Rescue Diver

[Omicron]

I finally did the first portion of my checkout's for Rescue Diver last night. It was a pretty good time!

There was one other person in the class with me and we got put through the paces pretty well rescuing each other for the day. Out of air, unconscious diver (surface/bottom), panicked diver (surface/bottom), tired driver (surface/bottom), lost diver, tows, lifts, etc. Of course, I had the bad fortune to take the class with another "big guy" but hey, he had to drag me out of the water too so I guess it was was only fair ;D

We're doing our full scenario/rescues next week sometime yet...anyone want to be a body? ;D

[FreediveWI]

That is my favorite class to teach!

When I did my instructor training, in California, we were only the second group of instructors to be trained to teach the course, it was taught as a distinctive specialty before that and everyone wrote up their own course guide. It was really cool taking it from the guys who wrote the book.

It was also a real blast! We spent a week in the surf off of L.A. doing all of the skills, while being timed, and jumping through 6 foot waves. It was really cool how you could use those swells to throw a big guy right up on your shoulders to carry him out. You just needed to be warry of the occasional "salt-water nose enema". I also became familiar with the term "potato planter".

I rememeber them clearing everything with the lifeguards before we started our skills, but some old lady living in a huge house on top of the bluff activated ems anyhow becasue she thought there was a problem. :o

Have fun,

Jon

[Chris H]

Oh those were the days. I've been "a body" on more than one occasion. Having a real job is pretty over rated. However, Todd and I are starting Advanced nitrox and Deco Procedures with Gert (Deep Blue) this weekend. I'm pretty excited about that.

[Omicron]

Hey Chris - Yeah, a real job is definitely over rated. I've got George convinced to be the body for next week so I think we are pretty well set. Have fun on your deco procedures class! Sounds like a good time, but right now I'm kind of enjoying the fact that I don't "need" to buy any more scuba gear....it's nice not to have anything else on my list =)

Jon - My instructor was telling me a similar story about a Rescue class that got 911 called on it during class I guess if you do a good job of acting out the scenario it looks kinda real.

I've enjoyed this class the most out of any that I've taken - I've learned a lot, it's been a lot of fun doing the exercises and I really like having this sort of knowledge. It will never hurt!

[FreediveWI]

I had a good time putting Gert through the paces when he took my rescue diver course a few years back.

You'll have a good time in his course and learn a ton.

He has been video-taping all of his tec students so that they can see for themselves how they are doing in the water. It really helps them see why DIR works out so much better when they can watch themsleves in action- no stuffed hoses or danglies hanging out all over the place. It also shows how well you really can maintain your trim and bouyancy when doing all of the required skills.

Be careful about your max depth. He loves to bust people on going below their planned max depth. It doesn't matter too much in recreational diving if you blow it, but in tech diving it becomes much more rigid.

Jon

[Vtach]

The rescue diver is a really good course and fun too. The only problem with a lot of those skills is that if you don't practice or use them on a regular basis they don't quite become second nature. Have fun with the "in water" mouth to mouth (or mouth to mask) ventilation and CPR. Its hard enough to do it effectively on dry land much less in full gear while in the water. Mouth to mouth (or mask) is basically an attempt to "spark" spontaneous breathing and not very effective after a minute or so, but its better than sitting on your hands. It's pretty interesting to try though.

I respect these courses that teach valuable skills and information as opposed to some of the patch hunter courses like "Boat Diver". I'm really looking forward to the advanced training with Gert. The DIR-F course has got me pretty hyped too. Talked to quite a few people about it and it sounds like it is just the right thing for sharpening skills.

[Omicron]

This is a quote that I am taking from Scubaboard in light of your comments on the in-water ventilations...and you're right, they are not easy!!!

My point of view is simply this : \" Keep things very simple. \"

This philosophy is born of my experience as a Firefighter / E.M.T.
There are some basic truths about rescuers & rescuees & I believe more emphasis should be placed on the reality of emergency response situations.

I open my rescue lecture with a few facts & a reality check :

*Things must be kept simple to be effective

*Speed is essential...thinking is paramount

*Life saving is A B & C...all the rest is window dressing

*Adrenelin can \"crystalize\" or \"incapacitate\" a rescuer

*\"Adaptability\" is a highly desireable rescuer trait

*Successful rescue is a \"team effort\"

*Despite all that you do , the casualty may die



Here's a thought : \" In most instances, in-water rescue breathing is inappropriate , ineffective , & counter-productive to the chances for successful resucitation. \"

When a casualty stops breathing, the heart will continue to beat for a minute or so, followed by cardiac arrest. Without circulation, rescue breathing is useless. It is also a very, very difficult skill to perform correctly in the water , in calm conditions, in a non-emergency situation. Since cpr is impossible to do effectively in-water, it makes no sense to waste precious time ( biological death begins in that :4 - :6 window ) trying to ventilate a non-circulating casualty in open water in the stress of a life & death emergency. How can you be sure their heart has stopped? This is often a difficult vital to discern even in the dry ( so much so, that all the major players in 1st aid / cpr training now teach the rescuer to look for \"signs of circulation\" in addition to the traditional carotid pulse check ). Better to get them to a hard, flat surface out of the water as fast as is humanly possible.

Even with fast transport to dry conditions, the outlook for a v.s.a. ( vital signs absent ) diving casualty is grim. Without cardiac defibrillation / advanced life support immediately available, the casualty is unlikely to survive. CPR is not meant to restart the heart ( it is possible, but highly unlikely ), it is a means of moving oxygenated blood to the vital organs ( it is also effective in removing lactic acid from the heart muscle & assists in converting the heart to a fibrillating rythym...one of two convertible rythyms necessary for cardiac defibrillation ).

This is not meant to discourage or despond the would-be rescue team. What it is meant to do is force rescuers to face the hard reality of such situations. It is also meant to prevent rescuers from taking unacceptable personal risks in their zeal to help the casualty. The #1 rule in rescue remains \" do not become another victim.\"

[Vtach]

One of the most important things to remember is basic airway control (head tilt-chin lift). Keep the person who is breathing, still breathing. Your chances/odds drop off horribly once they stop breathing. We could talk about all kinds of physiology and advanced stuff, but prevention works the best. Later Dude

Todd

[Omicron]

Well, I passed my scenarios!

Bob tricked us a little in the search and recovery scenario. He put our "body" in a very, very weedy section and then when my partner and I went down we were in a fairly weed free portion of the lake. We started using a reel to do sweeps and I couldn't tell but my partner was dragging a TON of weeds with him on every sweep...eventually we came back up and were told what we did wrong. We then decided to get out the compass and run a search pattern back and forth and found the "body" right away.

It was a really fun class - definitely the most enjoyable since I've done my OW!