.g. states that "no underwater operations will be carried out".
A little history. Years ago we had a "Dive Team" ( prior to my joining the dept. ) of a dozen or so lads. Their mandate was limited to body recovery, as they operated a "call-in" entity. Regretably, the team folded due to discrepencies in their training practices, and the fact that the O.P.P. provided body recovery Province-wide.
My Dept. has, for the last several years, added various technical rescue disciplines ( high angle, trench, confined space ) to the existing water rescue & haz-mat services. We recently moved to a "team" approach to providing these services, with 8 men per Platoon ( 4 Platoons ) trained to the "Ops. level" in all disciplines, and the remainder of the men trained to an operational support level.
What I'd like to do is add "Underwater Rescue" to our portfolio of rescue services.
Here is my idea:
> U/W rescue capability of limited scope, utilizing on-duty personel.
> Responses limited to witnessed drownings
> Strict search protocols, with limited area & time parameters
> 2 sets of enclosed, wall-mounted gear ( apparatus floor )
The focus would be quick deployment to the scene with a 4 man crew ( shore or boat ) - R.D. 1 ( patient search ), R.D. 2 ( Stby. diver ), line tender, Supervisor. A float w/ weighted line is deployed. R.D.-1 performs a circle search or sweep via search line, tethered to the float, to a max. radius 50'. If no patient is found, the search is terminated ( save for ice water conditions, where longer search times might prove worthy ). If the rapid search procedure fails to locate a patient, we stand down & call in a recovery team.
A few questions:
> Do any of you operate such a capability from your full-time dept.?
> If so, how do you operate?
> Equipment used?
> A written o.g. in place?
> Track record?
This idea is in it's infancy, though I have talked it up previously in other forums. At that time, my dept. showed no interest in the concept, & I backed off. A new Chief & an evolving service philosophy has encouraged me to continue the effort. What I'm looking for initially is opinions regarding the concept itself. I realize there are many pitfalls & operational complexities to address, but first I'd like your thoughts on the idea itself.
Any feedback proferred is much appreciated.
Regards,
Daniel J. Vale
Acting Captain
Peterborough F.S.
deepsea@rogers.com
dvale@peterborough.ca
A little history. Years ago we had a "Dive Team" ( prior to my joining the dept. ) of a dozen or so lads. Their mandate was limited to body recovery, as they operated a "call-in" entity. Regretably, the team folded due to discrepencies in their training practices, and the fact that the O.P.P. provided body recovery Province-wide.
My Dept. has, for the last several years, added various technical rescue disciplines ( high angle, trench, confined space ) to the existing water rescue & haz-mat services. We recently moved to a "team" approach to providing these services, with 8 men per Platoon ( 4 Platoons ) trained to the "Ops. level" in all disciplines, and the remainder of the men trained to an operational support level.
What I'd like to do is add "Underwater Rescue" to our portfolio of rescue services.
Here is my idea:
> U/W rescue capability of limited scope, utilizing on-duty personel.
> Responses limited to witnessed drownings
> Strict search protocols, with limited area & time parameters
> 2 sets of enclosed, wall-mounted gear ( apparatus floor )
The focus would be quick deployment to the scene with a 4 man crew ( shore or boat ) - R.D. 1 ( patient search ), R.D. 2 ( Stby. diver ), line tender, Supervisor. A float w/ weighted line is deployed. R.D.-1 performs a circle search or sweep via search line, tethered to the float, to a max. radius 50'. If no patient is found, the search is terminated ( save for ice water conditions, where longer search times might prove worthy ). If the rapid search procedure fails to locate a patient, we stand down & call in a recovery team.
A few questions:
> Do any of you operate such a capability from your full-time dept.?
> If so, how do you operate?
> Equipment used?
> A written o.g. in place?
> Track record?
This idea is in it's infancy, though I have talked it up previously in other forums. At that time, my dept. showed no interest in the concept, & I backed off. A new Chief & an evolving service philosophy has encouraged me to continue the effort. What I'm looking for initially is opinions regarding the concept itself. I realize there are many pitfalls & operational complexities to address, but first I'd like your thoughts on the idea itself.
Any feedback proferred is much appreciated.
Regards,
Daniel J. Vale
Acting Captain
Peterborough F.S.
deepsea@rogers.com
dvale@peterborough.ca