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Thanks for your response Blades. I was really struggling for how best to reply. The personnel in our PSD Community put ourselves at risk so these stories can be told. We are a regional Team and have personnel spaced out around our response area to where it is highly likely that we can have someone in the water in less than 20 minutes. We have pulled a number of victims out of the water in under the Golden Hour but unfortunately, while we had conversions, we did not have survivors in the end. All of these were warm water immersions but we will continue to try doing what we do and give people a chance at living. Let the doubters doubt! We know better.
There was a cold water near drowning last week in Utah where a police officer made a great rescue. Fortunately he was able to make the save without SCUBA gear but the incident again shows why progressive dive teams respond in the "rescue mode". See: Former Officer Leads Kids' Utah River Rescue - Officer.com
Gary D. ... Thank you for your update in the child that was rescued underwater several months ago by firefighters in your region. We are all glad to know that River is doing well and has made a full recovery after being trapped in a submerged vehicle.
To Gary D., pantheraba and Boater Dan, thank you for your kind words. There are so many people who (like THEOLDMASTER) believe a submerged victim is dead after 4-6 minutes. We know better ad that is why so many First Aid, EMT and Paramedicine books speak the fact that a victim is not dead until they are warm and dead. It is because of the remarkable cases of victims being successfully resuscitated after prolonged periods underwater that progressive Emergency Departments are using medically induced hypothermia to save lives. See: Medscape: Medscape Access
As public safety divers, we may not save a life during our careers. But through education and sharing information, we can share in the victory when a life is saved because of the information we shared. "Dive Rescue" is NOT a myth! There are cases each year which prove the point and the more teams that respond in the rescue mode, the more lives that can potentially be saved.
As THEOLDMASTER pointed out though, there are benefits to continued training, surface supplied air, conducting good risk/benefit analysis, etc.
Another point that THEOLDMASTER may not grasp is a lesson I learned this past summer. We had a water rescue call of an 18 year old male that had drowned in the Cumberland River. We responded and the victim was located after a 12 minute dive (approx 45-50 minutes from the reported time of drowning). The medic unit immediately began working the victim and transported him to the hospital.
Later that day I learned that the victim didn't survive. I voiced my frustration to my dive partner who then corrected me with the full story. While enroute to the hospital, the medics were able to get and maintain a heartbeat. Sad to say, the damage to his lungs was too great but the hospital was able to keep his body alive. The victim's family agreed to donate as many organs as possible.
On the surface, we were unable to save the victim. However, several other lives were saved by receiving transplanted organs thanks to the efforts of a trained team. Although we always work each call in "rescue mode," this example firmed-up the reason why for me.
And to Gary D: I agree...we keep buying our lottery tickets by training every month!
THANKS to everyone for what you do to SAFELY make a difference.
The comments following my post concerning life salvage
are dependent upon COLD WATER, a condition usually occuring only a few months a year in most of the USA. None-the-less just look at the number of PSD divers that didn't survive "training exercises". Training exercises appear to be the time most PSD's die. The goals of some PSD are worthy, but the real world remains PS Diving Operation's are far to deadly for person's who do NOT practice the hazardous skills needed on a very regular basis.
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