Individuals who are involved in law enforcement and search and rescue are called public safety divers. Divers who are public safety divers have a few key differences from recreational divers. These include their dive locations, training and equipment. Public safety divers are responsible for protecting the environment and the lives of others on the surface. A public safety diver is also equipped for law enforcement and all the tasks that it involves.
Training requirements
Divers in public safety have to complete several training requirements. The course's first phase involves knowledge acquisition in a classroom setting. Students will learn how to resolve and conduct searches. Students will also be familiarized with the equipment needed for such missions. The second phase is comprised of multiple dives. This allows students to practice their search, recovery, and search skills in controlled settings. These courses are for public safety divers, who may wish to dive in hazardous or contaminated areas.
The ERDI course is one of the most basic public safety diver training programs. It is approved and recognized by OSHA, STATE, NFPA. Next is the ERDI Level II course. This course covers advanced techniques in emergency response diving including dry suits and full-face masks. The ERDI certification card is issued to those who complete the training. ERDI instructors can certify you.
Role of public safety divers within law enforcement
It is important to recognize the importance of public safety divers for law enforcement. Many of them work undercover, and they may come across criminals as well as suspects in the sea. The role of these professionals is not to belittle the role of police officers and investigators, although both of these roles are very different. The success of law enforcement operations depends on the contributions of both investigators and divers.
In some cases, LEOs use dive teams to respond to crimes in water, but in many cases, they will also respond to incidents on land. Divers will normally be deployed in patrol cars or small boats. Once they reach the water’s edge, they will change into scuba equipment. LEOs and investigators communicate with each other using spoken codes via police radio frequencies when conducting land-based investigations. These codes are not effective underwater. Divers will learn American Sign Language to communicate with investigators.
Gear needed
Divers using public safety gear have access to many different types of safety gear. Some are provided by the government, others must supply their own. It is best for all divers to be uniformly geared up, as it makes zero visibility environments much easier to manage and allows for more efficient maintenance. A full-face mask should be a standard piece of gear. Public safety divers do not dive in contaminated water, or around vehicles or bodies that are submerged. Equally important is the quality of the gear.
PSD courses combine different diving specialties. These include advanced diving, rescue dives and master diving. To aid in rescue and recovery operations, divers may be required to learn technical skills and use nitrox. A larger department may also require PSD divers to be trained in other types of diving or in a specialized environment. These divers may be called on to perform rescue and search missions in conditions that a sport diver would not encounter.