Things to Remember on Your First Call
No matter what, you will get some butterflies in your stomach and the thrill of a real world mission cannot cloud your need to remain a responsible team member.
Kiriman
Planning a Contaminated Water Dive
Diving in bodies of water known to hold contaminants can be dangerous and problematic. Planning must go into operations of this type and all parties should look for potential hazards and risks to mitigate problems.
How to Search and Recover Under the Ice
The truth about ice diving operations is that they are very similar to standard public safety dives, with the addition of problematic factors.
PSD Leadership and Training
PSD Leadership and Training
Training is the task that never ends. No matter how many times you have taken on a task with success, preparation for the worst demands that you keep working to master that task. In public safety diving, divers use skills that can and do degrade over time. The dangers associated with public safety diving only make continual training more essential.
Standardization
Historically, public safety divers were not trained by agencies. Teams were formed because needs developed within differing jurisdictions. Fire departments, law enforcement groups, rescue teams, and even EMS groups decided that dive capabilities were needed. Often, this need caused public safety organizations to allow recreational scuba divers within departments to take on departmental diving operations. The original divers figured out problems and developed protocols for those teams over the years. Eventually, the old hats began training the new divers once they were certified recreational divers. Eventually, liability and experience showed that teams needed to begin standardizing training methods. Agencies such as Emergency Response Diving International were created to help establish safe methods of training public safety divers.
As instructors were established for the realm of public safety diving, many were pulled from the active field of public safety divers. These men and women were experienced and could develop some of the best programs. Over time, courses were developed that would allow dive teams to respond to calls in an effective and responsible fashion. One problem that remained was the idea that “I have done this and do not need to learn more.” No matter how long we have trained and performed tasks, it is always worth a little time to watch and listen to the ideas of others. If nothing else, education such as this lets us learn new concepts or even see what will not work in certain field scenarios. Many team leaders out there have “been there and done that”. Similarly, the public safety dive community is one of tight jurisdictions, sensitive funding, and pride. These factors make leaders very defensive and protective of their teams and what they can do. Despite this, good training and innovative ideas are often what helps a team grow and garner an improved reputation based on successful operations. Essentially, the old idea that a team does not need to change what it does or learn something new must be overcome. Team success and safety is paramount to pride in all situations. The first method that must be used to overcome this old mindset is to lead from the front and drive a team into further training and improved capabilities.
Skill Sets
Team leaders often ask much of team members. Time, training, fitness, risk, and danger are all part of dive team operations. But what happens when the old hats take over? Does this mean that once you become the boss the busy work goes away? Is fitness less important? Is ability during operations less essential? A clear mind is important for any leader but so is a strong understanding of operational activities. What happens if a team learns a new skill set and implements that skill set in the field? Does a leader really understand what the team can do if he or she has not actively performed the same skills during training? The answer is no.
A leader must operate at the front of a team. He or she is the calm voice, the plan of action, the guide, and the field commander. That person must know what the team can do and how to do these things. The truth is that a leader can never just become the boss on the bank by the water. A true team leader must trust team members and train subordinates to take over. During training evolutions, a smart leader will become subordinate on occasion and let junior members take over. This creates a situation in which any member can perform any task required by a team. No matter what happens, the team will be able to operate and anyone can lead.
Too often in public safety diving does a team leader take over and he takes a seated leadership position. Being the boss does not mean it is time to stop worrying about fitness and ability. A true leader must be an example to junior team members. Skill sets do degrade over time in regard to diving. To remain competent, a diver must strap on gear and get wet. As new gear arrives, it must be tested and evaluated to make sure that it is effective and can be properly used during operations. If a leader stands next to the pool he will never know first-hand the true level of team capabilities. The person in charge must be able to show new divers why actions are important and perform those tasks on the level of an educator. A team leader may not be a dive professional, but in the realm of public safety diving he must operate as a professional diver.
Be a Leader
The future of any dive team lies in the competent and quality leadership of the team leader. The boss is the person who makes sure members have the gear needed to remain safe and be successful. The boss also makes sure the team is active and training on a proper level. The face of the team is seen in the leader. If you’re a diver who runs a team, take time and find a professional instructor who can help you grow and develop. Look at possibilities such as confined space training, swift water operations training, contaminated water training, or even basic full face mask or dry suit operations training. Work to become an example of strength and success while you work to help each team member develop. If you are a dive instructor who leads a team, expand you skills or bring in others who can help provide innovation. We all need to work together to accomplish a mission where glory is a misplaced desire. As a group, we can improve public safety diving and hopefully make operational diving safer for the men and women who get called out when it is cold and dark. Lead from the front and always work to become better.
Thomas Powell
Owner/Instructor Trainer – Air Hogs Scuba, Garner, NC
How Altitude Affects Public Safety Diving
When a public safety dive team is called to perform tasks at altitude, altitude factors associated with dive planning and profiles must be considered.
Getting the Most Out of Your PSD Tax Dollars
In addition to buying really cool dive gear, this method will introduce you to some of the most incredible people along the way. Fortunately, there is no shortage of crazy smart, talented, and dedicated individuals in the dive industry.
Buoyancy Compensators: Special Features Needed for HAZMAT Conditions
A lot of times we get focused on the personal protective equipment that keeps the diver encapsulated in hopes that the diver has reduced exposure to the materials they may come in contact with and we tend to forget about the other support ensemble and ancillary equipment that is also exposed to the same environments.
Black Water Search and Recovery Dive Training
Of all the diving performed by professional and commercial divers, black water diving has to be the most challenging on a purely psychological basis.
Guidelines of the National Fire Protection Association
by Darrell Adams:
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards have become the most widely accepted standards for agencies that are responsible for providing technical search and rescue services in the United States. These standards provide a framework to help agencies more effectively manage their operations, reasonably ensure they have competently trained personnel, and limit liability by conforming or adhering to consensus based standards that have been developed by the search and rescue community, product manufacturers, training organizations and other technical rescue professionals. The NFPA standards address many different professional qualifications for the technical rescue disciplines such as water rescue, rope rescue, confined space, vehicle and machinery extrication, and several more. There are NFPA standards that also cover other aspects like the health and safety of response personnel, as well as working equipment and the personal protective ensemble of the response personnel. NFPA standards are reviewed periodically to address the changes within the search and rescue communities’ methodology and to address manufacturer changes and advancements.
There are two standards that address the majority of the aspects of technical rescue with the first being the NFPA 1670 (Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents 2014 edition) standard that identifies and establishes the level of “functional capability” for organizations who respond to technical search and rescue incidents. The 1670 Standard outlines how to conduct technical rescue operations safely and effectively while minimizing risk to rescuers. The 1670 Standard is intended to help the “Authority Having Jurisdiction” (AHJ) assess technical rescue hazards within a given response area, identify the level of operational capability, and establish guidelines for incident operations and training. Within this standard it addresses thirteen different technical rescue disciplines (Rope, Structural Collapse, Confine Space, Vehicle, Water, Wilderness, Trench, Machinery, Cave, Mine, Helicopter, Tower, and Animal Search and Rescue). An organization can determine the level of operational capability to each of these disciplines as they apply to their agency based on an individual needs assessment. These different levels of operational capability address specific concerns that are associated with the specific environments. Rope rescue however is one of those disciplines that blends and crosses over into the other disciplines and is not limited by environment. Therefore, it should be considered when an agency is developing programs in these other areas. The levels of operational capability for the disciplines in NFPA 1670 are listed as:
The Awareness Level that “represents the minimum capabilities of organizations that provide response in technical search and rescue incidents.”
The Operations Level that “represents the capability of organizations to respond to technical search and rescue incidents and to identify hazards, use equipment and apply limited techniques specific in this standard to support and participate in technical search and rescue incidents.”
The Technician Level that “represents the capability of organizations to respond to technical search and rescue incidents, to identity hazards, use equipment, and apply advanced techniques specified in this standard necessary to coordinate, perform, and supervise technical search and rescue incidents.”
The second standard is NFPA 1006 (Standard for Rescue Technician Professional Qualifications 2013 edition). This standard identifies the minimum job performance requirements (JPRs) for technical response personnel who perform technical rescue operations. This standard does not limit an organization on training but it does establish a “minimum level of competency for a rescuer” within each rescue discipline. It is aimed at the rescuer’s ability to demonstrate skill proficiency. The job performance requirements defined in chapter five “shall be met prior to being qualified as a technical rescuer relative to the discipline specific chapters.” The subject matter addressed in chapter five is: Site Operations, Victim Management, Maintenance, and Ropes/Rigging. The chapter-specific disciplines of NFPA 1006 are: Ropes, Confine Space, Trench, Structure Collapse, Vehicle Rescue, Surface Water, Swiftwater, Dive, Ice, Surf, Wilderness, Mine and Tunnel, Cave and Machinery Rescue. Within each of these disciplines there are two levels of qualifications:
Level I. This level shall apply to individuals who identify hazards, use equipment, and apply limited techniques specified in this standard to perform technical rescue operations.
Level II. This level shall apply to individuals who identify hazards, use equipment, and apply advanced techniques specified in this standard to perform technical rescue operations.
Some of these rescue environments are low frequency events for a lot of technical rescue organizations and are considered high risk events. So one has to remember that this standard again only establishes the “minimum level of competency for a rescuer” therefore, retention of knowledge and developed skill sets are very fragile. These skill sets must be maintained to ensure that a rescuer is able to perform when the need arises. Monthly, periodic and annual currency and proficiency training is a must for agencies providing technical rescue services. With some disciplines there may be OSHA regulations that also require annual training like confine space and trench.
Some other relevant NFPA standards to the technical rescue arena are:
NFPA 1983 (Standard on Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services – 2012 Edition)
NFPA 1951 (Standard on protective Ensembles for Technical Rescue Incidents – 2013 Edition)
NFPA 1855 (Standard for Selection, Care and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Technical Rescue Incidents – 2013 Edition)
NFPA 1952 (Standard on Surface Water Operations Protective Clothing and Equipment – 2015 Edition)
NFPA 1936 (Standard on Power Rescue Tools – 2015 Edition)
NFPA 1561 (Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System and Command Safety – 2014 Edition)
NFPA 1410 (Standard on Training for Emergency Scene Operations – 2015 Edition)
NFPA 1401 (Standard for Fire Service Respiratory Protection Training – 2013 Edition)
NFPA 471 (Standard on Recommended practice for Responding to Hazardous Materials Incidents – 2002 Edition)
NFPA 472 (Standard for Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents – 2013 Edition)
NFPA 473 (Standard for Competencies for EMS Personnel Responding to Hazardous Materials/Weapons of Mass Destruction Incidents – 2013 Edition)
NFPA 1500 (Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program – 2012 Edition)
NFPA 1521 (Standard for Fire Department Safety Officer Professional Qualifications – 2015 Edition)
NFPA 1583 (Standard on Health-Related Fitness Programs for Fire Department Members – 2015 Edition)
NFPA 1584 (Standard on the Rehabilitation Process for Members during Emergency Operations and Training Exercises – 2015 Edition)
NFPA Standards on the horizon:
NFPA 1952 (Standard on Protective Ensembles for Contaminated Water Diving – Proposed future date 2016)
NFPA 1986 (Standard on Respiratory Protection Equipment for Technical and Tactical Operations – Proposed future date 2017)
The NFPA Standards exist to provide an organization with a foundational framework for agency operation and incident management as well as training guidelines. While these standards are not regulatory, they have been widely accepted among those in the technical rescue arena as a consensus-based standard. They should be considered when an agency is looking into organization development and training programs. One really should obtain copies of the standards that are and will be relevant to them, and really dive into them to grasp a better understanding of them. The training programs of ERDI have been, and will continue to be, researched to make sure they achieve adherence to the relevant NFPA standards as they apply to agency programs. “There are no walls in the ocean to hold onto, no time-outs can be called, and re-dos are not granted when things are not going as planned.” Proper planning prior to an emergency is paramount. So grab some coffee and sit back with the Lil’ red books of NFPA.
Darrell Adams
SDI/TDI/ERDI Instructor Trainer with Air Hogs Scuba in Garner, NC, Captain with the Harnett County Underwater Search & Recovery Dive Team and technical rescue instructor for NC Fire and Rescue Commission
6 Key Differences in Diving a Dry Suit vs a Wetsuit
We are often asked about the differences between diving wet and diving dry. Other than the obvious answer – “you don’t need to dry anything but your hair after the dive” – there are some key differences.