Special Feature SECTION Continued from page 4 victims. Visibility was very limited, and the current made movement around the vehicle difficult. Between the jagged parts of the car and the various tree limbs, I began to feel scrapes on my arms and back as I searched. Upon completing the search, finding no occupants, and getting the vehicle’s tag number to the Deputy Sheriff on the scene (the vehicle was stolen), I began to look for egress from the river. It was now dark. I was not interested in swimming upriver back to the landing any more than my tenders were interested in pulling me back upriver to the landing. I heard one of my tenders say, “here’s a spot that we’ll just pull you up onto the bank.” As he started pulling me further down the river, I heard him step onto the bank they were pulling me towards, use some profanity, and then say, “There’s a water moccasin; there’s another one.” I’m not a snake fan and was less
excited that my tenders were trying to pull me on top of two poisonous ones. That plan was abandoned, and they pulled me up the side of a steep bank after removing the bulk of my gear from the water on the vehicle’s roof. Once we got back to the station to clean up, I found that I had several large lacerations, but thankfully, no snake bites. So, a delayed notification and declining weather/daylight conditions drove me to elect to dive without wearing the proper PPE (even a neoprene wetsuit would have prevented most of the lacerations I sustained). While there were no victims, the wrecker was not on scene when I left the water, meaning someone else had to get back in the water to hook up the vehicle and pull it out. That probably happened the following day, which may have been a better time for us to dive into the vehicle. It would have allowed me to use sufficient PPE, see and avoid the limbs in the water, and not have my
dive tenders stepping on poisonous snakes in the dark. To compensate for the time compression, I made some mistakes in judgment, and thankfully, no one needed stitches or CroFab (Antivenom) before the call was over. We were lucky, and as the late great Chief Alan V. Brunacini said, “Good luck can make you dumb because it makes you think you’re smart.” Unfortunately, luck is a terrible tactic and was the primary one I used during the call above. Instead of luck, consider the above factors when handling a water rescue call. Ensure that your notifications have minimal delays. If you arrive first, deploy. If you arrive after, support the first arriving folks. Coordinate the resources to prevent duplication of effort and ensure an adequate communications platform (and it is being utilized). Keep your eye on the weather conditions and plan for day versus night operations. Finally, be aware of the wildlife in the area and take precautions or use
lookouts to protect our personnel. Water rescues remain complex, high-risk incidents. Ensure that the resources to respond to them, training, and personnel are getting the attention they deserve. Be safe and do good. David Greene has over 31
years of experience in the fire service and is currently the deputy chief with Colleton County (S.C.) Fire-Rescue. He holds a PhD in Fire and Emergency Management Administration from Oklahoma State University and an MBA degree from the University of South Carolina. He is a certified Executive Fire Officer through the National Fire Academy, holds the Chief Fire Officer Designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence, holds Member Grade in the Institution of Fire Engineers, is an adjunct instructor for the South Carolina Fire Academy and is a Nationally Registered Paramedic. He can be reached at dagreene@ lowcountry.com.
DROWNING CALLS & PREVENTION David I King Jr, Cpt. Chesapeake Fire Dept.
W
ell, we are in the thick of the summertime festivities. Kids are getting out of school, and it’s time to head to the beach, go on vacation and get that boat out on the water. Unfortunately, this is also the time of the year that keep the water rescue and dive teams busy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that close to 4000 fatal drownings occur each year. If you listen to the
a career department or a volunteer department, getting the message out however you communicate to your citizens is an easy way to start the ball rolling. Social media accounts are a quick way to get notifications or warnings out to your followers. Weather hazards, beach updates, changes to laws, and Public Safety
Talking with Responders
Marine responders watching over divers
radio, you can hear the calls to 911 daily-riptides, boating accidents, unattended children, and alcoholrelated issues. Education will always be the first step in preparing the public for these summertime accidents. If you are
Announcements (PSAs), are all great things to push regularly. Educating your responders is also essential to ensure they are ready to respond to any incident. Water-related deaths can be just as dangerous to us as to the public. Anyone who has read my columns knows that I live in a world of The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) with most of my classes, and this column is no different. NFPA 1006 - The standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications, NFPA 1670 - Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents, and NFPA 1952 - Standard on Surface Water Operations Protective Clothing
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and Equipment are the primary standards for that every department should be made aware of. Regardless of the drowning, you will respond to it, and it’s up to each responder and their officers to know their limitations. It is easy to get caught up in the moment and jump into the water with an active drowning, only to find yourself the next victim. SOPs will help you and your department to preplan each scenario so that you don’t have to act carelessly and outside your capabilities. Every department should have, at a minimum, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that establish themselves as an Awareness Level response agency. If you have the abilities and personnel to be Operations level or Technician level, that’s even better. Review NFPA 1006 and ensure you align with each other level’s requirements. If you are in an Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) state, then be familiar with the OSHA requirements also. Knowing what your department can’t do outside the rules and guidelines will help to preplan the rest of the emergency.
• For example, are you BLS, and
where will your ALS units come from? What if the victim has already gone below the surface?
• Where will your dive team come from?
• What marine resources will you need?
All these questions should be answered long before the tones go out. DISPATCH We all know that the call starts with the 911 center. When your 911 center gets a call for a drowning, what is your run card? This is where you should start. My department’s run card for a drowning sends an ambulance and an Engine (one of which must be ALS), Battalion Chief, EMS Supervisor, closest Fireboat, and Police boat. Of course, we are a large department, and your department might only be able to send a medic and an engine. Whatever your response, getting enough qualified responders to the scene is essential and will often make the difference between a rescue and a recovery. A helicopter or military response may be best if you are in a rural area. While we are a large department surrounded by the military, we utilize the United States Coast Guard for their search and rescue resources. Try to look at your run cards every year and keep your responses up to date. People change, contact numbers change, and what works for you this year may not work next year. Maintaining a close relationship with your dispatch center is always a priority for any call type. RESPONSE As we mentioned, preplanning should always occur before the incident occurs. Knowing your target hazards will help improve readiness for any water emergency. WWW.CAROLINAFIREJOURNAL.COM
