Hello paperdesk, first of all I would like to say Thank You for your service. I am a former Police Officer / Deputy Sheriff, and current Fire Fighter and EMT. I have spent many years in the Public Service both in and out of the water. In regards to your post, my suggestions are going to be rather lengthy, and remember what works for me may not work for you. I would also like to add that everyone has given you sound advise thus far, just keep in mind that the reality of most teams are one of two things. First, paid teams have funding, and second, volunteer do not (for the most part). This plays a big role in gear selection. The other thing I will mention is, for safety concerns, in my professional opinion, teams should be standardized. Now with all that being said, I will give you some back ground on myself and then show you my two different set ups.
I started doing Public Safety Diving in the early 2000's. I started diving for the Sheriff's Office that I was employed by. I was also the team leader at the time, and the Instructor that taught 90% of the team. After transferring from the Sheriff's Office to a local Police Department, I also joined and ran my local Fire Departments Dive Team. I then started traveling as a service for the shop I own now, and began teaching in states all over, in Ice Diving, and PSD Ice Diving. I currently dive for seven Public Safety Dive Teams, and run three of them. I have wore many types of equipment and different configurations. Due to the type of diving that Public Safety Diving is, there always seems to be a misconception of what a diver needs to wear, whether it is Jacket Styles, Back Plate and Wings, etc. Depending on whether or not the team is standardized the individual diver should not worry on whether he is comfortable or not. Now I know that sounds weird but let me explain. When we do recoveries, both body and evidence, we have one goal in mind, SAFETY. But considering just how dangerous Public Safety Diving is, not to mention diving in itself, divers should focus on their skills and not so much the equipment. I have had many students in the Public Safety field that I have failed because they were simply not ready for the task they were faced with. Some of the students were excellent divers, they were just not comfortable when it came to the conditions of the water they were in. Being comfortable doesn't necessarily mean you have gear that you feel 100% in, it means you feel 100% comfortable no matter what you wear. The same applies to us Instructors that teach day in and day out. We should feel comfortable teaching in our personal gear and whatever the student wears as well. I know I have swapped gear with many students (Open Water) because they did not like how their BCD felt, or the mask wasn't working for them. So I swapped out their gear with mine and continued on with the dive. The point is, no matter what gear you wear, your skills are more important, especially for Public Safety, after all its not tropical warm water, with 200 feet of visibility with half naked mermaids, you will be diving in.
So on to the equipment. I'm not going to get into the argument over Jacket Style, Back Inflate, Back Plate and Wings, Side Mount, or any other gear configuration; Primarily because I wear both Back Plate and Wing, and Jacket Style depending on the task at hand, and what team I am diving for. When I am under the ICE and considering the amount of gear I have to wear (including extra harnesses), Back Plate and Wing is my first go to option. If it is a quick deployment, then the Jacket is my choice. Either way, I know I can handle any situation with the equipment no matter the configuration. I will say this, I am very fortunate that I have the ability to carry multiple rigs with me 24/7, and have the ability to choose at a moments notice. In these pictures you will see both set ups, and you will also notice that my pony of choice is sometimes back mounted and some times slung (both on the Jacket Style and Back Plate and Wing). You will also notice that some times I am in a Full Face Mask and some times I am not. Once again it is more on the task at hand and my confidence to do the job, and not so much on the gear. The two biggest benefits to the Back Plate and Wing, is weight and being able to customize your set up. With the Jacket Style you are sometimes limited, however with systems now days simplicity is a great thing. If I am going to be in colder environments, where I have to wear an ungodly amount of weight, the Back Plate (Steel) and Wing is a no brainer. But I am no stranger to just piling the weights in my weight pouches or even a weight belt. For most night operations, I will choose my Jacket Style, because of the manufacture's design (it has reflective material). No matter what equipment I wear, I am confident in all and know I can do the job I have been hired to do. Now I know I probably didn't give you an answer that you were looking for, but I hope you understand that it is not so much the equipment, but more so on your abilities and confidence. Here are some pictures of my two set ups.
P.S., since I can't tell you what will work best for you, I will give you a list of recommendations to check into.
Lifeguard Systems - PSD BCD
Zeagle - 911 / S&R
Sherwood - Zodiac
Hollis - Enviro Pro
ANY - I Repeat - ANY Back Plate and Wing, I prefer OMS
The two most current BCD's that I use for Public Safety Diving are the Lifeguard Systems and OMS Red Wing.
Once again, Thank You for you service and safe diving.
(easy for a new guy on the team, right?)
