Alan is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in general studies, a minor in Scuba Diving, and a master’s degree in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Administration. He became a Divemaster through the WIU Scuba program and has assisted many students learning to dive and how to improve on skills as they progressed through the program. Alan has been diving since 2007 and started working for the McDonough County Sheriff’s Department Dive Rescue Team shortly after completing his Open Water Certification. He would eventually work his way up to become one of the Assistant Commanders, and the team would later reform as the Western Illinois Dive Rescue and Underwater Recovery Team. He also has years of experience with towing and recovery operations from managing his family’s business Cale’s Towing, and he now teaches underwater rigging and recovery through ERDI. Alan served as a Military Police Officer from 2005 to 2019, with a deployment to Afghanistan, and disaster relief missions to Puerto Rico & the Mississippi River.
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Building Your Professional Save-a-Dive Kit
How is the save-a-dive kit you use when teaching different from the kit you rely on for your own dives? Join one of our instructors as he shares how his kit has evolved over the years and shaped what he recommends to students for their own save-a-dive kits.
A Deep Dive Into Public Safety Dive Training – Long Term Planning
Join Dr. Thomas Powell and Alan Cale as they chat about all things public safety diving. They're doing a deep dive into public safety diving long-term planning. While things might be slow in the current COVID19 times, there are still things we can do while the world is on pause.
The Recipe for the Perfect Dive
When you think about diving or try to explain diving to a non-diver cooking might not be the first comparison that comes to mind. However, we’ve crafted up the recipe you’ll need for the perfect dive. Go from prep to underwater with these six recipe cards.
Meme-be you are the Problem
Attention scuba industry keyboard heroes, aka social media trolls. Okay, yeah that’s a bit harsh, but we need to take a moment to address something we’ve noticed on social media lately. The truth is we can all be better, and none of us are perfect divers every moment of every dive. So why do we act like it when another diver posts photos or videos online?
Becoming an ERDI Supervisor with Prior Experience
Ready for the next step in your public safety career? Why not become an ERDI Supervisor? Learn more about this certification and role from one of our Training and Membership Services staff members Alan.
Taking an ERDI course with prior experience
Do you work on a public safety team? Have you considered ERDI training but are unsure it’s worth it? An ITI Headquarters staff member with prior public-safety dive team experience just went through the ERD I course. He now shares his thoughts on the course and how it can help ALL members of a public safety team.
“I just received a kit that I didn’t order”
From time to time our Training and Membership Services team gets a call from a confused dealer. They have just gotten a package they didn't order and want to make sure they aren't being charged for it at full retail price to boot! We're clearing up why this happens and hopefully calming your nerves while we're at it.
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