Sunday, March, 25 2012

Nature: Water Rescue / Dive Team Evolutions & Training

Location: Massey’s Landing

Early Sunday morning, March 25th, the Indian River (80), Dagsboro (73), Millsboro (83), and Selbyville (88) volunteer fire companies collaborated to host a consolidated water rescue / dive team training exercise that focused on hands-on training evolutions involving underwater vehicle recoveries.

Underwater vehicle recoveries can be a very challenging and dangerous undertaking if not approached and conducted properly and these evolutions were intended to highlight these concerns with the following instructional objectives and simulated exercises.

This assignment was to submerge a vehicle into the Massey’s Ditch waterway and illustrate the following instructional items which included to prepare and enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of first responders with making safe rescues and recoveries of submerged vehicles while focusing on practical water rescue techniques that could be used.

Tasks and training initiatives included:

(1) Methods and practice to secure a submerged vehicle in extenuating circumstances:

     a. Characteristics of a submerged vehicle;

     b. Diver safety awareness issues with strong currents while approaching vehicle;

     c. High water flow with strong tidal currents;

     d. Poor underwater visibility;

     e. Limited underwater maneuverability;

     f. Locating the vehicle underwater;

     g. Vehicle window punch tools, etc.

     h. Accessing Vehicle Underwater with heavy equipment, etc.

(2) Methods and practice for securing and monitoring divers while undergoing evolutions and assignments from a land based scenario;

(3) Methods and practice for monitoring divers;

(4) Methods and evolution for recovery divers in a strong tidal current situation;

(5) Methods and practice for picking up and launching divers;

(6) Methods and evolution marine unit assignments; and

(7) Methods and evolutions for underwater vehicle recovery.

Illustrated herewith are various photographs that highlight and demonstrate the instructional and experimental activities of the training event.

Indian River would like to acknowledge the collaboration of the following entities that assisted with making these training evolutions possible:

(1) Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control;

(2) Bunting’s Garage;

(3) Millsboro Volunteer Fire Company - http://www.millsborofire.com/gallery.cfm?id=227&ss=1 ;

(4) Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Company; 

(5) Selbyville Volunteer Fire Company; and

(6)  Indian River's Chief Steven C. Deery, Jr.

These exercises touched upon the following safety precautions:

(1) Initial session briefing and discussion.

(2) The recovery and vehicle hook-up procedure requires mental and verbal rehearsal from all parties involved including your wrecker drivers. We reviewed the jobs and responsibilities of all participants are prior to getting into the water.

(3) The depth of the water has a lot to do with how far the vehicle will travel away from the entry point. In shallow water the vehicle will usually hit the bottom composition like rock, mud, sand, etc., and stop. If the water is deep enough (two to three feet will usually do it) the vehicle will float until it fills with water and its buoyancy changes and starts to sink. Keep in mind the length of time a vehicle can float can be quite surprising. The longer it floats the farther its momentum and/or current can take it away from the point of entry.

(4) Various safety precautions before, during, and after the evolutions, and

(5) Final session briefing and discussion.