By Buck Buchanan
Did you hear that the legendary fighter Mohamed Ali will return to boxing? He is scheduled to fight Mike Tyson in a 10-round charity match.
Do you believe that? Of course you don’t; and why don’t you? Because we all know Ali is past his prime and suffers from Parkinson’s Disease and Tyson hasn’t trained for a fight in years.
What, you may ask, does this have to do with public safety diving? Plenty. Look in the mirror and ask, “Am I Ali?” “Am I Tyson?” “Am I ready with a combination of knowledge, fitness, and training to carry the fight should the bell ring for me and my team?”
The killer for public safety divers is not the depths we dive to; not the lack of visibility we dive in; not the difficult rescues we are ask to perform; it is more often than not, something lurking behind the scenes like a heart attack.
The number one cause of death in public safety diving is cardiac arrest, or heart attacks, and should one take place during a dive, what else happens? That’s right, you guessed correctly, you drown! When a public safety diver dies in the line of duty, the question becomes, “Was it a heart attack or diving accident?”
We don’t know and neither does the family or friends; and the dive team members will only greave, guess, and speculate on those events. As divers know the best way to dive is to look and work ahead of the events of the dive; to be one step ahead and be prepared and ready to handle issues before they become problems. The best divers, and fighters, prepare for what they have to do, so that they are able to easily handle the trials and tribulations of the tasks they are required to perform. Much like the professional boxer who trains every day for the shot at the title, we must train as if our lives depend on every action we take as public safety divers, because we might not get a chance to do it over to get it right.
The motto of our department is “Courage Through Knowledge; Skill Through Training”, and we practice continually, and work to reach a point from which the most adverse of conditions can be dealt with coolly, calmly, and with absolute professionalism. This extends to being prepared physically to handle the extreme demands we encounter such as, cold water, swelteringly hot days, dark water with little to no visibility, high stress, and contaminants that can kill or maim you for life. All of these things can contribute to or out-right cause a cardiac arrest or heart attack.
I urge all public safety divers and dive team members to get with your departments and/or teammates, and make the firm commitment to each other to be there for each other – not just in words, but in deeds – and train for the day you are asked to fight for your life or the life of your fellow diver. Be prepared mentally and physically for what you are asked to do.
Here are a few things you can do to increase your chances for a successful safe operation.
Get a Dive Physical – at least once a year, this allows you to dive ahead and should you have an underlying condition(s) you can find it before it finds you during an operation.
Dive a Full-Face Mask – not just because of contaminated water or the comfort and security of communications; but ask any doctor or paramedic what he would prefer to treat, a wet airway, or a dry airway. Dry wins every time. If you dive conventional scuba and become unconscious & unresponsive due to a cardiac problem or any other reason, then the regulator will fall out of your mouth and secondary drowning will take place. It is as simple as that.
Train Regularly – Winter and Summer. If you are asked to respond all year, you must train all year. If you don’t currently have one, get a recognized trainer. You don’t know what you don’t know and what you don’t know can kill you.
Sport training vs. professional training – recreational scuba training IS NOT adequate training for the PSD arena. The most well meaning sport instructor does not possess the training and experience to relay the life saving skills of a professional public safety diver. Seek out proper training for the fight of your life. ERDI training professionals have proven skills to bring that training to you and your team.
Train for Trouble – We often forget that training has its own hazards. A well organized public safety dive team will rehearse how to handle medical emergencies during their training cycle with actual medical personnel so that, in the event of an actual team emergency, there will be no confusion or time lost in assisting the injured team member. Also, remember that emergencies can happen during training. So be prepared at all times.
Set a Standard – an SOP or SOG should be in place and address all aspects of the dive team.
Let me say it is my wish that this article hits home with many of you and that it helps you complete your mission. I have often posed the question to my students and seminar attendees, “As PSD professionals, what is your mission?” As for me I can sum it up simply as this: As a team leader/diver I have only one mission and one mission only, that is to bring back what I put in the water, everything else is an objective within that mission.
Buck Buchanan is a highly experienced ERDI Instructor Trainer, and you can find out more about him by visiting his website http://www.Dive911.com |
