Woman in critical condition after being rescued by La Jolla lifeguards

July 19, 2010
An unidentified woman who was found unconscious Sunday morning in the waters off La Jolla Shores was in critical condition Monday morning.

"La Jolla Shores lifeguards Sunday observed a scuba diver on the surface of the water floating face down unconscious about 10:15 a.m.," said Lifeguard lt. Andy Lerum. "It was a female in her 40s and they brought her to the beach and began performing CPR."

Lerum said the woman was transported by paramedics to UCSD Thornton Hospital as medics continued CPR.

Lifeguards unsuccessfully contacted local diving groups in an attempt to identify the woman. Lerum said lifeguards also contacted other divers who had been diving near where the woman was found, and two of them said the woman had been with them when they went out to dive, but on the way out she told them she wasn't feeling well and had a leaky mask. She reportedly told them that she had decided not to dive and for them to go ahead and that she was returning to shore.

"Sometime between leaving them and going back to the beach, she had some sort of medical situation which ended up in her being unconscious," said Lerum.

Lerum said the report this morning from the hospital was that she was on a ventilator and showing very little brain activity.

Public Safety Diving

Emergency Response Diving International™ (ERDI) Veteran Instructor prepares Cousteau
ERDI Contaminated Water Ops Training selected for important mission!

Public Safety Divers have no choice when it comes to picking a dive site; they are compelled to dive wherever and in whatever the circumstances require. Often this translates to conducting dive operations in contaminated waters.


The result of dedication and weeks of hard work and special ERDI™ training were there for everyone to see as CNN reporter Amber Lyons did a back roll into the gulf waters affected by the DeepHorizon disaster. But this time the reporter did it correctly following appropriate contaminated water training and protocols from ERDI™; and protected by the right equipment. Ms. Lyons was accompanied by Philippe Cousteau, who she and CNN had convinced to return to check on the current status of the undersea environment in the Gulf. Cousteau had visited the waters earlier but by his own admission was far less prepared. The ardent environmentalist was one of the first to dive into the affected Gulf waters after the drilling rig explosion and resultant leak, to evaluate first-hand the extent of the damage. The Cousteau name is synonymous with the sea but Philippe, grandson of diving icon Jacques Cousteau, has forged his own reputation as a staunch protector and spokesman for environmental protection.

Buck Buchanan, a senior ERDI Instructor-Trainer with Dive911.com based out of Atlanta, Georgia, worked with CNN’s Amber Lyons and Philippe Cousteau in preparation for the televised report which was broadcast live on Friday, July 9. The three of them can be seen as they discuss their plan for the dive ahead of them.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/...scube.dive.cnn

Buchanan’s role in the broadcast was to prepare the CNN cast and crew to function in the harsh conditions found in water contaminated by oil. All contaminated waters present serious health risks to those divers compelled to work in them, but none with more potential for post-dive complications and long-term threats to their well-being. What made this dive historic was this was the first time a live audio and video interview had been broadcast from underwater. This preparation consisted of Contaminated Water Ops Awareness and Technician-level training, setting up a full decontamination station on the surface, and supplying trained personnel to “clean the divers up when they were back on the surface,” without presenting further damage to the environment, divers or any member of the surface support team.

For a quick overview of the whole operation, take a minute to view these links to see ERDI training being put to good use by Ms Lyons and Cousteau.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/...iref=allsearch

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/...iref=allsearch

In what seemed an odd twist of events just weeks prior to the DeepHorizons catastrophe ERDI had launched its Contaminated Water Ops (CWO) program. The highlight of this launch was the onLine Contaminated Water Operations Awareness segment. In compliance with National Fire Protection Agency ERDI’s Contaminated Water Awareness Program is presented in Three (3) Levels: Awareness (open to all PSD personnel including non-diving team members) as well as Operations and Technician levels. The introduction of Awareness training helped to insure the maximum level of safety for PSD teams who are called on to dive in any type of contamination from oil to storm run-off, chemical pollutants or waste.

A generous educational grant just shy of $200,000 was given by ERDI to PSD Teams around the nation.
“Who knew what was coming next” stated Brian Carney, President of Maine-based ERDI, “had we known what was about to unfold we could have directed the major portion of our educational grant to the Gulf states.”
Carney mentioned that ERDI is working on ways to extend new grant money to allocate special CWO training to the area, “since we know that the fallout from this disaster has a real potential to play havoc with PSD teams in the Gulf Region for many many years to come.”
 

Dive References

Some additional information and educational resources for the Public Safety Diver. 
See the below links.

PSD Diver Monthly  -  A monthly newsletter that provides outstanding PSD information.  Current tech information and rescue news.  The newsletter can be accessed through -
PSD Diver.com

SCUBA Engineer - The best online technical resource for PSD dive teams.  Technical information, Recall information, Service information, Technician references and more.
 

Surface Rescue Training

LA City Lifeguards held a surface rescue training class at Fire Station 112. The training was held on all 3 platoons for  members assigned to Fire Stations with Fireboats.  The training was a combined classroom and practical (wet drill) that provided U.S. Lifeguard Association's basic surface rescue skills.


Dive Program Coordinator Steve Tessier begins the drill with introductions

LA City Lifeguard instructs members on flotation devices




Below- US Lifeguard Association C-Spine precaution for a suspected spinal injury with limited staffing. 2 member water rescue

Under Water Hazard Survey

Dive team prepares to depart aboard Skiff 3 out of Fire Station 49 for a underwater hazard survey.  The location of the survey was Berth 211 in LA's inner harbor. The dive team was assisted by Boat 4 and an underwater mapping sonar.  The Kongsberg Mesotech sonar is carried on Boat 4 and can be deployed to assist with search and recovery operations.  Members assigned to Fire Station 49 have been trained in the operation of the sonar.  Fireboat Mate Kelly McKee, Fire Station 49-A has just completed an extensive training course on it's operation.  "Training with this equipment needs to be ongoing to be proficient," states Mate McKee.  (Pictured- Divers Joe Carcomo, John Torres, Curtis Ogle, Dave Bender.  Skiff Operator Paul Hilleary)     

For additional information on using the Mesotech sonar see the following links:

 

Diver Positioning and Support

Directing Divers

Diver Safety

The mesotech on Boat 4 prepared for deployment

 

Underwater communication system set up on Boat 4 for communications with the dive team

Dive References

Listed below are informative and educational technical dive references.  All active public safety divers and recreational divers interested in pursuing a public safety certification should be familiar with the listed references.  Investing time to read and study the combined information will provide a solid understanding of the commonalities between public safety, commercial, scientific and military diving. The foundation of these agencies is professionalism, safety and operating under clearly defined guidelines and policies.  These references clearly separate professional diving from recreational diving and after reading through the reference material it will be obvious that professional diving  vs. recreational diving would be like comparing Apples vs. Oranges.  

Public Safety Diving IS NOT recreational diving and is structured with operational guidelines and policies that align with below references.

US Navy Dive Manual

The U.S. Navy Diving Manual is probably the most complete single reference on diving based on the most extensive research and experience in the world.  The book discuss mixed-gas and oxygen rebreathers, no-decompression diving, open-circuit SCUBA ("conventional" SCUBA), surface-supplied air and mixed-gas (nitrox and heliox) diving, the diving environment, Navy dive procedures, physics, physiology and recompression chamber operation.  A must for a complete dive library and can be accessed online.


Navy Dive Manual

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration -NOAA Dive Manual

This reference is also must read and should be available in every dive library.  The NOAA Diving Manual was written for use by NOAA scientists/divers to assist them in conducting various operations. Significant contributions to the preparation of this manual were provided by experienced NOAA personnel. Noted to be the largest seller in the Government Printing Office, the manual is a comprehensive reference specifically designed for the diving professional. The manual is used by government agencies and commercial groups. The diversity of the manual ranges from polluted water diving procedures to saturation and underwater habitat diving. The NOAA Diving Manual contains USN Air Decompression Tables as well as USN, Royal Navy, and COMEX Recompression Treatment Tables.  This manual is not available online and must be purchased. An overview is provided below.

NOAA Website

California Department of Fish and Game Diving Safety Manual

Overall a well organized and very comprehensive dive safety manual.  A solid reference for safety standards, operational and dive management.  Available to view online.

California Department of Fish and Game Diving Safety Manual

OSHA Commercial Diving Requirements 

An outstanding reference for diving requirements for commercial operations.  Understanding these requirements can be invaluable for the public safety diver responding to a commercial dive emergency.  Additionally, these standards outline Public Safety Exclusions and Exemptions from OSHA's Commercial Diving Standard.

OSHA Commercial Diving Requirements 

OSHA Public Safety Exemption

NFPA 1670 Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incident 

A comprehensive national standard that covers a wide variety of technical rescue operations, land based as well as public safety dive operations.  This standard is for all technical search and rescue operations.  Public Safety dive operations are held to the same standards that are currently used by LAFD's USAR, Haz MAt, Swift Water and other Special Operation teams. Requirements for Dive Operations are listed on pages 25 through 27 and page 63 through 68. 

NFPA 1670

FEMA Requirements for a Type 1 Emergency Response Dive Team
These requirements are need to be recognized and integrated as national mutual aid response resource.   The current foundation of the LAFD dive team supports a number of these requirements.  Securing Homeland Security grants could assist the LAFD in complying with the additional requirements.  This Type 1 status for the LAFD would provide a valuable asset for the Southern California region.

Type 1 Dive Team

OSHA Maritime Website

An additional resource for commercial maritime operations

OSHA Maritime web page

LA Diver.com 

A regional resource for recreational divers.  This site has many useful recreational links  

LA Diver.com

Man Jumps Off Venice Pier

Rescuers Searching For West Hollywood Man Who Jumped Off Venice Pier
July 5, 2010

Emergency rescue workers were searching Monday morning for a 31-year-old West Hollywood man who disappeared after he jumped into the ocean from the Venice Pier. Brian Patrick Dunn was "highly intoxicated" when he leaped into the water fully clothed around 2:30 a.m., U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Jim Hiltz said. A high surf advisory was in effect at the time.  "It's really rough seas," Hiltz said. "There are significantly larger swells than there are normally. Witnesses actually saw him jump into the face of this breaking surf.  "While Coast Guard crews and Los Angeles County lifeguards searched the water, officers with the Los Angeles Police Department looked for the missing man on land, Hiltz said.

Body of Man Found who Jumped off Venice Pier is Found

July 12, 2010

A fisherman found the body of a man who jumped off Venice Pier and into the ocean a week ago, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said Monday. An autopsy will be performed on Brian Dunn, 31, of Los Angeles, said Selena Barros, a spokeswoman for the coroner's office. Officials think Dunn was intoxicated when he jumped from the fishing pier July 5 at 2:45 a.m. fully clothed. His body was found floating in Santa Monica Bay about half a mile north of where he jumped, Barros said. Searchers looked for Dunn for several hours in high surf after a friend called 911.

Training Discussion
At this particular incident,  an underwater search and rescue operation  was deemed not feasible given the high surf conditions.  

Discussion
If the surf conditions permitted an underwater search and, this incident was handled by the LAFD, answer the following questions:

• What actions and considerations would the first arriving dive team take?

• What additional resources would be needed to assist in the search? 

• Given the pier as point last seen, what type of initial search pattern would be used and what patterns would be used to expand the search?

• What would be the anticipated drift of the victim?

Duck Boat Struck by Barge in the Delaware River

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Officials say a fire on board had shut down a duck boat that was struck by a barge in the Delaware River off Philadelphia. The barge hit the boat and overturned it Wednesday afternoon, sending at least 37 people into the water and later sinking.

Police divers were searching for two tourists from Hungary -- a 16-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man -- feared to have been trapped in the duck boat before it sank in 40 feet of water. Ten people were sent to a hospital after the capsizing of the six-wheeled duck boat, which offers tours of Philadelphia by water and land. Only minor injuries were reported.

Slideshow: Images From Duck Boat Accident Scene

Recovery efforts were hampered by the underwater visibility described as being just 4 inches at the wreck scene. "We're still searching with some hope. As I mentioned the night of the accident, I have to admit hopes are fading," U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Sector Commander Capt. R. Todd Gatlin said during a news conference Thursday morning following accident.  Divers could not determine if any bodies were inside the boat, authorities said. "They could be in the boat. They could be other places. So, we're still searching," Gatlin added.

Police said a second dive to the submerged duck boat was attempted overnight, but divers could not reach the bottom because of the swift current and poor visibility. The Coast Guard's Gatlin said they will not be diving Thursday morning: "After talking to the Philadelphia police, because of the murkiness of the water and the visibility underneath the water, the dive teams will not be going back down this morning." Sr. Chief Charles Weaver, who made Wednesday's dive, said: "The vehicle is laying upright on its wheels. There could be bodies inside, we're not sure. It is an open vessel. With the currents being what they are ... if it went down with bodies inside, those bodies very well could have been washed out of the vessel."

12 crewmen of the U.S. Navy Seal Special Boat Team 20 just happened to be in Philadelphia to attend community relations functions and were preparing to get underway when they heard the distress call. The team had two Mark V Special Warfare Combat-Craft and sped to the scene. "We were the first responders" Said Special Warfare Boat Operator 1st Class Garrett Rodriguez and operator of one of the boats. Nine victims were rescued by the Navy. The second Mark V boat located the sunken boat utilizing sonar and marked its position.
Read More

Coast Guard News

ABC News