It is impossible to eliminate risk for public safety dive teams. It is a dangerous job no matter how you look at it. However, new technology and new information can help you minimize your risk and help keep you and your team safer. This day long program covers some of the most timely topics in public safety diving. Each one is designed to help you be safer in the water.
Supplementing Public Safety Diving Efforts with Remote Survey Technologies
Jeff Snyder will discuss additional methods for using a full range of technology to support your dive team operations.
Medical and Physical Fitness Standards for Public Safety Dive Teams
Medical and physical complications are the number one contributing factor to public safety diver fatalities. Tom Greenhalgh is a recognized expert in this field and a long time PS diver from Massachusetts. He is working with the Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society to develop a medical standard for public safety divers to go along with the physical fitness standard recently implemented by NFPA.
Developing Standards for Contaminated Water Diving
Faith Ortins will report on the efforts by various agencies, including the NFPA, to develop equipment standards for contaminated water diving. She will also discuss the realistic limitations of these standards and chemical testing. Practices you can implement immediately to improve your safety will be presented as well.
Communications for Public Safety Dive Teams
The use of full face masks and communications is a proven tool to increase your effectiveness and safety in the water. John Hott, from OTS, will discuss how to get the most out of your communications and full face equipment. He will also demonstrate how these valuable tools can be used to improve your safety and mitigate risk in contaminated water in particular.
Using Technology to Aid Your Dive Team and Minimize Risk
Erick Estrada will discuss how ROV technology can increase the efficiency and safety of dive teams. He will demonstrate how to best utilize these emerging technologies as well as discuss their realistic limitations using real life examples.
Public Safety Diving Fatalities; Lessons Learned Since 1960
Since 1960, Public Safety Diving fatality statistics have allowed the PSD community to identify trends and implement safety measures. Consequently the number of PSD deaths has decreased in recent years but a new disturbing trend is emerging. Let’s learn from the past so we can work towards a safer future.
John is Director of Training as well as Military/Public Safety Diving Representative for Ocean Technology Systems. After serving with the US Army in Military Intelligence, John spent 14 years in Law Enforcement rising to the rank of Sergeant. With OTS, he is a member of the design team that developed the Guardian Full Face Mask and teaches the technician course for the GFFM. As Training Director, he has also certified over 1700 Interspiro Service Technicians and conducts familiarization training on full-face masks and underwater communications. John is an avid diver since 1975, certified Dive Master and carries certifications from YMCA, NAUI, TDI and PADI. John has been with OTS for over nine years.
Erick Estrada is the Sales Manager for VideoRay LLC, the leading micro ROV manufacturer in the world. Mr. Estrada has more than 9 years of experience in Search and Recovery and supporting these activities. He has helped organizations build up their Search and Recovery locker with different underwater tools to help out local and state law enforcement agencies. Clients include NYPD, Port of Long Beach, U.S. Coast Guard, and several Sheriff Departments.
Faith Ortins is the Vice President in charge of sales for Diving Unlimited International. She has been working for DUI for 14 years and developed their public safety program 5 years ago. Her scientific and technical diving and volunteer public safety diving experience gives her a unique perspective on the issue of contaminated water diving and its unique challenges.
Mr. Jeff Snyder is the President of SeaVision Underwater Solutions, Inc. (SeaVision). He carries over 13 years of experience in diving and remote underwater survey operations. A former U.S. Navy Special Operations Officer, Mr. Snyder possesses an M.S. in Geosystems from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.S. in Geology from Duke University. He is certified as a Hydrographer by the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping. He currently carries a USCG Merchant Mariner License as Master 100 Ton (Inland)/Mate 200 Ton (Near Coastal), and he had been previously certified as a commercial surface-supplied air diver through the ADC. In his work, Mr. Snyder frequently uses tools and techniques that can be easily tailored to support public safety search and recovery efforts.
Tom Greenhalgh has been involved in the Public Safety field for 28 years. Currently he is employed as a Police Lt./Paramedic where he is the night shift supervisor. He formerly held the job of Firefighter/Paramedic for just under 2 years. He has been involved in Public Safety Diving for over 24 years as a team leader and trainer of a regional volunteer dive rescue team, a representative to the UHMS Public Safety Diving Standards review committee, a Corporate Trainer for Dive Rescue International, a Director for NPSS Inc, and as a past member of the International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists Board of Directors.
Tom is the Co-Director for the Greater Lowell CISM Team in Massachusetts, a trainer in multiple disciplines with the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, a Certified Trauma Responder with the Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists, a certified Field Traumatologist, a Compassion Fatigue Educator, and has been published in the CISM field. Tom is a Peer/Clinical Staff member of the On-Site Academy in Gardner, MA., a residential program for the treatment of critical incident and PTSD issues within the public safety and military populations. He also holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work, with an emphasis on public safety and military issues.
Blades Robinson began his public safety diving career in 1980 when he was hired by Indian River County (FL) Fire Rescue. He served on that department for 27 years serving many years as his agency’s aquatic rescue training officer. His affiliation with Dive Rescue International began in 1990 when he became a corporate trainer. He has been on the Dive Rescue International Board of Directors since 1993, and also serves as the executive director of the International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists since 2000.