1996 Dive Team Newsletter Summaries
| MONTH | HIGHLIGHTS |
|---|---|
| January 1996 |
1996 Officers Election from the Christmas party.
One drowning recovery operation. The Dive Team's Web Page goes into operation. |
| February 1996 | No training dives, no operations. |
| March 1996 |
Circle search training with the new modular snap-line.
Lago Vista divers investigate a boat wreck on dry land. |
| April 1996 |
Training on 2- and 4-person Z patterns in high wind.
Investigation and recovery of a wrecked boat following a night accident. |
| May 1996 |
Training: testing the communications gear being considered for the Team.
No operations but several close calls on water accidents. |
| June 1996 |
Training: fast response Spiral patterns with an AFD Dive Rescue Instructor.
Two drowning operations. One operation to search several stock ponds as part of the search for two missing children. Newly adopted decontamination procedures for divers involved in body recoveries; decon equipment now in the trailer. |
| July 1996 |
Training: an improved 2-person Spiral pattern; first test of a new
set of uniform rope signals.
One operation: recovering the remains of a SCUBA diver lost in a diving accident in 1979. |
| August 1996 |
Training: we defy threatening weather and get over 1" of rain.
No operations this month. |
| September 1996 | No operations over Labor Day weekend (rainy weather) |
| October 1996 | Media relations. No operations this month. |
| November 1996 |
Time and span results from training on Spiral pattern. Spring training plans. |
| December 1996 |
1997 Officer election results. IRS 501(c)(3) certification completed. The Team commits to purchasing two Divator Mk.II full face masks with BuddyPhone wireless voice communicators and a surface console. |
January 1996
Training
The January training session on crime scene handling did not work out. We will try to get it scheduled for February.Lewis Thompson is going to teach a standard Underwater Search and Recovery course in the near future. We will post details here as soon as they are available. Everybody on the Team should go through this course.
Operations
The Team was dispatched to Mansfield Dam late in the afternoon on January 5 for a drowning. The body was recovered by a TCSO officer shortly after the Team was dispatched.Minutes of December Meeting
The December 1996 meeting was held at the Christmas party.- Election of Officers for 1996
-
President: Paul Eisman
Vice President: Mike Vandermate
Secretary/Treasurer: Steve Carlson
Captain: Dean Woodley
Lieutenant: Larry Hunter
Board place 3: Tim Hoffman
Board place 4: Phil Cummins - Dues Increase
- Membership dues were increased to $20.
Other News
If you have got this far, you have noticed that the Team now has a home page on the World Wide Web. All of the forms and features here are being tested with Netscape, Mosaic, and Webcrawler (the AOL Web browser).We have already had our first response from outside the team! The training officer from the Fittstown, OK volunteer fire department sent a response on the third day the prototype home page was out. So we now have a mailing list for training material updates, with the Fittstown VFD first on the list.
We will have HTML versions of our training material on this page soon, as well as links to other relevant documents and Dive Team websites. If you find something we should link to, use the Response Form on the home page to let me know.
February 1996
Training
There is no training dive scheduled this month (February). Water temperature in Lake Travis is now up to about 53 degrees.PADI Underwater Search and Recovery Course
Lewis Thompson will teach a PADI Search and Recovery Course as part of the training dives this spring. The schedule will be announced as soon as Lew's travel schedule is set. It will probably involve the April and May dives, and possibly March. This will be a full PADI Search and Recovery course, with training exercises using the Team's equipment.
Operations
No operations since the last newsletter.It looks like this will be an unusually dry year, and that usually means things will be unusually busy.
Other News
Several of the area fire departments are setting up dive teams as part of their rescue mission. The Lago Vista VFD has several divers, as does the Cedar Park FD. We will be working with them and probably some other departments to get faster responses in possible rescue situations.
March 1996
Training
March Training Dive
The March training dive was Sunday afternoon March 24 at the Lake Travis Test Station at 2:00 pm. The skill session was a review of the Circle Search procedure using the new modular search line. Water temperature was 57 degrees. Nine divers started and ran an 80-foot radius circle easily and found the pre-planted target quickly. There were two more helpers in the water and three onshore support people, for a grand total of fourteen attendees.We also reviewed callout procedures and had some hands-on training sending pages with the Dive Team 6 Communications Kit.
Underwater Search and Recovery Course
We still do not have the schedule for Lew Thompson's PADI Underwater Search and Recovery Course. We currently expect it to be a major part of April and May training dives.Upcoming Training Sessions
We will try to set up a joint training session in April with some of the north shore area Fire and EMS agencies' dive teams, like Lago Vista and Cedar Park. If this works out it will probably be around Jonestown or Lime Creek.We will also have some training for operations divemasters. You don't need a Divemaster certification, but it would help. Topics will include classroom coverage of the Incident Command System and field exercise practice at training dives.
Operations
No operations since the last newsletter. The Team was placed on alert one night after a reported boat accident near Lago Vista. Lago Vista VFD divers helped investigate and discovered that all of the occupants...as well as the boat...were on dry land.
April 1996
Training
April Training Dive
The April training dive was Sunday afternoon, April 21 at the Lake Travis Test Station. The skill session covered the Z pattern and practiced setting and retrieving the buoys in high wind. We tried 2-person and 4-person variations of the "Z" pattern.Hauling the Trailer
We will have at least one informal session in Hauling the Dive Team Trailer that may become a regular training session. If you are interested, let me know and we will set up a time.To haul the trailer, you need a truck with:
- Insurance that covers an attached trailer.
- Hitch with a 2-5/16" ball capable of hauling a 3000 pound trailer.
- Electrical connector: The trailer has a 7-pole round Bargman-type connector including electric brake actuation. There is an adapter to 4-pole flat connector (without trailer brakes) in the trailer.
We can cover things like: checking your electric connections; finding the trailer; adjusting the brake actuator; backing the trailer; and backing it into the shed where it is kept.
Operations
April 21, 0031 - Boat accident
Early Sunday morning April 21 the Team was called out for a boat accident with reports of multiple persons in the water. We cancelled the callout about 40 minutes later when all known occupants of the boat were accounted for. Then we reinstated the callout 15 minutes after that when investigators found conflicting reports on the number of people believed to be on board.The Team investigated the mostly submerged boat and assisted salvage operators in recovering it.
Turnout was hampered by the initial dispatch location as "Arkansas Bend Park." The accident happened in the Arkansas Bend area but emergency operations were being conducted from Yacht Harbor on the Hudson Bend side. Several divers were en route to Arkansas Bend and had a long drive back to Yacht Harbor.
May 1996
Training
May Training Dive
The May training dive is Sunday afternoon, May 19 at the Lake Travis Test Station.- This is our last review of the Circle and 2- and 4-person Z patterns before the busy season starts Memorial Day.
- We will also test some new equipment we would like to purchase: full-face, positive pressure masks and wireless communicators.
June Training Dive
The June training dive will be announced at the June meeting.The training dive with the Lago Vista Volunteer Fire Department divers has been moved to July 21.
July Training Dive
The July training dive will be a joint training session with the Lago Vista Volunteer Fire Department on July 21 in Lago Vista. We will be training on our large area search methods using Cirle and Z patterns. We will also work with the LVVFD surface support people.Operations
There have not been any operations since last month, but we came very close on Sunday May 4. There were two near drownings involving swimmers, as well as an ascent accident involving a scuba diver.MessageFlash Users: Re-register now
If you use the MessageFlash software to send alphanumeric pages, you have to re-register every six months. Re-registration is free.The software automatically re-registers itself if you start it and it has not been registered for six months. That may take a minute or two. To save time if you have to put out an emergency page, re-register your MessageFlash now. Click the "Options" menu on the menu bar and click "Updates..." on the menu. It will call an 800 number to check for software updates, and it will re-register your copy at the same time.
June 1996
Training
June Training Dive
The June training dive on Sunday, June 23 was dedicated to quick response methods for possible rescue situations. Mike Pearson from the Austin Fire Department dive team showed us AFD's 3-person spiral pattern, and ten divers trained on that pattern in the water.We will have a description of the 3-person spiral in the on-line training documents shortly. We will also have hard copies at the July training dive.
This pattern covers a small area quickly with few divers. It will work well for fast searches in relatively shallow water with a good PLS starting location. We may also use this one for initial reconnaisance on larger area searches.
July Training Dive
The July training dive will be in Lago Vista on July 21. We will be working with divers from the Lago Vista Volunteer Fire Department on our large circle patterns and also on the 3-person spiral pattern. We will also work with the LVVFD surface support people.Operations
May 26: Two of our divers who were riding in the Sheriff's patrol boats over the Memorial Day weekend participated in one operation. Our divers joined Travis County Park Ranger divers in a search for a missing swimmer at Hippie Hollow. The subject was located in less than fifteen minutes of searching but medical personnel were not able to resuscitate him.June 24: Five divers helped in the search for two boys missing overnight near Hamilton Pool. Search dog Erin had alerted several times near one of a series of dammed-up deep pools in the creekbed where the boys were last seen by their parents. Divers had searched two of the pools by 8:30 am. We were preparing to search the third (and nastiest) pool when the boys were found.
July 5: A swimmer was reported missing at the Mansfield Dam LCRA park at about 11:00 am. Austin Fire Department divers located the victim as Dive Team members arrived at the park to set up a recovery search.
Recovery Procedure Changes
This is a reminder about the procedure changes we have made in response to the increasing risk of water-born pathogens on drowning recoveries.- If there is full-face equipment at an operation site, let divers
with that equipment make all body recoveries.
Mark the location, and you may also be directed to loiter in the area
until somebody with full-face equipment gets there.
- If we don't have full-face equipment at an operation,
raise bodies to the surface feet first.
Keep their body orifices below your face to minimize possible contact
with excreted fluids.
- Decontaminate your wetsuit and diving equipment after every recovery if you come in contact with the body or the immediate area. We now carry bleach and a 5-gallon bucket in the trailer. Mix a fresh batch of ten-percent bleach solution and wash everything in it. Then rinse it thoroughly in fresh water. It will fade some colors but should not damage rubber or silicon items as long as you rinse it soon.
The Board is considering getting a set of full-face masks with communications gear later this year. Other agencies in the area are also trying to get this kind of equipment.
July 1996
Training
August Training Dive
The August Training Dive will be on Sunday, August 25 at 2:00 pm at the test station. We are going to work on:- Deployment and operation timing for the Spiral and Z patterns.
- Shore-based patterns using the revised rope signals.
July Training Dive
The July training dive on Sunday, July 21 was spent practicing and refining the Spiral and Circle patterns, and evaluating the proposed standard rope signals.We adopted one significant improvement to the Spiral pattern. We now sent the search line reel out with the Point instead of keeping it at the Anchor. The Point clips in the search line and holds the reel, the same as in the Circle pattern. The Anchor still signals when to let out line for the next circle. The Point now lets out line for the visibility at the outside of the pattern.
Operations
- July 29, 1996
-
Dive Team members recovered the diving gear and remains of a scuba diver
found in 140 feet of water off Windy Point.
The subject is believed to be a man who was reported missing in a
diving accident in 1979.
The Medical Examiner's office has not yet ruled on the subject's
identity,
but the diving equipment we recovered matched that on the seventeen
year old missing person report.
Members of an advanced class noticed part of the subject's wetsuit and hoses embedded in the silt and reported it to the Sheriff's office. The instructor assisted Dive Team members in locating and marking the remains. Team members then set up and carried out the difficult recovery. Lew and Paul were on the recovery team for this operation and also participated in the search for the missing diver seventeen years ago.
Helicopter Water Rescue
The Rescue 3 Helicopter Rescue conference is in Lakeway August 16-18, and the Helicopter Water Rescue workshop is August 19-20. We have not budgeted any funds for anybody to attend, but it would be interesting to watch the Workshop August 19-20 if you are near Lakeway.
August 1996
Training
August Training Dive
The August Training Dive was on Sunday, August 25 at 2:00 pm at the test station. In the past we have cancelled training dives for thunderstorms in progress at noon, and had clear sky by 2:00 pm dive time. This time we left the dive on, and six divers met in the trailer for the 2:00 pm cloudburst.Next month we will try again to start gathering timing data for Spiral pattern operation and for Z pattern deployment.
Operations
- July 29, 1996
-
Dive Team members recovered the diving gear and remains of a scuba diver
found in 140 feet of water off Windy Point.
Members of an advanced class noticed part of the subject's wetsuit and hoses embedded in the silt and reported it to the Sheriff's office. The instructor assisted Dive Team members in locating and marking the remains. Team members then set up and carried out the difficult and dangerous recovery.
The subject was confirmed by the Medical Examiner's office to be a man who was reported missing in a diving accident in 1979. Several Team members who worked on this operation also participated in the search for the missing diver seventeen years ago.
Tax Exempt Status
The paperwork to officially reestablish our status as a tax exempt, not-for-profit organization has been sent to the IRS.
September 1996
Training
September Training Dive
The September Training Dive was Sunday, September 29 at the Test Station at 2:00 pm.
We finally had really nice diving conditions - clear, cool weather; no thermoclines down to 100'; no jetskis in the dive area; and (for Lake Travis) fair visibility. We did not have enough attendance for the planned timing projects, so we took a deep dive down the wall beyond the road.
Operations
There have been no operations since the last newsletter. Rainy weather for most of the Labor Day weekend was a big help here.
October 1996
Training
October Training Dive
"Thunderstorms at the lake - it must be training dive day!"or
"Training dive day - there must be thunderstorms at the lake!"
The October training dive scheduled for Sunday October 27 was called off at noon when weather radar showed strong thunderstorms developing southwest of Austin and moving toward the Lake Travis area. They had arrived in Austin by about 1:30 pm.
October Meeting: Media Relations
The featured speaker at the October 3 meeting was Andy Saenz, with an interesting and lively presentation on dealing with media representatives.
November 1996
Training
November Training Dive
The November training dive was on Sunday November 17. We worked on setup and timing of 3-person Spiral patterns.
-
We pretty much confimed that 20 feet is the maximum usable radius for the
Spiral pattern unless the bottom is free of obstructions and ledges.
-
Time to completion depends more on bottom obstructions than with the Circle
pattern. The Point diver has to spend more time working the line over
obstructions, which slows his average speed.
-
We ran our trials in 30 to 35 feet of water, with the Point diver letting
out 5 feet of line on each round to simulate conditions of about 3 foot
visibility, out to a 20 foot radius. We used the anchor and point divers'
dive computers to get surface-to-surface times.
A team working in an area with few obstructions consistently ran the pattern in just over 7 minutes. Another team working in an area with several big rocks and a ledge consistently ran the pattern in about 10 minutes.
- The anchor divers found it was useful to mark the starting position with a few rocks. That let them signal for the next round without having to check their compasses.
Spring Training
We are starting to plan and arrange next year's training program. If there is a topic you would like to take or teach, use the message form to let us know.
Some topics we will try to do in the spring (March-May) are:
- A PADI "Search and Recovery Specialist" course taught by Lew.
- A "Deep Diving" field exercise for those of us who may not get in much deep diving during the winter.
December 1996
IRS 501(c)(3) Certification
We have now established the Dive Team as an IRS 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, and we have our Texas sales tax exemption number. Thanks to Steve Carlson for heading the effort and pushing the paperwork.
Face Mask and Communicator Order
We will be ordering the Team full face mask and communicator sets before Christmas to avoid an expected price increase next year. If you want to order a personal set in the Team's quantity purchase, contact Paul Eisman by December 20.
1997 Dive Team officers
The 1997 Dive Team officers elected at the December party and meeting are:
-
President: Paul Eisman Vice President: Dean Woodley Captain: Larry Hunter Lieutenant: Lewis Thompson Secretary-Treasurer: Steve Carlson
Training
There is no scheduled Team training dive this month. Instead we are urging everybody to get involved in one of the New Year's Day dives in the area. Check with your favorite dive shop for details.
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