LAFD Members Attend Dive Rescue 1 Class

Seven members of the LAFD recently completed a Dive Rescue 1, Public Safety Dive (PSD) course.  Six members attended a class hosted by San Diego Dive Rescue and  Del Mar Lifeguards.  This class was accredited by Emergency Response Dive International (ERDI).  Another Dive Team member, Fireboat Mate Dave Bender F.S. 49-C, attended a class held in Bullhead City AZ that was accredited by Dive Rescue International (DRI). The Dive Rescue 1 course is a emergency response diving course designed to give public safety members the advanced skills needed to safely function as part of a public safety dive team.  The class was NFPA compliant and covered topics such as problem solving, tender skills, search patterns and evidence handling. Dive skills include executing search patterns, victim recovery, emergency procedures and decontamination procedures.   Todd Hix, Fireboat Mate, FS 111/Boat 1 and Dive Team Shift Coordinator, said, "Our goal is to move the LAFD dive program to a professional / public safety certified operation. After receiving the training from both ERDI and DRI we can combine the curriculum with our LAFD operations and become an advanced Public Safety Dive Team."


Pictured above: 
Top Photo: (LtoR)Brett Lawson, Greg Kynper- San Diego Dive Rescue, Mate, Todd Hix Bt1-B, Dive Team Trainees- Al Perez 40-C, Vince Martinez 64-C, Steve Meiche 49-C, John Erlandson 36-C, Brad Besse 64-C.
Bottom- Todd Hix tenders a search line