Update on the Priest Lake incident.

[Gary D.]

Would the risks outweigh the reward for this?
Your talking about a dive to 350ffw.
I dont know, maybe its just me but a diver has no reason to be there.
Just the logistics to set up the dive would be a huge cost.
I realize its another firefighter that you are going for, but all in all why risk more people with a dive like that. I wouldnt. Should be done with an ROV.
I know the FBI has ROV's as they were up here looking for a body during the winter.
-g mount

Our business is a “Risk Benefit” business every day and we live by that.

Yes it is 350’ fresh water at 2400’.

It’s not a huge cost and 350 isn’t bad when you’re young and set up for it. Years ago I was but today I don’t fit into either category.

The family and his department will pay for about anything we need to minimize the risk. It’s even some of his own crew and dive team that are assisting with the search.

We have access to an ROV and don’t even try to use one from the FED’s. Ever done their paperwork or seen their restrictions.

They are easy to rent with or without operators from a lot of sources. We even have one locally but the woman who is pulling the strings right now is even a NO on it.

If it does come down to a diver, if and when we ID the victim, it will go out commercially. We have said thanks but no thanks to some local sport divers. No way would we ever even try and use them.

It will be as safe an operation as they can make it.

Gary D.

 

[gjmmotors]

They are easy to rent with or without operators from a lot of sources. We even have one locally but the woman who is pulling the strings right now is even a NO on it.

If it does come down to a diver, if and when we ID the victim, it will go out commercially. We have said thanks but no thanks to some local sport divers. No way would we ever even try and use them.

It will be as safe an operation as they can make it.

Gary D.

That suprises me that someone(the M.E.) would opt against the use of an ROV, Personally if someone were giving me that much of a problem id have to talk to whomever was above the M.E.. Its a shame that the M.E. has the final say.
Personally im in no shape to do a 350 foot dive, ill do tec stuff to 240 - 250 ish, I wont do any PSD work below 60ffw. Id hire it out.
-g mount

 

[MikeFerrara]

Our business is a “Risk Benefit” business every day and we live by that.

Yes it is 350’ fresh water at 2400’.

It’s not a huge cost and 350 isn’t bad when you’re young and set up for it. Years ago I was but today I don’t fit into either category.

The family and his department will pay for about anything we need to minimize the risk. It’s even some of his own crew and dive team that are assisting with the search.

We have access to an ROV and don’t even try to use one from the FED’s. Ever done their paperwork or seen their restrictions.

They are easy to rent with or without operators from a lot of sources. We even have one locally but the woman who is pulling the strings right now is even a NO on it.

If it does come down to a diver, if and when we ID the victim, it will go out commercially. We have said thanks but no thanks to some local sport divers. No way would we ever even try and use them.

It will be as safe an operation as they can make it.

Gary D.

There's an organization based in Michigan called the Midwest Technical Recovery Team. According to their web site they will travel, work on a volunteer basis and could do that dive. They're website also claims that they are also PSD trained. I don't know anything else about them personally but I thought it was interesting.

 

[Rick Inman]

Age and wisdom have come together and it will be farmed out to a younger generation who is qualified to do it safely.

Glad (relieved) to know you won't be making the dive.

 

[Kayla]

Well, if you ever get tired of not having the BS around, you're more then welcome here... we run into it all the time, because "technically" we are told exactly what to do by the county. We always run into troubles when they just can't understand WHY we won't dive for something....

But, back to your search. I'm glad to hear that you won't be diving it, but at the same time I feel your frustration! If you have the resources why not use them? Yeah, its not pretty.... but its... something!


Kayla

 

[Kriterian]

I'm sorry about the loss of your fellow fireman, and the rest of the party. Bureaucracy is the sewage of politics that you guys have to dive in, and some days it p#$$es me off so much that I'd like to open a can of waste treatment on them.

On a positive note...

We can position it with the SS to within inches so we won’t miss.

I'm glad to hear the sidescan is helping alot in your searchs/recoveries/saves. Hopefully the other teams financial leaders will read this and acquire them for their teams.

As always, keep up the bad work...someone has to do it.

 

[Gary D.]

g-mount;
The county Sheriff isn't running for another term up there so she is flexing her muscle. The Coroner is the only person in the county with the power to arrest the Sheriff. And to top it off, she is new.

Mike Ferrara; Thanks. We have most of what we need here somewhat locally. Thanks for the info though. I have heard about that team but we have never had to use them or another like them. We may be looking at them later but we need to confirm our contact first.

Rick Inman; You should know me better than that. ;^)

Kayla; We are working in a county to the north of us. We are not used to the BS from the Coroner. Everyone else has been just great. We have strict guidelines but the freedom to do our job anyway we need to do it safely.

Thanks for the offer but I'll keep my home base here. I will be over for a visit in the future.

Kriterian; I don't know him and he was from a department roughly 200 miles away. Even with me and my team being LEO's, we are all in the same family so it makes it that much tougher.

The last Fireman we recovered was one that used to fill our tanks on a daily basis. That was in the same county up north. The Sheriff then was a major a$$ and threatened to arrest us if we dove. We did and he didn't but we brought our family menber home.

Thanks again everyone. I'm just so frustrated between Mother Nature and Mother (oops) Coroner not working in our favor.

Gary D.

 

[Fly N Dive]

Good luck with everything, its amazing what you do, and i hope the weather and the coroner ease up so you can finish what must be a very taxing incident

 

[richhagelin]

Gary D,

I'm a little confused by your satellite picture in your original post. The title says "35 km from Sannich BC". If that is true, it isn't Priest Lake.

The picture does look like the 7 Mile Island area of Priest. Is that where it is?
'
Rich Hagelin

 

[Gary D.]

Gary D,

I'm a little confused by your satellite picture in your original post. The title says "35 km from Sannich BC". If that is true, it isn't Priest Lake.

The picture does look like the 7 Mile Island area of Priest. Is that where it is?
'
Rich Hagelin

I don't know where Sannich BC is but upper Priest is only about 12 air miles from Canada.

We are at 8 mile island on the west side about mid island.

Gary D.