BEACONS ON! continued from page 18 fire chiefs have been charged criminally for an injury or death for not adhering to water safety regulations.
Billing I’m not saying you need a diver for every vehicle in the water, but there are many things you can do for drivers to protect them. Providing Cold Water Exposure Suits, known as “Gumby Suits,” you can itemize that out on your invoice. The same is true for life jackets and throw ropes, which you
can list on an invoice as “Water Recovery Safety Crew/Equipment.” It is not the biggest financial gain, but it is a safe and legal way of protecting personnel working near water. A lot of areas have Fire Departments that complete their diving for them, others hire commercial divers, and some towers are divers. Make sure that the people diving on a submerged vehicle are wearing the correct diving equipment to protect themselves from contaminants, like a rubberized dry
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suit and full-face mask, and all equipment should be environmentally sealed.
Editor’s note: Matthew Bartlett is a PADI Dive Master, NAUI Master Diver, ERDI Public Safety Diver, WreckMaster 6/7AC and TRAA Level 3 certified, and has been involved in numerous salvage and recovery dives. He is part of the MatJack/Big Truck Rescue Training and Consulting Team, and the Training and Safety Manager at O’Hare Towing Service in Chicago, Ill. Email Matt your water safety questions at scubatow@gmail.com.
