New Set-up Recreational and Rescue Diving

[tbone1004]

If you've seen decomposed bodies, you'd want as much protection and decon as you can get.

seen bodies in early stages of decon, but thankfully they're in cold fresh water so decon should be decelerated a bit. Either way, if that is the type of scenario they plan to be around, the department should be footing that bill, as that is not equipment that would provide dual function with recreational

 

[tbzep]

TBZEP, that is one thing I don't have to worry about, or at least shouldn't have to. In our jurisdiction, the Sheriff's Office will handle recoveries and private groups will handle vehicles. tbone1004, you are correct we won't touch that stuff. The extent of our diving would be first response to attempt a save.

Bryan, thank you so much for the video's, that will help a lot.

If the SO recovers bodies, they can also recover evidence. If private divers recover vehicles, there isn't much left for your team. I guess you can recover people's boat anchors they forgot to tie off.

 

[tbzep]

By the time you put on your gear and do a "buddy check", (PSD recommends doing a neuro check too), there isn't much chance on rescue. That's assuming you are already on scene at the time of drowning. You are POC, so that means you have to travel to the station or to the location. Your only shot at reviving is during cold weather months. It just seems to me you are providing a redundant service.

That said, if your goal is to be a long range lifeguard, any pre-assembled BCD and simple regulator should work well. I've been told that Sherwood regs are rugged and are easy to maintain within the dept.

 

[joemamswetsuit]

tbzep, I hear what you are saying. Most of the time it is going to be an ice fisherman, kid wandering onto the ice, or a snowmobiler who went through that we are going to have any chance of saving. Since we are semi-rural we are the first response, and sometimes doing what we do is just enough for the families so they know that we did all we could, even if it is hopeless.

 

[tbzep]

tbzep, I hear what you are saying. Most of the time it is going to be an ice fisherman, kid wandering onto the ice, or a snowmobiler who went through that we are going to have any chance of saving. Since we are semi-rural we are the first response, and sometimes doing what we do is just enough for the families so they know that we did all we could, even if it is hopeless.

Understood. You need gear for cold water, which to me, still means a drysuit, warm undergarments, and full mask. It does free you up to warmer and more comfortable suits (and more expensive), though. Ice diving brings on its own issues in addition to the usual conditions PS divers deal with. Stay safe, get training, and keep training in a safe manner.

 

[diversteve]

Don't get an Aqualung Axiom with an I3. It's an over complication of what is a very simple, standard inflator that then requires all service/parts be done thru your dealer using proprietary AL parts - I'm guessing that's not cheap...just so you can push a lever to go up/down.

I have a Ranger LTD. Mostly the difference between it and the standard Ranger is a little more padding and the Zipmount so you can zip accessories in under the wings. Although you can add that to a standard Ranger also. My buddy also paid $40 or so for a lumbar pad - standard on mine. I think mine has a few more d-rings also but most go unused.

Zeagle also makes a line of BC's specifically for PSD's - the 911 and the SAR. The difference seems to be:

Identical to the 911, except for the addition of a permanently installed lifting harness for helicopter, cliff or swiftwater work.

Zeagle 911
Zeagle Sar

 

[KevinNM]

tbzep, I hear what you are saying. Most of the time it is going to be an ice fisherman, kid wandering onto the ice, or a snowmobiler who went through that we are going to have any chance of saving. Since we are semi-rural we are the first response, and sometimes doing what we do is just enough for the families so they know that we did all we could, even if it is hopeless.

If you are doing under ice rescues (and people in cold water can remain neurologically intact much longer that in warm) you need the right gear and training. Under ice diving is overhead diving. There is only one way out, and if you get a problem you must make it back to that spot or drown. Under ice regs freeze, the wrong regs freeze more, some a LOT more. And a frozen reg free flows and can empty your tank in remarkably little time, so you need to have a plan, training and equipment that is suitable for that kind of diving.

Being able to arrive and deploy fast enough to do rescues and not compromise team safety will be really difficult and will require lots of practice in doing this.

 

[FinnMom]

Thanks, tbone. Most of the water we will be diving in will be public lakes, possibly a quarry. I would expect the majority of our dives to be outside of the ice season, but wanted the ability to ice dive if necessary. The LDS told us we could get away with Semi-Dry suits, but maybe I need to rethink that.

You need drysuits. An excellent wetsuit can keep you warm in very cold water, but stripping to don/doff is a pain, being wet to the skin is a pain and standing around in even a slightly cool environment after getting wet is no go. You need to be able to put people in and out of the water or have them stand around for 2 hours without their lips going blue.

You will almost surely need to occasionally dive in water that isn't clean enough that anyone would voluntarily dive it. If nothing else, just because of leeches. This is another reason you should really have not only drysuits, but possibly a polyurethane suit that can withstand filth & grease and does not easily take on odors. The Pursuit Pursuit · · Ursuit for example is a prefectly nice suit for normal diving too. Dirty water as well as safety & practicality is why these teams often have full face masks and communication systems too.

Talk to the pros to get your equipment and training sorted, and know your limitations. Doing this kind of work without practising it a lot & on a very regular basis is an amazingly easy way to get hurt.

BTW I also think you want wings, not BCDs. And very like typical fireman tanks that are much smaller, higher pressure and easier to turn on/off. Talk to the pros in the PSDiving field to plan your gear, not to someone who wants to sell you something.

 

[Octopusprime]

I would contact Mike or Chris With DiveRightInScuba.com. They are on here to...They do a lot of public safety diving. Here is my 2 cents... First with your water and air temps go with dry suit. it is not just about the water temps but what happens when you get out of the water. With a good dry suit you can adapt it to all conditions. 2nd with the dry suit replaceable seals is a MUST. If you blow a seal your dive is over. much better if you can surface swap out a seal without taking off the suit and get right back in.

Many of the dive teams I know use integrated power inflator/octo. much less likely to get tangled and it is always close.