Identifying a skilled rescue diver?

[northernone]

In relation to a recent thread on how a competent crisis response was valuable and possibly life saving how do you go about identifying those who might be exceptionally well prepared to handle an emergency promptly and professionally?

What 'tells' or signs let you know you're diving someone who will handle $hit when you're having your worst day?

Thankfully, crisis is rare enough we don't get to witness the competence of a first responder often and they go unnoticed until needed and the circumstances reveal them.

The person who engages skillfully with danger and secures the situation when the bystanders are focused solely on self preservation or get lost in inexperience and incompetence.

Please don't let humility silence you if you're one of those who have dedicated themselves to being good at what we're describing. How can we recognize you outside of crisis?

Regards,
Cameron

 

[flyboy08]

It's hard to identify a traight when you have hundreds of hours of sheer boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror....sort of like being a pilot ...as a rescue diver myself, and a pilot, I feel confident to handle what was taught and what I trained for in the RD class.

Sometimes even the most reserved individual can become a superhero and surprise all.

 

[Bert van den Berg]

It's hard to tell if the person next to you will rise to the occasion if things go bad. Taking the RD class instills some skills but they have a "use-by" date. Ask your RD buddy when he/she last did a refresher.

 

[tomfcrist]

The type of people that immediately move toward gunfire is what you are looking for. In all honesty it's not even about remembering all that stuff from your rescue class...it's about taking immediate action. I would rather a common sense individual take immediate action than a highly competent individual take 30 seconds to formulate a response.

 

[The Chairman]

The person who acts is the best person for the job.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just braver five minutes longer.
Ronald Reagan

 

[The Chairman]

Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just braver five minutes longer.

I'm not sure it's about bravery, but awareness. You can't help someone if you have no idea they need help.

 

[TMHeimer]

It's hard to tell if the person next to you will rise to the occasion if things go bad. Taking the RD class instills some skills but they have a "use-by" date. Ask your RD buddy when he/she last did a refresher.

Good point. I took RD 11 years ago and recently retired from assisting courses--almost all of my dives are solo, so though I do review the RD manual occasionally, I have no real way to practise rescue skills. Well, I could drive 2+ hours and meet up with someone I suppose. As well, it was mentioned how infrequently dive accidents happen. I still haven't seen or done CPR other than on TV and I'm 63. When you haven't been tested in a crises you really don't know how well you'd do--something I've pondered.

 

[daduls]

I’m in public safety, I would advise you to never judge a book by its cover. I don’t think you know this until after a few trials by fire ......

 

[Miyaru]

There is no answer to the OP's question.

I have seen how two doctors froze when we arrived on an accident scene. These guys work in the hospital's trauma center and joined us for a day on the ambulance. Once the casualties were stabilized and in the ambulance, they did a marvelous job. Afterwards they asked why did this happen to us?
Even in a trauma center, you get a heads-up about who is coming in and you have several minutes to prepare yourself.

And that's the whole issue: you won't know how you will react/respond until you're faced with a situation.

The best trained rescue diver might freeze when confronted with havoc, the troublesome student in the rescue course might immediately act. I always hope that the skills I teach in EFR and Rescue, are skills that no student will ever need. Recognizing stress in an early stage and preventing the situation from getting worse is a much more valuable skill.