psd review

Back Home

The following is an excerpt from MEDIA REVIEW in Advanced Rescue Technology Volume 4, Number 4 Aug/Sept 2001 by Norm Rooker, EMT-P Reprinted with permission of Advanced Rescue Technology, Van Nuys, CA

Public Safety Diving By Walt Hendrick, Andrea Zaferes, and Craig Nelson. Fire Engineering Books/Pennwell, 2000, ISBN 0-912212-94-2. $34.95.

Finally, water rescue takes on many forms: swiftwater, surf, still, contaminated water, flood and dive rescue/recovery, to mention just a few. Like other rescue disciplines, the type of rescue and training for a given water incident is highly dependent on circumstances and environment. Charging an ill-prepared department with performing a water rescue can be somewhat akin to asking a paramedic to write a traffic ticket or a "ground pounder" to ventilate a roof at a structure fire. Both tasks fall within the overall realm of public safety, and both providers fall within the same realm, but the specialization of their training did not prepare them for these tasks.

This is tragically illustrated by two points. One, the National Fire Protection Association states that a firefighter is four times more likely to die at a water rescue incident than at a fire. Secondly, on April 18, two eastern U.S. firefighters, members of their department's dive-rescue team, lost their lives attempting a body recovery in conditions for which they were not properly trained or properly equipped to operate.

A kayaker had flipped and drowned in a rain-swollen creek when his kayak became lodged in a strainer (in this case, a downed tree). An hour and a half later, the two dive team members entered the swiftly moving water roped together, and tragedy ensued for a second time.

Water-rescue specialists, but not the right specialists for the job. With that said, what, exactly, is a dive-rescue specialist, and what do his/her training and capabilities consist of? To answer that question, the final review in this column is on a new release from Fire Engineering Books, titled Public Safety Diving.

While I am a member of my departments surf-rescue team, my diving knowledge and experience are extremely limited, so I asked my former partner and sometimes evil twin (he's now my Captain) Mike Whooley, who is also a past media reviewer for EMS Magazine and a certified diver, to read Public Safety Diving and share his impressions. They Follow:

It's cold. Cold and dark. So dark that it's difficult to see your glove in front of your face plate.

You're methodically moving across an underwater debris field most people wouldn't let their animals near. You're alone - the only sounds you hear are your own bubbles and the quiet voice of your tender on shore. You are comforted by the fact that two of your teammates are suited up, ready to swim to your aid at a moment's notice. Still, you haven't yet found the object of your search. Then your hand brushes something. You grasp it and bring it closer to your face. Welcome to the world of public-safety diving.

In their book, Public Safety Diving, authors Walt Hendrick, Andrea Zaferes, and Craig Nelson give an excellent overview of the job and mission of the public-safety diver. For most of us, diving is a recreational sport, preferably done in clear water with temperatures in the 70s to 80s. Public-safety divers operate in the advanced technical realm, with adverse conditions and zero visibility at their job site.

The first sections of the book deal with setting up, funding, personnel, equipment, and defining your mission. I would recommend the sections on personnel selection and funding be required reading for present dive team leaders, as well as anyone contemplating the formation of a team. The section on wildcat teams should also be read by anyone who thinks that an ad hoc team without public sponsorship is the way to go.

The middle sections of the book deal with the actual mission itself, with particular emphasis on continued practice both on dry land and in water. Too often, because of the relative infrequency of call-outs, this area gets neglected. A variety of search patterns and techniques are described with good illustrations.

The book closes with special conditions, such as contaminated water, ice subsurface diving and law enforcement considerations. Again, good, solid material, designed to make you think before putting your team in. Public Safety Diving is a must-read book for the public-safety dive team member, leader or anyone who is thinking about putting a team together. By the end, you'll know that it takes more than just a C card (beginning dive certification) to pull it off.

Lifeguard Systems, Inc. Box 594 Shokan, NY 12481

Phone: 845-657-5544

Fax: 845-657-5549