PUBLIC SAFETY - WHAT IS A PSD?
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WHY DO DEPARTMENT DIVE TEAMS NEED PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING?

A Typical Scenario: It is 4 am when the dispatcher turns in the call for a car overturned in the river. Two local firemen who are also divers jump in a pick up truck loaded with the dive gear from yesterday's diving and drive to the scene. Upon arriving they immediately suit up and jump into the water they notice that the current is much faster than they expected and that the water is much colder. The first diver uses the current and drifts to the car and grabs on, the second diver follows. The first diver crawls inside the open passenger door to search for the victim. As the second diver reaches the car his recreational gear becomes entangled. His weight causes the car to shift and roll in the current. He travels down stream in the current and catches an overhanging tree branch. The first diver is effectively trapped in the car, only three feet from the surface. When Public Safety officials arrive they immediately commence a surface rescue procedure to retrieve the second would be rescuer from the tree branch. They also called for a dive team from a neighboring county to rescue the diver in the car. Unfortunately by the time the dive team arrives their rescue is a body recovery. The driver of the car comes back to the scene with the Highway Patrol Officer just as they pull the body of the first driver from the water . The driver had escaped from the vehicle and walked to a neighboring house to call the Highway Patrol.

The efforts of these well intentioned but under trained divers resulted in a fatality and putting numerous other professionals at needless risk. The scene portrayed here is fiction, but, scenes like this happen every year. The reason is lack of training, that is a symptom. The real reason is the failure of administrators to realize the need for specialized training and equipment in the field of Public Safety Diving.

Before starting a dive team, each department must weigh the cost of accomplishing the task properly versus the benefit for the community. What will your community gain? Are other resources available to accomplish the same goals. If you decide a dive team is necessary. Then please decide to adequately equip and train that team. This pamphlet will give you the questions you should ask about the training you will receive.

Lake County Divers Supply and ERDI Serving the Community

Veteran public safety diving instructors team up to help make our public safety heroes safer. Long time Emergency Response Diving instructors Hank Woronka and Ron Kurth recently conducted ice diving and surface rescue training for area firefighters and police officers in the Hobart, Indiana area which is adjacent to Chicago and Lake Michigan. Both Kurth and Woronka are experienced public safety divers having served their communities in this capacity for over 31 years each. In addition to being full time police officers with the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Hank and Ron are co-owners of Lake County Divers Supply in Hobart, Indiana. A SDI/TDI/ERDI training facility, Lake County Divers Supply has been serving the Hobart area for 17 years with equipment and training for public safety dive teams and rescue organizations. During the training, which was conducted in February, over 26 public safety personnel took part in the courses offered, ERD Ice Diver Operations and ERD Ice Rescue Operations. In addition to the diver level courses taught, participants from as far away as the Phoenix, AZ area also completed instructor level training for conducting ERD Ice Diver Operations courses. Both Woronka and Kurth have mentored numerous instructors over the years, from small volunteer teams to large city teams such as Chicago, passing along knowledge and skills that come only with years of experience. According to John Karas, Lake County Divers Supply Inc. manager, "By increasing the level of awareness in regards to proper training, techniques and proper equipment, we're increasing the safety of those involved as well." According to Paul Montgomery of SDI/TDI/ERDI's training department, "ERDI is fortunate to have ERD Instructors of such high caliber as Ron Kurth and Hank Woronka. They certainly set the standard for public safety diving instructors." Montgomery also said "ERDI is looking forward to debuting our revised ERD I course in June with Lake County Divers Supply."

For more information about ERDI's programs you can:
Email Paul Montgomery at pmontgomery@tdisdi.com or
Call World Headquarters at 1-888-778-9073.
Visit website: www.tdisdi.com