leam
Contributor
I get to help with training and the Team Coordinator (TC) is receptive to ideas. Our biggest struggle seems to be motivation; getting people to show up and get certified on basic tasks and meet fairly minimal standards. We've had 4-6 water trainings and still don't have every one of the 10 or so divers checked off for this year. The requirement is to get in the water and run some search lines. Not difficult. You also have to bring in copies of your last 10 dives from last year so we know you are actually diving.
So I've been working on some ideas. One issue for me was that my regular dive buddy and I would drive 45 minutes each way for about 15 minutes of learning and about 2 hours of shooting the bull. I left not knowing if I had learned anything and never really knowing what I needed to know to be successful. I've been mulling over some things and I'd like some critical review from you. Both from the experienced PSDs on things to hone the plans and from new or potential PSDs; would this encourage you to show up and work harder? Feel free to be honest in your critique. I want to help put skilled divers safely into the water.
The first concept change is Role Based learning. We have several Roles as a Search and Recovery Team. Role Based Learning will let someone join the team and work in the roles they prefer. For example, we have a lady who is fantastic with dogs and a NASAR II. Yet she doesn't want to dive. Not a problem--we have a Land Search Role that she will excel in. Some Roles lead to others. For example, the Diver Role requires the candidate be qualified as a Line Tender, which in turn requires Surface Support. The theory is that a diver should know what the Line Tender is doing. Yet a person who does not want to dive can still function as a Line Tender.
Roles:
1. Under Water Roles
a. Surface Support
b. Line Tender
c. Diver
2. Land Search Roles
a. Land Search
b. Dog Handling
3. Common Skills
a. General Knowledge (Required for all team memebers. Things like CPR, etc.)
b. Vehicle Operations
c. Officer (On Scene Commder, Media relations, etc.)
Each role has a sub-set of skills. A team member chooses which roles they are interested in and a training record is started for them. Each Role has a list of areas they must know. Each area will be broken down further into a list of specific skills so that when a team member signs up for a role they will know exactly what skills they need for that role, and the team trainers will know exactly what material needs to be covered in each training session.
Each Role is further graded, "Apprentice", "Journeyman", "Technician", and "Supervisor". Skills for each role are sometimes assigned a minimum grade. For example, under water vehicle recovery is a tricky and dangerous business. It requires a minimum of a Journeyman Diver to be trained in those procedures.
A team member begins a Role as an Apprentice. To progress to a Journeyman they must have attended at least 12 training sessions in the past 24 months ( 1 real call-out = 2 trainings), be signed off on all the skills for that role, meet all external requirements for the role like number of dives, etc, and pass a "Journeyman's Challenge". The Journeyman's Challenge will be set up by the Role Supervisor(s) and require the team member to function in all apprentice level skills in that Role. Once they pass they are rated as a Journeyman, can attend those specific training sessions, and are expected to be able to function as a team member in that Role with minimal supervision.
A Technician is a person who is seeking external training and certification equivalent to that Role. For example, and part of my desire, is that a Journeyman diver on our team could go to a DRI/ERDI/LGS course and not be over-whelmed. A Land Search Journeyman should be well prepared for NASAR courses, etc.
A Supervisor for a Role should be well experienced in a Role, have external certification and training, and be able to teach others and lead them into mastery of that role.
Does that make sense, and how could it be improved?
ciao!
leam
So I've been working on some ideas. One issue for me was that my regular dive buddy and I would drive 45 minutes each way for about 15 minutes of learning and about 2 hours of shooting the bull. I left not knowing if I had learned anything and never really knowing what I needed to know to be successful. I've been mulling over some things and I'd like some critical review from you. Both from the experienced PSDs on things to hone the plans and from new or potential PSDs; would this encourage you to show up and work harder? Feel free to be honest in your critique. I want to help put skilled divers safely into the water.
The first concept change is Role Based learning. We have several Roles as a Search and Recovery Team. Role Based Learning will let someone join the team and work in the roles they prefer. For example, we have a lady who is fantastic with dogs and a NASAR II. Yet she doesn't want to dive. Not a problem--we have a Land Search Role that she will excel in. Some Roles lead to others. For example, the Diver Role requires the candidate be qualified as a Line Tender, which in turn requires Surface Support. The theory is that a diver should know what the Line Tender is doing. Yet a person who does not want to dive can still function as a Line Tender.
Roles:
1. Under Water Roles
a. Surface Support
b. Line Tender
c. Diver
2. Land Search Roles
a. Land Search
b. Dog Handling
3. Common Skills
a. General Knowledge (Required for all team memebers. Things like CPR, etc.)
b. Vehicle Operations
c. Officer (On Scene Commder, Media relations, etc.)
Each role has a sub-set of skills. A team member chooses which roles they are interested in and a training record is started for them. Each Role has a list of areas they must know. Each area will be broken down further into a list of specific skills so that when a team member signs up for a role they will know exactly what skills they need for that role, and the team trainers will know exactly what material needs to be covered in each training session.
Each Role is further graded, "Apprentice", "Journeyman", "Technician", and "Supervisor". Skills for each role are sometimes assigned a minimum grade. For example, under water vehicle recovery is a tricky and dangerous business. It requires a minimum of a Journeyman Diver to be trained in those procedures.
A team member begins a Role as an Apprentice. To progress to a Journeyman they must have attended at least 12 training sessions in the past 24 months ( 1 real call-out = 2 trainings), be signed off on all the skills for that role, meet all external requirements for the role like number of dives, etc, and pass a "Journeyman's Challenge". The Journeyman's Challenge will be set up by the Role Supervisor(s) and require the team member to function in all apprentice level skills in that Role. Once they pass they are rated as a Journeyman, can attend those specific training sessions, and are expected to be able to function as a team member in that Role with minimal supervision.
A Technician is a person who is seeking external training and certification equivalent to that Role. For example, and part of my desire, is that a Journeyman diver on our team could go to a DRI/ERDI/LGS course and not be over-whelmed. A Land Search Journeyman should be well prepared for NASAR courses, etc.
A Supervisor for a Role should be well experienced in a Role, have external certification and training, and be able to teach others and lead them into mastery of that role.
Does that make sense, and how could it be improved?
ciao!
leam
