training

[latchman936]

How long is the training for water rescue? And is it mandatory,if its not do you think that it should be mandatory for at least one member of each station to be water rescue trained?

[ScubaJude]

A team of 1 is a dangerous situation.......

You should have the minimum required number of people trained to respond to any water related situation that is likely to happen in your responce area.

[BladesRobinson]

I believe the question posed is interesting because a rescuer never stops learning and there is never "too much information" as it relates to learning the art of "water rescue."

I mentioned in an earlier post to this forum that the IADRS organization is sponsoring a water rescue/public safety diving conference in November 2004. These annual conferences are attended year after year by seasoned veterans who have a desire to learn the latest techniques and see the newest equipment developed for water rescue/recovery professionals. They too never stop learning and attend programs year after year.

Today, most water rescue/recovery training companies offer programs running three to five days, but the intent is to expose the student to material and to develop an acceptable level of competency, not expertise. It is up to the student to take the information and skills taught in the course and develop their expertise over (in many cases) years of time.

The reason for three to five day instructional programs is because that is what an agency can typically afford and usually the maximum amount of time an individual can be away from their family and community. If a person were to attend all of the water rescue/recovery training programs offered through Dive Rescue International, they would have to attend school for 14 weeks! It is much easier to take "small bites" and attend classes in 3 to 5 day increments.

The author of the original post also asked a followup question regarding a single trained rescuer.

I believe having a "single" trained rescuer is preferred to having "no" trained rescuers. Certainly, the more persons who are trained, the better! I base my response on the following.

I believe that it is the inherent nature of rescuers to do "something" at the scene of an emergency. By providing these rescuers with training and equipment, I believe they will do "something right" as opposed to "something wrong." If one person is properly trained, he may have the experience and good judgment to insist that the untrained personnel stay out of the water. If no one is trained, there is a possibility that everyone will try to help and that could lead to disaster! The other scenarios are that the trained person could share his knowledge at the station prior to an emergency (so more people become trained) or he could give helpful instructions on the scene of an incident to allow a successful outcome.

For these reasons, I believe that "some" training is better than "none."

If anyone has an interest in seeing water rescue and recovery programsoffered by Dive Rescue International, including Dive Rescue, Swiftwater Rescue, Flood Rescue, Ice Rescue, etc., please visit the Dive Rescue International webpage at:
www.DiveRescueIntl.com

For those who have an interest in the water rescue/public safety diving conference scheduled for November 2004, please visit the IADRS webpage at:
www.IADRS.org

[BLSboy]

hey Blades. I caught a lecture you did at the Trauma Conference in Melbourne. Will you be returning this year? I thought that it was a great presentation.