New Public Safety Diver.

[cjklotz]

Hello All,
I was just selected as the newest member of my Sheriff's Department dive team. It is a on call team. We dive in mostly 0 vis or close to zero vis. I am currently only PADI Open Water Advanced I know I have a ton of learning in the classroom and outside before I am ready for my first call out. I am looking for any suggestions from you seasoned pros as I go through this process.

 

[Omisson]

Go take the ERDI courses.... Take them now BEFORE you start diving for Public Safety!


Dan-O

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---------- Post added April 29th, 2014 at 02:58 PM ----------

It will give you a huge inside track


Dan-O

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[Lake Hickory Scuba]

Hey there cjklotz, as a team leader and Instructor for 3 Public Safety Dive Teams, I will give you the best advise that I can, get trained, get trained, get trained, then go diving, go diving, go diving, then get more training, get more training, get more training, and go diving, go diving, go diving, then repeat. After 20 years in the Industry (both diving and Public Service), I still learn something new every day. The teams that I run, with the exception of one, train on a weekly basis in one way or another. All 3 teams are volunteer and have a true passion for what they do. Our teams are not, for the most part, just guys who like to put on gear and think that we are "GODS." That is the quickest way for someone to get hurt. Our teams, myself included, learn from each other and we don't see rank (certification level) as a way to rate our divers. We consider ourselves as a TEAM, not and Instructor and a bunch of Open Water Divers. We work together as 1 unit, and even work mutual aid with other departments for the Public's safety and security. Unfortunately, there are some teams and even the occasional team member in our area that has the mentality that his / her badge is shiner than ours, simply because they have stripes on their shoulder or wear a bar or two on their collar. Members like these is what will ruin a team and endanger team members and the Public. Welcome to world of Public Safety Diving, and let me know if you ever having any questions.

 

[cjklotz]

Thanks guys. I will be taking several ERDI courses before I do any diving for the team. It will be somewhere around 3 years before I am fully ready to go. We don't get to train weekly but, we do train monthly, even through the winter up here. I am ready to learn as much as possible. We all know that S.C.U.B.A. has inherent risks. I am not seeking to amplify any of those (for me or other divers) by going into a situation ill prepared.

 

[sheeper]

the ERDI course will work very well for you. Some good stuff.

 

[fiziks]

While I too urge you to get training, I have to ask, doesn't your team have a training program? Or do they pay for or offset some of the cost for new member training? How do they determine when you are ready for a callout and who makes that decision?

 

[Jim-SAR]

Ditto to the others' input. Get ERDI training and dive. Make sure you serve as a Tender before you start with PSD. There is a lot of info you need to know, and the divers depend upon their tenders to get them back to the shore safely.

Good Luck!


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[cjklotz]

The team has a training program. They cover the cost of my training however, it takes time to get it to work with everybody's schedule. I will be doing the training outside of my normal patrol duties. I will be able to go on calls as my training and experience permits (O.I.C. makes that call) but mostly line tending as my training and experience builds. I will also dive during team training dives. I know I have a lot of work ahead but I am still pumped!

 

[sheeper]

In addition to PSD specific training from ERDI, another important thing that I see too many PSDs ignore is just to dive a lot! The better and more experienced diver you are, the better a PSD you will become.
I have seen too many PSDs with horrible basic dive skills simply because they don't dive enough to hone them.

 

[Apostasy]

Hi cjklotz, Apostasy here. Aside from a few particulars, I am in the same boat as you (metaphorically speaking). Add to that that I just signed up for this board and that this is my very first post.

The DRT I serve with is not affiliated with the local SD, although some of us are LEO's. Ours is a volunteer team overseen by state EMA and Homeland Security.

New members serve for a year as shore tech/tender before the team picks up the tab for any training, although they can pay for training on their own dime during the probationary period. After a year of good attendance for team meetings, training sessions, and call-outs, the team gets them trained and issues gear. I signed on early last year and tended for two of our three call-outs last summer (I was out of town at my 25-year high school reunion for the third). I am currently certified for OW, Drysuit Specialist, and PSD through NAUI, and Level I Swift Water Rescue through TARS. Thankfully we have (so far) not had any call-outs this year.

New as I am to all this, I will reiterate what has already been said here: Get as much water time as you can. My buddy and I joined the team at the same time and went through our training and certs together. We have been logging 2-3 dives a week at local quarries on our own since we got our OW certs (33 logged dives so far), both to hone our skills and to get familiar with our gear configurations, and it definitely helps. We are planning to keep this up for the foreseeable future.

Like you, I'm here looking for advice, hints, and suggestions from the veterans of the field.