Psdiver Monthly Issue 71 2
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PSDiver Monthly Issue 70 Greetings, Recovery world right now. I did not have time to get reprint permissions for the article but I wanted to share As “good” as our economy is getting, we are seeing one part of it with you and a link so you can read the rest budget cuts across the board for teams. Those who for yourselves. In it he writes, “We should not measure operate with little or no budget already are facing some ourselves and what we do by the outcome of one tough choices. incident. Instead, we should look at incidents-one by one- as lessons learned, pay compliments to those involved, But as the ball rolls downhill, we have to be mindful and share a light moment and get ready for the next one, perhaps fearful of what the economic situation in our because, in the end, it is the volume of work and we are country will eventually have on our water rescue and adding the chapters; some bad, but many that are good recovery teams. I am already seeing a trend develop that or even great.” Art Goodrich Time to Get Out of the leads me to believe some of our teams will begin to be Service. dissolved or so tightly restricted that they will voluntarily phase themselves out. As much as it pains me, I believe As dive teams, ours is a If you would like to we will either start to lose our teams or we will see teams body of work but we do tend discuss this topic or any take greater risks and our fatality and injury rate will to focus on single instances. other, join our discussion group at: CLICK HERE TO increase. Our successes are not JOIN usually measured in lives It is a frustrating thought. It is frustrating to me saved but rather successful recoveries. We tend to forget personally and is what makes me second guess my own how vital our job is and how important the service we efforts at times. I am not sure where “burnout” starts but provide is to those in need. We should make an effort to sometimes I feel like I am on that track. But as usual, review our body of work and highlight our successes. something will happen and snap me back. This time there were two. I was contacted by a new If times get much harder and budget company to us and am very happy to cuts become even harsher, we need to introduce our newest sponsor to the remind ourselves of our own volume of magazine, Hydro Acoustics Inc. work and work to find ways to continue to add more chapters. The other thing that motivated me, ******** and lately I have needed motivation, was an Internet blog I chanced Now – I need YOUR help with a across. It was written by a guy named project. I want to increase our Art Goodrich and is titled, “Time to subscriber numbers. If you belong to Get Out of the Service”. As I read it, I discussion groups related to Fire, Police, could not help but relate it to what I EMS, Forensics, Diving, SAR or anything am seeing in our Water Rescue and remotely related to our field, post PSDiver Monthly Issue 71 2 something about the PSDiver web site (www.PSDiver.com) or PSDiver Monthly magazine and Special to PSDiver Monthly help us increase our numbers. The magazine is free as are the resources provided on the site. If you get value Water Rescue and Bunker Gear from what we offer, share the information with as many By Mark Phillips folks as you can. Recently I posed the following to two different Internet The work that is provided to you, for you, is supported by discussion groups – our sponsors. We can expand the exposure they get through the magazine by expanding our subscriber base. I have a question that I have put off asking for quite some time. If you follow the link below to We currently have over 12,000 subscribers. If you will the originating site, there is a video there that share the magazine and web site with just one or two shows firefighters working in flooded areas as well interested folks, we may be able to dramatically increase as geared up national guardsmen. our numbers. (http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/severe-flooding-forces-evacuations-in- new- If you have the ability to link web sites, I can send you england/19421106?icid=main|main|dl1|link2|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.co m%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fsevere-flooding-forces-evacuations-in-new- graphics and HTML code too. Just shoot me an email at england%2F19421106 ) [email protected]. Every time we see video like this appear, ******** someone comments negatively about the Some of you are going to ask about the next installment firefighters who are wearing bunker gear. While I of lift bag operations and I am going to disappoint you. understand things like parasitic drag and current The final installment of the services was to be on heavy force and know they can not see where their feet lifting. But the longer I considered what we would be are underwater, the arguments usually center presenting, the more I worried that it was too much. around the possibility of them drowning because of their bunker gear. Heavy lift operations will require a great deal of training and experience and provides such great risk, I think it If I fall in the water in bunker gear, I do not sink. may be better for teams in need or interested in learning I float. We have in fact, had training sessions on more to actually attend a commercial salvage school or this and had firefighters in bunker gear jump into heavy lift course. If we do offer the heavy lift installment, the water. There are companies who actually it will be at a later date and after much more deliberation. teach firefighter safety and train water survival skills and self rescue techniques in bunker gear. I Stay Safe, have not tried it personally but have been told Mark Phillips Editor / Publisher PSDiver Monthly Issue 71 3 that some scba units will function in shallow firefighters fall into the water accidentally while in bunker water. gear. I don't want to argue or belabor the point but I If you were to do a search for Fire Flood Safety, you would like a clarification about the negative would find a variety of information about fires that can aspects of wearing bunker gear while working a occur because of flooding and that the information is flood. And this leads me to my question. targeted towards civilians. What we do not find is information about the next step when the firefighters Under what circumstances is bunker gear truly respond to extinguish those fires. dangerous around water and under what circumstances is it safe? Why? My personal experience with flooding is based on my own area of SE Texas. But I do pay attention to the news and The question I posed was asked on two different have friends and colleagues around the world who deal discussion groups; with floods too. Streets become fast moving rivers; http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SwiftH2O-News and drainage ditches, swimming pools, low areas or open pits http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PSDivers-PublicSafetyDiversForum. are hidden by surface water that may be moving. But if there is something on fire, the fire department will usually The responses from each group have been very respond. If people are reported trapped, they are interesting and I encourage you to join each group and depending on the fire department to show up and do read the responses. There are a variety of very something. interesting opinions offered and perhaps even eye When Hurricane Ike hit Galveston, there opening. was a very large structure fire that started before the hurricane hit the So much emphasis has been island. I am sure you saw it –it became placed on the dangers of a video event for a while. Tidal surge bunker gear in flood waters and high winds had already arrived and that it becomes hard to the responding fire crews were unable distinguish actual fact from to reach the structure and referred to it opinion. I am not offering an as an island of fire. The water was opinion nor do I want to simply too deep for their apparatus and present myself as having a they were unable to even get close. We solution because I do not. I do know that it is necessary to accept loss have experience in the water, – we just do not like to do it. have trained with bunker gear in the water and have seen Below is an excerpt from a document I PSDiver Monthly Issue 71 4 located (the link to it is attached if you want to read it www.cheminsurance.com/images/Flood_Fire_Safety_FP-51- all). It represents a bit of why I am looking for some 02.doc answers beyond general statements. It is not my intention to argue one way or another on this Flooding can create conditions favorable for a fire topic. I am interested in the reasons and justification for to occur, either by causing it or by impeding the general blanket statements that say bunker gear is efforts to fight it. Floodwaters can damage goods, dangerous around water. This has almost become a equipment, buildings, fire protection equipment, mantra and I have seen it spread across a variety of and machinery by wetting, by foreign material groups.