Public Safety Diver question

[JDW18]

How do I get started with Public Safety Diving? Like Law Enforcement or Fire/Rescue Dive rescue? Do you need to be employed by one of them to get training or can I get it on my own? What's like a path to become one?

 

[ryanski]

you need to be employed by one to be sponsored for the training. Contact whomever you are trying to work with and they will put you in contact with the leader of the dive team. For law enforcement they usually have part time positions or "reserve" positions that can be used for specific details like dive teams. fire rescue will really depend on whether the department is a paid department or a volunteer department. A paid fire department wont have part time positions like the law enforcement usually does.

 

[lowviz]

How do I get started with Public Safety Diving? ...//...

Through the 'back door' is a great way to get real training and see if you like it first.

Pick your training agency of interest and look at their training calendar. Be prepared to travel with all your own gear. You will see that a LOT of fire stations host a course and invite other paying stations. So the hosting company is who you contact. Call and ask if you can participate as a paying extra. Often times they are a bit short on participation and welcome paying extras. Mind your manners and try to fit in. Certs are typically good for 2 years. I've taken several PSD courses this way, including a really rigorous under ice rescue/recovery course. Start at the bottom, usually a basic search and recovery course.

Being part of the team for a few days and hanging with them after hours is quite an experience...

 

[tc]

Going to quote an old post of mine-

Find out who provides the public safety divers in the area(s) you want to work. Normally it will be a law enforcement agency or a fire department, sometimes a volunteer organization.

In nearly all agencies public safety diving is not a full time job- it's an extra duty on top of being a law enforcement officer or firefighter.

See if they use only their full time personnel or if they also use reserves or volunteers. If they only use their full time folks then you will need to get hired, go through their academy or training program. If they use volunteers ask what the requirements are to join.

For the agencies that use full time personnel find out how long you have to be on the agency before you can apply to be on the team (In many agencies it will be several years). If they use reserves or volunteers then find out what training they expect you to have before you can join and what training they will put you through after you are hired.

Do some research before anything else- asking the question here shows you are on the right track.

Do a bit of reading- some books I like- Encyclopedia of Underwater Investigations by Robert Teather, Public Safety Diving by Walt Hendrick and Andrea Zaferes and PSDiver by Mark Phillips.

Most public safety diving courses are sponsored by these agencies and many are only open to folks that are already on teams. (teaching only folks that are covered by workers compensation should an injury occur tends to lower the liability risks)

Your profile indicates you only have a couple dozen dives so far, get with a shop or club or find a buddy and go out and get some experience under your belt, as you get more dives in your skills will improve and you will be a better candidate for a team.

Public safety diving is a highly specialized area and while many of the recreational courses you mention may not be directly applicable they all add to your experience level and help you start to develop skills that will help you throughout your diving career, sport diving or PSD.

One final thought- if you run across local dive shops or sport diving instructors offering training in public safety diving make sure that the course is being taught by someone with actual experience in public safety diving (and tagging along for a couple of callouts is not enough). If they don't have actual experience in the field save your money and go elsewhere.

Good luck!

 

[Atom4]

I never met an Officer who enjoyed it, but then again they usually were Voluntold to do it haha.

 

[Akimbo]

Have you explored the Public Safety Divers forum?

 

[ReefGuy]

If you were just a bit closer, I could probably give you a name, but I don't know anyone from Polk. I'll ask around and see if anyone else here does.