Individuals who are involved in law enforcement and search and rescue are called public safety divers. There are a few things that distinguish public safety divers from recreational divers: their training, dive locations and dates as well as their special equipment. Public safety divers will protect the environment, people and property. Public safety divers will also be well-equipped to deal with the unique demands of law enforcement work and the numerous tasks it involves.
Training requirements
Public safety divers require a variety of training requirements. The first phase of the course involves knowledge development in a classroom environment. The course will teach students about various techniques to conduct searches and resolve missions. Students will also learn about various equipment required 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. Public safety divers that want to work in dangerous or contaminated waters will benefit from these courses.
The ERDI is the most basic course in the public safety diver training program. It has been approved by NFPA and STATE as well as OSHA. The ERDI Level II Course is the next. It covers advanced techniques such as emergency response diving using dry suits and full faces masks. After completion of the training, the ERDI card is issued. A certified ERDI instructor will be able to certify you.
Public safety divers play an important role in law enforcement
It is vital to not underestimate the role of public safety diver in law enforcement. They often work undercover and may encounter suspects, as well as criminals, in the ocean. These professionals are not to belittle police officers or investigators. However, both these roles are important. Effective law enforcement operations are dependent on both the divers and the investigators.
Sometimes, LEOs deploy dive teams to assist with crimes in water. But in many cases, they also respond to incidents that occur on the land. The divers will typically be deployed in patrol vehicles or small boats, and change into scuba gear once they arrive on the water's edge. During land-based investigations, LEOs and investigators communicate using spoken codes on police radio frequencies. These codes cannot be broken underwater. So, divers are likely to learn American Sign Language (ASL) in order communicate with investigators.
Gear required
Divers using public safety gear have access to many different types of safety gear. Some of the gear is provided by agencies while others have to provide their own. Ideally, all divers should be geared up in the same way, which makes zero visibility environments easier to manage and streamline maintenance. A full-face mask is a must-have piece of gear. Public safety divers do not dive in contaminated water, or around vehicles or bodies that are submerged. It is equally important to have high-quality gear.
PSD courses combine several dive specialties. These include advanced diving, rescue dives and master diving. Technical skills and nitrox may also be taught to divers in order to aid in salvage and recovery. PSD divers might also need to be trained for other types of diving in a more specialized environment. These divers might be required to rescue or search in situations that are not possible for a sport diver.