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New Jersey dive shop puts a new twist on SDI rescue programs
If you see SDI instructor Ken Capek walking around the shop at 1-877-SCUBA-USA with a wider grin than usual on his face, it could be because he recently received a rare accolade for his work in hyperbaric technology.
Capek, a licensed respiratory therapist for the past 30 years, is Director of Respiratory Care at Englewood Hospital & Medical Center in New Jersey and recently won accreditation from The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society for the hyperbaric oxygen program he runs at Englewood.
“Ours is one of two hospital programs in New Jersey to have accreditation status and is the only accredited, full-service program statewide providing services 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week,” Capek explained to SDI headquarters earlier this week.
The program at Englewood is a preferred provider of the Divers Alert Network and is able to treat diving accident patients suffering from decompression sickness on an emergency basis. The oxygen chamber is also used to promote healing in certain types of wounds and is preferred therapy for conditions such as carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation and anaerobic tissue infections.
But Capek, who opened the oxygen therapy service about nine years ago, says the chamber also serves as a teaching aid in many of the SDI diver training programs run out of 1-877-SCUBA-USA, a five-star SDI professional development center where he is one of the resident instructors.
“We often take students for a tour of the facility during classroom sessions to give them some idea what a hyperbaric facility looks like and how it functions,” said Capek. “As an SDI instructor as well as an experienced hyperbaric technician, I have a foot in both worlds and that background certainly helps me to give students a much better understanding of what to expect should they ever have to help deal with a case of Decompression Sickness while out diving.
“That little extra piece of knowledge and understanding,” he said, “may just be enough to help take the stigma and the fear out of a chamber ride for a bent dive buddy.”
Capek added that the tour of his hyperbaric facility is particularly important and informative addition for students taking SDI Rescue training. “For students at this level, having the opportunity to take a tour at Englewood and ask questions about hyperbaric treatment, adds a really valuable bonus to an already great program.”
“We are extremely proud of Ken’s achievement,” said Brian Carney, president of International Training. “SDI headquarters is always getting very positive feedback from graduates who do their training through 1-877-SCUBA-USA, and it’s easy to see why. We feel that Ken is a good example of the high-caliber professional who chooses to teach safe diving practices through the SDI training program.”
For information about the Hyperbaric Oxygen Program, call (201) 894-3898. Information is also available at Englewood Hospital Medical Center.
For information about SDI training, contact International Training at (207) 729-4201 or on the web at International Training :: Home ::. Scuba Diving International (SDI) is the sport diving certification branch of the world’s largest technical diving agency, Technical Diving International (TDI). Also included is Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI), the only global public safety certification agency.
Others follow… SDI leads!
If you see SDI instructor Ken Capek walking around the shop at 1-877-SCUBA-USA with a wider grin than usual on his face, it could be because he recently received a rare accolade for his work in hyperbaric technology.
Capek, a licensed respiratory therapist for the past 30 years, is Director of Respiratory Care at Englewood Hospital & Medical Center in New Jersey and recently won accreditation from The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society for the hyperbaric oxygen program he runs at Englewood.
“Ours is one of two hospital programs in New Jersey to have accreditation status and is the only accredited, full-service program statewide providing services 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week,” Capek explained to SDI headquarters earlier this week.
The program at Englewood is a preferred provider of the Divers Alert Network and is able to treat diving accident patients suffering from decompression sickness on an emergency basis. The oxygen chamber is also used to promote healing in certain types of wounds and is preferred therapy for conditions such as carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation and anaerobic tissue infections.
But Capek, who opened the oxygen therapy service about nine years ago, says the chamber also serves as a teaching aid in many of the SDI diver training programs run out of 1-877-SCUBA-USA, a five-star SDI professional development center where he is one of the resident instructors.
“We often take students for a tour of the facility during classroom sessions to give them some idea what a hyperbaric facility looks like and how it functions,” said Capek. “As an SDI instructor as well as an experienced hyperbaric technician, I have a foot in both worlds and that background certainly helps me to give students a much better understanding of what to expect should they ever have to help deal with a case of Decompression Sickness while out diving.
“That little extra piece of knowledge and understanding,” he said, “may just be enough to help take the stigma and the fear out of a chamber ride for a bent dive buddy.”
Capek added that the tour of his hyperbaric facility is particularly important and informative addition for students taking SDI Rescue training. “For students at this level, having the opportunity to take a tour at Englewood and ask questions about hyperbaric treatment, adds a really valuable bonus to an already great program.”
“We are extremely proud of Ken’s achievement,” said Brian Carney, president of International Training. “SDI headquarters is always getting very positive feedback from graduates who do their training through 1-877-SCUBA-USA, and it’s easy to see why. We feel that Ken is a good example of the high-caliber professional who chooses to teach safe diving practices through the SDI training program.”
For information about the Hyperbaric Oxygen Program, call (201) 894-3898. Information is also available at Englewood Hospital Medical Center.
For information about SDI training, contact International Training at (207) 729-4201 or on the web at International Training :: Home ::. Scuba Diving International (SDI) is the sport diving certification branch of the world’s largest technical diving agency, Technical Diving International (TDI). Also included is Emergency Response Diving International (ERDI), the only global public safety certification agency.
Others follow… SDI leads!
