Ive been a PSD with the department I work for sense October 1976. I was only one of two divers not employed full-time by the department and the only reason I got on was because of my Navy diving history. I was a dog handler and a reserve with the department.
Back then we didnt have issued cars. On our off duty time our personal vehicles were equipped with lights, radio and siren. But no more as we all have our own issue vehicles.
I went full time in 1983. I have been in-charge of the team in the past for several years but I would rather leave that job to someone else.
Today we have NO civilian members. It is just to hard to control them, deal with their employers, work out gear and insurance problems and make training mandatory.
We are a team authorized for paid 10 members. The department purchases all equipment because to be on a rescue team ALL the gear NEEDS TO BE STANDARDAZIED. What in my patrol car is all personally owned except my suit as my gear conforms to policy. That gear can be used by the diver for anything but commercial work.
A few years ago we opened up the team to outside agencies. We had people knocking down our doors trying to get on. It was something like 40 or 50 wanting to get on so the weeding out process started. Lucky for us, not the victims, we had a month from hell.
To make a long story short we had 2 serious accidents the kept us busy for a solid month nearly 24-7. Never went in to do police work, just dive. Believe me, it gets old after a while. All in all we recovered 4 bodies and worked two murder investigations that had nothing to do with the 4 recoveries.
When that month was over our applicant list went from a busload to not being able to fill all the seats in a compact car. We picked up one.
About 10 or 15 of the applicants were on scene when we found a fisherman that had been missing for 16 month by accident. I could smell him underwater so you can imagine what he smelt like when he surfaced. That recovery is on video for those who can meet up with AquaDog or me. Do not ask for a copy. I do not want the family to accidentally see it, which I think you will understand.
PSD diving is like Solo diving. If you have to ask someone if youre ready to do it, youre not.
Some people think that taking a Rescue course makes them a rescue diver. It does, but youre not a PSD. Trust me, those courses are only geared at teaching you more about yourself and how to better handle yourself in the water. It does not qualify you for PSD work.
PSD training comes from several agencies. We are all as a minimum DSR-1 through Dive Rescue International. These classes are taxing and expensive so they are not for everyone.
You cant just go diving day in and day out and think youre getting ready for the PSD business. It takes lots of training over a long period of time. Only half of our team is allowed to do most of what we do. The other half is still guided through some of the problems.
Our last two years have been slow but some years have resulted in each of us hitting the water over 100 times in a callout situation. For activity like that you cant try and hold down a civilian job.
We are strict. But in the 28 years Ive been with this department we have only had two minor accidents. Both of those were on the surface and were treated and released.
We work in a very different world where we dont have the luxury of getting plenty of sleep before a dive. Or planning your dive and diving your plan. We have to rely on computers to keep us safe. We didnt use them for a lot of years but the sure have made it safer for us when we started using them.
With enough training and Proper and correct practice you can arrive on scene and be in the water in less than 3 minutes which includes the pre-dive briefing.
PSDs arent anything special. We are just divers that are extremely comfortable in the water and have a calling to do a job most people dont want to do.
The team is one of the things keeping me from retiring from the department. Not only am I the oldest member but nobody on the team was born when I started diving and I have fun with that. They show up with Depends and I pull out the Pampers.
Its a good profession but a deeply dedicated one that you can not do just for the hell of it. If your not dedicated it will turn on you like a Cobra.
I laugh about it. I cry about it. But I love it.
Gary D.
