This weekend (March 25-27th, 2017) the Beneath The Sea scuba convention took place at the Meadowlands Exhibition Center up in Secaucus, NJ. For the most part, this is a consumer-focused convention, and not really dealer focused (for that go to DEMA).
If you’ve read my About Me page you’ll remember that I’m not just a diver and instructor, but also a Public Safety Diver and the Dive Operations Coordinator for the Fifth District Volunteer Fire Department, in Clarksville, MD.
The reason I made it up this year is day long Public Safety Diver conference that is part of BTS, held the Friday of the convention each year. I went 2 years ago and found it to be very interesting (last year I was busy getting certified as an HSA instructor), and great to get a fresh perspective on what other Public Safety Dive teams are doing. We had five members of our team make it to the seminar this year. Next year I’d like to make it everybody!
It was a real treat to get to hear those other perspectives from some world class Public Safety Diving experts.
This year the topics included:
Drowning and Immersion hypothermia for public safety personnel
Andrea Zaferes: Lifeguard Systems
Fun fact: Did you know that the surface area of all of the alveoli in our lungs is about the same as a tennis court?
Training Standards and Training Choice for Dive Teams
Matt Seemann: FDNY Scuba Unit
NIMS ICS and Dive Team Response
Deputy Chief Leonard Carmichael, Trenton Fire Dept (Ret)
Update on Public Safety Diver Health Project
Faith Ortins, DUI
The link to the PSD Health Initiative.
Challenges of Public Safety Diving in the Nation’s Capitol
Officer Michael Pratt, DC Metro Harbor Police
What are the dangers of swiftwater, floodwater, and flood rescue?
Butch Hendrick, Lifeguard Systems
Near the end of Butch’s presentation, he brought out the ropes. Watch the way he ties them. He’s like some dark scuba rope tying wizard.
Butch Hendrick is some magical rope tying wizard
A clip from the 2017 Beneath the Sea Public Safety Diver seminar. Butch Hendrick of Life Guard Systems (the guy who literally wrote the book on Public Safety Diving) was finishing up and was tying a few knots while doing so. I’ve seen him do this before and it’s simple amazing.