Mythbusters FD vs. PD cooperation

[dittrimd]

Ok so I just had to post one of the best dive training opportunities I have been part of in a while. Here in Connecticut we have all types of PSD teams. My team is an all volunteer FD regional based team. Some of our response area overlaps another dive team which is a regional PD team. "CREST" or Capital Region Emergency Service Team has a dive team as well as a SWAT team. Basically they are town cops from various towns that come together to form this dive team. We have known about each other for some time but finally got around to drilling together today.

This morning we cut two holes in Coventry lake and did a joint training ice dive drill. In a word these guys were great. Both sides were open and excited to see what each other had for capability. It was nice to see we share a lot or the same gear and techninques. One big plus is they use AGA masks and wired OTS comms just like us so it is a seamless transition for us to dive together. I think both teams were very impressed with each others operations. We had a huge turnout for a weekday drill almost 30 to 35 for each team showed up both divers and tenders. We put nine divers through evolutions had a really great time.

Sure there were a few jokes kicked around, they really loved reminding us they carry guns!! All kidding aside it was a tremendous opportunitity and I look forward to more training and possibly operations in the future. We had a lot of people taking pictures and I will be posting them on our teams website as soon as the become available.

Just goes to show you that it is possible for PD and FD to work together! I would say MYTH BUSTED!

Mark D.

 

[Gary D.]

You don't know how good that makes me feel. Now why can't the rest of the country get rid of the turf wars and work together.

It's never been a myth on our end. I think most of you already know how LEO's and Fire/Med work together out here. It should be very reasuring to the public that we don't spend our time fighting and spend it figuring out how to save their bacon.

Besides, my gun(s) shoot further than your hose and they don't go limp when their empty.

Gary D.

 

[erich k]

Good to see you are getting along. It has taken our multi fire agency dive rescue team to be accepted by county sheriff recovery team. County sheriff has jurisdiction of the waterways and had a hard time letting us (fire) hit the water in rescue situations. After a couple of calls with the Sheriff on scene and he saw our professionalism and performance things changed greatly. They are now calling us to interact with them. I think the main problem was politics and with me being a volunteer doing something I enjoy, I told a deputy once that I would have no problem telling a camera that the Sheriff would not let me do my job due to turf and politics. It would be no skin off my back but it surely would screw up an election. All is well and we DO all need to work for that one cause.
Erich K

 

[dittrimd]

Erich,

I am surprised to hear that your sheriff would not let the FD team do rescue. Does that mean the sheriff dive team is a rescue dive team? Here in CT the law clearly gives the fire chief or ranking fire official for that town the authority over police in an emergency situation that does not involve an active violent crime. Car accidents are where most of the pissing contests take place. FD shuts down a major road to protect the scene and the PD freak becuase they have a traffic nightmare to deal with.

Of the police dive teams in CT that I am aware of the are recovery only. I am not aware of any police dive teams that do rescue but that does not mean the do not exist. For the most part it is left to the fire departments if they so choose to have a dive rescue team. I find it so fascinating all the different dynamics there are all around the US and the world. Thanks for the post.

Mark D.

 

[Randy43068]

I'd love to be on a dive team. I'm a fully commissioned police officer but there aren't many dive teams around here in the Columbus area.

 

[Gary D.]

I'd love to be on a dive team. I'm a fully commissioned police officer but there aren't many dive teams around here in the Columbus area.

You'd think Columbus would have a large dive team. Especially after all of his ships sank.

Get busy and document a need for one and spear head it. We all started out yelling at brick walls before they started breaking down and listening.

Gary D.

 

[p1medicshawn]

It's great to be able to cross traing with the FD! I especially like it when they have a hot meal waiting for us when we return from an ice recovery!! Just kidding. Cross training is a very valuable resource that I find does not get utilized enough. Keep up the good work and have that 5 alarm chili waiting!!!

 

[ffdiver]

Its nice to see other FD teams getting love from the LEO teams. We don't speak to eachother in my neck of the woods. Its a shame alot of good ideas and great training could be done with both teams but what are your going to do? Ya know?

 

[Gary D.]

We don't speak to eachother in my neck of the woods.

That sucks big time. We went through that way back when Christ was a corporal. Everyone had their turf wars and it took a lot of work to get it to where we are today.

Many years ago we had a long exhausting difficult search for one of our local Firemen that brought was all a lot closer. We are all out there working towards the same goal so we need to work together as one team.

Do you know what the problems are? Primadona syndrome? Turf jurisdiction? Media Hogs? Money? Find out and try to work on it.

Gary D.

 

[dittrimd]

In my experience it seems to be more about paid vs. volunteer rather than FD vs. PD. I understand that the FD union reps would love to see every single town a fully staffed paid department but the reality is that financially this is never going to happen. Several paid FD's in my area seem almost anti-volunteer. The local union prohibits the paid guys from volunteering in the hometowns. I have heard the whole medical insurance/workmans comp argument and it does not fly but that is another topic for another forum.

I also think there is a perception that becuase an organization is paid they are going to be better than a volunteer orgainization. The assumption is that paid organizations have better funding and becuase it is their "JOB" they are more professional and take it more serious than some "weekend-warrior-volley-whacker-wanna-be".

This is a real misnomer on all fronts. I am not saying it does not happen but it is the exception rather than the rule. In my case since my FD is volunteer and we do not pay salaries we are able to invest more into the department. That is why my department has some of the best funded water rescue divers in our county. Now this is not always the case other volunteer departments are strapped for cash and can make supporting a diver real difficult but in the end our team is just as well trained, epuiped for our job and professional as any paid organization.

The feedback I recieved from several of the LEO's I spoke with at our drill was one of surprise at just how well organized, equiped and trained we were. At the critique of the drill it was discussed that we should do more training together and that if they needed assistance on a prologed recovery that they would not hessitate to call us.

Like I said in the original post truly a great experience they were a great group of guys and I look forward to working with them in the future.

Mark D.