rescue me

[wheelietaco]

I am looking to become a search and recovery diver, for accidents. What classes would that consist of, and who would i need to contact for joing rescue teams or just be on a list to call when they need help?

 

[lisa_j]

I think you might have to be an EMT and a volunteer fire fighter? Maybe I'm making that up??

I would contact the local FD and see what they might have to say.
Good luck!

 

[El Orans]

Have you looked here?

Public Safety Divers

 

[The Kraken]

Or you may have to be associated with the local law enforcement agency first.

the K

 

[MikeFerrara]

While there are some volunteer teams that are exceptions, in most cases, you need to already be on the police or fire department.

I know some teams that mistakenly take on divers with only entry level training and othere that require some pretty extensive training specific to public safety diving. Also, some of the public safety diving training organizations require you to be on or at least sponsored by a municiple department like police or fire.

This kind of diving isn't for the inexperienced diver or the faint of heart and getting mixed up with the wrong team can even get you killed!

 

[cyklon_300]

...getting mixed up with the wrong team can even get you killed!

Mike F hit this squarely on the head. I joined a local volunteer recovery team thinking I was going to be able to gain knowledge from highly-trained, highly-experienced divers. Far from the reality...it was basically a collection of OW vacation divers who were challenged by even fundamental diving skills such as buoyancy and non-silting finning.

Some of our training exercises were near-calamities. We could have easily ended up practicing recovery of our own team members' bodies. The two call-outs that I participated in were grossly embarrassing for the lack of coordination and expertise displayed. Luckily, no one was injured or killed. Resigning was decision that I should have made much sooner.

Volunteer groups may not be your best bet; if they don't demonstrate adequate competency, I'd avoid becoming one of their members.

 

[pasley]

Consider where these search and rescue divers typically dive, under bridges where due to the constrictions of the bridge supports the current is swift, sewage settlement ponds, regular ponds, rivers and quarries, mine shafts, wells and lakes where depths may exceed recreational limits (as in a search here in California) with very limited visibility if any looking for bodies or parts there of. Weather, any type and nay time of the day (rescues don’t wait) but normally it is not a rescue, by the time you get there and suited up it is a recovery. As already stated, check out the public safety forum. My hats off to those guys.

 

[nauifins73]

checkout www.lsur.org One of the 1st and best teams in the Country.

 

[MikeFerrara]

There is also the MTRT (I think they're called) "Midwest Technical Search and Recovory Team" I don't know anything about them other than what it states on their website but they are a volunteer organization that assists municipal teams in deep or overhead environments. Municipal teams generally aren't trained or equiped for that. The IUCRR is another one "International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovory"...I think I got that right. Training is available to cave divers and often is scheduled with other cave diving functions. I think they have members and coordinators in most states but you can check that out on their web site.

 

[cleung]

Take the Rescue Diver course.