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EXTREME WEATHER CHALLENGE FOR SHERIFFS DIVE TRAINING EXERCISE
RALPH IDEN
Wed, 18 Feb 2015 06:13:42 EST
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MEMBERS OF THE HURON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE NINE MEMBER DIVE TEAM AND TWO DEPUTIES FROM THE TUSCOLA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE BRAVED THE ELEMENTS THURSDAY TO COMPLETE ONE OF THREE ANNUAL DIVE TRAINING EXERCISES ON SAGINAW BAY.
SHERIFF KELLY HANSON SAID THE RESCUE/RECOVERY DIVERS TRAVELED TO A POINT ABOUT ONE MILE SOUTH OF THE WESTERN TIP OF SAND POINT ON SAGINAW BAY FOR THE DIVE IN WHICH THEY BECAME REACQUAINTED WITH THE LOGISTICS OF CARRYING OUT AN UNDERWATER SEARCH AND RECOVERY FOR A VICTIM WHO SLIPS BENEATH THE ICE AND BECOMES AN ICE RELATED DROWNING VICTIM.
DURING PORTIONS OF THE EVENT, WINDS WERE NORTH WEST AT 35 MILES PER HOUR, TEMPERATURE WAS FOUR DEGREES WITH A WINDCHILL OF 18 BELOW ZERO ACCORDING TO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RECORDS. HANSON SAID THAT BECAUSE OF BLOWING SNOW, THEY HAD TO USE GPS TO LOCATE THE AREA THEY HAD SCOUTED TWO DAYS BEFORE.
HANSON SAID HE AND RETIRED UNDERSHERIFF AND DIVER RON ROBERTS AGREED THE LIKELYHOOD OF EVER HAVING TO DIVE FOR A REAL TRAGEDY IN CONDITIONS THAT EXTREME WOULD BE VERY REMOTE.
HANSON, WHO LEAD THE TRAINING SESSION, SAID THE EXERCISE INCLUDED TRAINING WITH THE DIFFERENT ASSETS THE OFFICE AS FOR SUPPORTING SUCH AN OPERATION. A PROFESSIONAL DIVE INSTRUCTOR ASSISTED BUT HANSON SAID THE EXERCISE WAS LARGELY A MATTER OF PRACTICE AND BRUSHING UP ON THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF CONDUCTING SUCH AN OPERATION.
IN HIS WORDS, "MANY OF OUR STATE'S SHERIFF'S OFFICES DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO HANDLE SUCH RECOVERY OPERATIONS, BUT I'M PROUD TO REPORT THAT NEARLY ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN ACQUIRED THROUGH DONATIONS, GRANTS, MILITARY SURPLUS, FUNDRAISERS AND FORFEITURE FUNDS." HE SAID THE DIVE TEAM HAS THE BENEFIT OF ABOUT $100,000 WORTH OF EQUIPMENT, AT LEAST 90 PERCENT OF WHICH CAME FROM SUCH SOURCES.
THE DIVE TEAM HAS HAD SOME PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH TWO REAL ICE RELATED DROWNINGS. ONE OCCURRED IN JANUARY 2010 TWO AND A HALF MILES OFFSHORE AND A SECOND OCCURRED IN MARCH 2013 FIVE MILES OFFSHORE. THAT ONE WAS ACTUALLY CONDUCTED FOR TUSCOLA COUNTY. IN THE 2010 RECOVERY, THE OLDER DIVE SUIT WORN BY ONE OF THE DIVERS DEVELOPED A LEAK AND THE DEPUTY HAD TO BE TREATED FOR HYPOTHERMIA.
HANSON NOTED THOSE OPERATIONS REQUIRED A LOT OF EFFORT AND PRESENTED MANY CHALLENGES IN GETTING PEOPLE AND EQIPMENT OUT TO THOSE SCENES AND IN RECOVERING THE VICTIMS IN A MANNER THAT COULD BE DONE AS SAFELY AS POSSIBLE.
HE SAID THAT IN A REAL SITUATION, DIVERS DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY OF CUTTING A HOLE OR HAVING A HEATED TENT OVER IT AS THEY DID IN THE EXERCISE. USUALLY, ITS A JAGGED HOLE WHERE THE VICTIM'S ATV WENT THROUGH AND THE VEHICLE ITSELF MAY BE UPSIDE DOWN AND PARTIALLY SUBMERGED, WITH OTHER DEBRIS SCATTERED AROUND.
WATCH THE VIDEO TO SEE WHAT THE DIVERS SAW DOWN UNDER.
DIVE TRAINING VIDEO\
HEATED TENT OVER THE DIVE HOLE IS A LUXURY NOT USUALLY USEABLE IN A REAL SEARCH AND RECOVERY
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A DIVER PREPARES TO ENTER THE WATER
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SUPPORT EQUIPMENT ON SCENE
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