Line of Duty Death / Virginia State Police

[BladesRobinson]

The Virginia State Police are mourning the line-of-duty death of one
of their own this evening. Trooper Mark D. Barrett, 41, died Tuesday
afternoon (Sept. 14, 2010) following a training exercise on Lake Anna.
Trooper Barrett joined the state police in 2007 and graduated from the
114th Basic Session on July 3, 2008. He was assigned to patrol in
Henrico County and the City of Richmond.

Trooper Barrett was also a member of the State Police Search and
Recovery Team (SRT). He joined the specialty team in September 2009.

The SRT was conducting its annual in-service training this week and
had spent the day in the southeastern portion of Lake Anna on the
Louisa County side conducting deep-water dives. Shortly before 2 p.m.,
Trooper Barrett and his “dive buddy,” a fellow trooper, were
conducting a training dive. As they were ascending, the dive buddy
noticed Trooper Barrett was having difficulty. The dive buddy aided
Trooper Barrett to the surface and immediately signaled for help from
the other divers.

The divers lifted Trooper Barrett onto the SRT boat and administered
CPR as the boat returned to shore. The Louisa County Volunteer Rescue
Squad met the boat at the Lake Anna Beach Marina and continued medical
aid. Trooper Barrett was transported to Henrico Doctors’ Hospital in
Henrico County, where he died. His body has been transported to the
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for examination and autopsy.

“The entire Virginia State Police family is suffering from this
tragic loss of such a hardworking and dedicated state trooper,” said
Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent.
“Diving was a great passion of his, and he was respected for his
skill and aptitude for safety. We hold his family, his fellow
troopers, and SRT members in our hearts and prayers during this
difficult time.”

Trooper Barrett is survived by a wife and two children. He is a
Chesterfield County native and graduate of Manchester High School. He
also earned an associate’s degree from John Tyler Community College.

​

Funeral arrangements for Trooper Mark D. Barrett

Visitation will take place Thursday, September 16, 2010, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Church of the Epiphany at 11000 Smoketree Drive, Richmond, 23236. The church is physically located off of Courthouse Road in Chesterfield County.
Funeral will take place Friday, September 17, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of the Epiphany at 11000 Smoketree Drive, Richmond, 23236. The church is physically located off of Courthouse Road in Chesterfield County.
There will be a reception at the church immediately following the service.
There will not be a graveside burial, as his remains will be cremated.[FONT=Verdana,Verdana][FONT=Verdana,Verdana] [/FONT]
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.

 

[BladesRobinson]

From: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/sep/15/troogat15-ar-507606/
Trooper joined dive team a year ago

By Staff Reports

A Virginia State Police trooper who died Tuesday after a deep-water training exercise in Lake Anna was one of the newest members of the department's Search and Recovery Team, but considered a skilled diver with no known health problems, authorities said today. Since joining the 20-officer specialty team about a year ago, Trooper Mark D. Barrett, 41, of Midlothian, had participated in several dive and rescue operations, in addition to completing regular training exercises three days a month and a full week once every quarter, said Sgt. Mitchell Smith, his supervisor.



A Virginia State Police trooper who died Tuesday after a deep-water training exercise in Lake Anna was one of the newest members of the department's Search and Recovery Team, but considered a skilled diver with no known health problems, authorities said today.
Since joining the 20-officer specialty team about a year ago, Trooper Mark D. Barrett, 41, of Midlothian, had participated in several dive and rescue operations, in addition to completing regular training exercises three days a month and a full week once every quarter, said Sgt. Mitchell Smith, his supervisor.
After Barrett first expressed interest in the assignment, "we brought him over to the training academy, took him to the pool and gave him some experience prior to even testing for the team," Smith said during a press briefing at the Virginia State Police headquarters in Chesterfield County. "We realized he had the skills, knowledge and ability to do a great job."
On Tuesday, Barrett was among 16 Search and Recovery team members participating in routine diving exercises in 75 feet of water in the southeastern portion of Lake Anna on the Louisa County side.
"They were tasked with just a very simple [maneuver]," Smith said.
They followed a line to the bottom of the lake, made one pass on a search line below, and then resurfaced following another line to the top. "The whole training evolution would have taken less than 10 minutes," Smith said.
Barrett was resurfacing with his "dive buddy" -- a fellow trooper -- when Barrett became unresponsive, said police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
Barrett's dive buddy immediately helped him rise to the surface and signaled for help from other divers. They lifted Barrett onto the team boat and began administering CPR as the boat returned to shore. The Louisa County Volunteer Rescue Squad continued aid as they transported Barrett to Henrico Doctors' Hospital, where he died.
Barrett is the department's first dive team member to die in the line of duty since the unit was established in 1962, Geller said. An autopsy is being conducted to determine his cause of death.
Barrett's diving equipment appeared to be functioning properly after being examined by investigators. "We have no reason to believe there was any malfunction on the part of the equipment," Geller said.
Barrett was assigned to patrol in the Richmond/Henrico County area. His survivors include a wife, a 16-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son
A visitation is scheduled for Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Church of the Epiphany at 11000 Smoketree Drive in Chesterfield County. A funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the same location.

 

[fedfirediver]

Prayers sent to Va.State Police SRT team and the Family of the Trooper during this difficult time.

 

[Chad P.]

Prayers go out to his family and friends, his team, and all of the VA State Police.

 

[BladesRobinson]

179/ http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/sep/16/troogat16-ar-509453/

State police dive team member drowned, had heart disease
By Staff Reports

A state trooper who died Tuesday after being pulled from Lake Anna during a deep-water training exercise accidentally drowned, the state Medical Examiner's Office said this afternoon.
Mark D. Barrett, 41, of Midlothian, died of drowning with "underlying heart disease contributing" to his death, a spokesman said.
Barrett, a member of the Virginia State Police Search and Recovery Team, was participating in routine diving exercises with 15 other divers at Lake Anna when the accident occurred.
He was returning to the surface with his "dive buddy" -- a fellow trooper -- from a depth of about 75 feet when he became unresponsive, police said.
Barrett had to be assisted to the surface and pulled into a boat. He died after being transported to Henrico Doctors' Hospital.
State police are still investigating the circumstances of his death. He was the first dive team member to die in the line of duty since the unit was established in 1962, and the 56th state police officer to die in the line of duty.

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The tragic death of this fellow public safety diver points to the need for a Public Safety Diving Medical Standard. The International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists (IADRS.org) has been working on such a standard for several years with the input of many in the PSD and medical community.

The IADRS has addressed equipment issues and training issues through their involvement and support of the NFPA standards on public safety diving. They have addressed the physical fitness standards for public safety diving through the establishment of the IADRS Watermanship Test (see: http://iadrs.org/media/IADRS_Watermanship_Test.pdf) and the Annual Scuba Skills Review (see: http://iadrs.org/media/Annual_PSD_SCUBA_Skills_Review.pdf), both approved by the NFPA and included in their standards.

If we look at recent line of duty deaths, the last hurdle that needs to be addressed is the PSD Medical Standard.

We have lost too many ... Trooper Mark D. Barrett (2010), Deputy David J. Rancourt (2006), Firefighter Gerald R. Leduc (2008), Volunteer David A Sheffield (2009) ... just some of the names of those who died too early while conducting PSD operations.

I believe we have the "final" draft at hand, pending approval next week during the IADRS Conference in Charlotte. Once approved, we will upload this document to the IADRS.org site.

Prior to this tragic death, we had allocated time to discuss PSD health related issues during the 2010 International Public Safety Diver Conference...

Sept 22, 11:15 AM to 12:00 noon, Lt. John Carney is speaking about Physical Fitness and answering questions the IADRS Watermanship Test and the science behind the test.

Sept 23, 10:45 AM to 12 noon, Lt John Carney, Chief Fred Jackson and Dr. Richard Sadler are addressing Medical Considerations for Public Safety Diving and presenting the proposed PSD Medical Standard to those in attendance.

Sept 24, 10:45 AM to 12 noon, a panel discussion will take place where we discuss "Charting the future for 'safe' Public Safety Diving"
​

I hope those who are interested in making the PSD community safer will attend the conference in Charlotte and offer their input. For those who are unable to attend we will share our information on-line with the PSD community.

I am hopeful that the proposed Public Safety Diving Medical Standard will help in preventing future line of duty deaths. This standard will be effective only if PSD community embraces these recommendations for enhanced safety.

Respectfully,

Blades Robinson

 

[Gary D.]

Prayers sent.