Public safety divers are people who work in law enforcement, search and rescue, or both. 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 are responsible for protecting the environment and the lives of others on the surface. 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. Students will be taught about the different methods of conducting searches and solving missions. They will also become familiar with the various equipments required for such missions. Students will then practice their search and rescue skills in controlled conditions. These courses are beneficial for public safety divers who want to work in hazardous or contaminated waters.
The ERDI course is one of the most basic public safety diver training programs. It is approved by NFPA, STATE, and OSHA. The ERDI Level II is the next course. This covers advanced techniques for emergency diving, such as the use of dry suits or full-face masks. After the training, you will receive your ERDI certification card. ERDI instructors will be able certification you.
Role of public safety divers in law enforcement
It is important to recognize the importance of public safety divers for law enforcement. They are often working undercover and might encounter criminals and suspects in open ocean. Although these professionals have a unique role, it is important to not minimize the importance of investigators and police officers. Law enforcement operations can only succeed if both divers and investigators play a critical role.
Although LEOs sometimes use dive teams for responding to crimes in the sea, there are many instances where they will also respond on land to such incidents. The divers will usually be transported in small boats or patrol vehicles and then change to scuba gear when they reach the water's edge. LEOs or investigators communicate via radio frequency using spoken codes. These codes are not effective underwater. So, divers are likely to learn American Sign Language (ASL) in order communicate with investigators.
Gear needed
Divers can use a variety 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 face mask is an essential piece of gear. Public safety divers often dive in contaminated waters, around submerged vehicles, and around bodies of water. Quality of the gear is also important.
PSD courses combine several dive specialties. These can include rescue dives, advanced dives and master divers. Divers may also learn technical skills and nitrox to assist in recovery and salvage operations. In order to become a PSD diver in a larger department, they may need to be trained in different types of diving and in specialized environments. These divers could be called upon to perform rescue or search missions in conditions not available to a sport diver.