Water Rescue Training

[smittyj17]

I'm trying to organize a drill to involve my Firefighters/EMT's/Rescue Divers and boat police. Can anyone reccomend a drill that would keep all parties involved?

[surfcat1955]

Relative to the body of water, a search type exercise will get more agencies involved than any thing else.
Whether working in a city, or wilderness area, the search expands as you need it to.
Probability searches, grids, etc. all add up to a lot of area to cover.

[kjrff23]

I've taken a 2 day operations class in the past and we did a few mock victim recoveries using old store manikins. They were brought to the surface, boarded and then brought to shore. There was something for everyone to do. The shore personnel helped divers dress and undress, tracked air, filled cylinders, safety officers, etc. It was a real good class for divers and non-divers alike.

[MtnRsq]

Try an MCI - boating accident or vehicle(s) into the water. Sadly, the MN bridge collapse is a good real-life example of a scenario you may want to model.

Keep it realistic for YOUR response area and possible scenarios. Keep the info. spotty - force people to continually adjust their size-up. Have units arrive in rough order that you'd expect an actual response to unfold. Assuming you use ICS try out establishing a unified command. See what people can learn filling various roles.

Be SAFE. Be honest about what worked, what didn't, why it did/didn't and what can be done to improve.

Get to know the other guy(s) and their capabilities in a controlled setting (the training) so that you aren't trying to figure it out when it is the real thing.

[bbct001]

Keep it simple. Put a canoe or kayak or something upside down on the shore of the river/lake/whatever. Have 1 or 2 victims. Nobody knows if they are downstream/underwater/in the woods/etc. Easy to set up, and that type of search will keep lots of people busy.

[svfd631]

You can look at something in two different ways:
1. overall... all agencies involved in one scenario
2. Stations to help break down components to meet the overall goal and minimize boredom. Different agencies can be requested to help run a station thereby allowing recognition of expertise of the agencies.
A. One area could be heavily focusing on EMS... how about assessing a diver with possible DCS, performing nuerological exams, removing specialized water rescue equipment, drying off patients for D-Fib pads (drills are a good time to find out there are few towels around) or reviewing protocols.
B. Law Enforcement can have another station where issues of evidence collection, scene control and information on how to interview witnesses.
C. Divers, SRTs or boat operators can also have individual stations for whatever objectives need met.
People can rotate between scheduled sections to help gain an overall picture of the entire scene.... not just perform one task. Rotating will also help bring agencies together and talk more, otherwise, you may have fire hanging with fire, LE with LE, EMS with EMS and the overall coordination may not be accomplished. We need to understand each others role.
Depending on your time frame.... once station rotations are completed then engage in an overall scene that involves the whole group.
Discuss section goals with each section leader and provide outlines with their help.
Since some people will be moving around, coordination will be a key component to accountability.
God luck with your training!