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What is a Public Safety Diver? Click here to find out.
The Need
Bluffton, Indiana is not known for their waterways. The Wabash River,
though an integral part of the Parlor City's history, does not present
itself as a raging river to be feared. There are not large lakes cluttered
with recreational boats, swimmers, and people fishing. There is, however,
still an abundance of water and a definite need for the local Fire Department
to be prepared in the event of a water related accident. The possibility of flooding creates an additional need for trained and prepared personnel. The city of Bluffton
and the surrounding communities once relied soley on the Indiana State Police and
the Department of Natural Resources to provide diving services. While both are
very well trained and very dependable, it it often takes those teams quite some
time to respond. Many dive operations require more than a few divers, thus
requiring even more assets than the ISP and DNR have readily available.
Ponds, Lakes, Rivers, and Reservoirs pepper our community and those around us.
Accidents will happen. And when those occur, the Bluffton Fire Department will
stand ready to assist in any capacity required.
History
In the fall of 1996 the Bluffton Fire Department began the process of fielding
a scuba diving team. At that time the Department owned some scuba diving equipment,
from a previous dive team. That equipment was serviced and safety tested and put
back into service. By the summer of 1997, the Dive Team was about 50% ready in
terms of equipment. The current divers began to actively seek additional funding
and potential members. In the fall of 1997, the Fire Department began to discuss
the need for additional equipment. Noted, in particular, was the need for a better
rescue boat and scuba diving dry suits. In the spring of 1998, the Fire Department
acquired a new 1998 Starcraft MVXL 17' flatbottom jonboat, Mercury 25Hp 4-cycle motor, trailer, and cover through donations from various corporate donors and community organizations. This boat replaces a much smaller V-bottom row boat without trailer.
During the late 90's the department focused on training and equipping the dive team. Existing equipment was safety tested and some additional equipment was purchased. The team continued to train, focusing on public safety diving versus recreational diving.
In early 2003 the Dive Team recovered a stolen vehicle from the Wabash River. It was unknown at the time if the vehicle was occupied. Upon recovery, it was determined to be empty and was stolen the previous week.
On July 4, 2003, Wells and Adams Counties experienced flooding unlike any since 1913. Beginning on the 4th with flash flooding and continuing for days, the Wabash and St. Mary's Rivers rose above their banks and destroyed homes and businesses in both communities. The Dive Team was very active during this period in conducting boat operations. Unfortunately the team was called for a body recovery as a local man lost his life to the swollen river as he attempted to rescue another.
On August 14, 2003, the Department recovered a 1990 Mercury Cougar from the Wabash. The vehicle sat in 5' of water with only the top visible. The driver of the vehicle apparently blacked out and came to sitting in the river. No one was injured and the vehicle was recovered, although most likely totalled due to the river water.
In the fall of 2003, the Department retired the antiquated out-of-compliance Stearn's Ski Vests and purchased eight Type V Rescue PFD's. All PFD's are equipped with signalling device (fox whistle), cutting device, and marker strobe. The department also added new throw bags and rescue cans to it's inventory. Modifications are planned to the boat to allow for search lights and rope assisted applications.
In December 2003, the department began a fund-raising effort with the goal of purchasing Drysuits. As of February 1, 2004 the team had raised 25% of their goal and was able to purchase 1 suit.
In January 2004, the Wells County Emergency Management Agency secured funding through county agencies to purchase Surface Ice Rescue equipment for the department. Bluffton Fire Department now has in operation 5 Stearns Dry/Immersion Suits for surface rescue, a Rescue Alive Sled, an additional 5 Stearns Type III PFD's and other misc. ice resuce equipment. This equipment is much needed and will be used for surface ice rescues. Unfortunately these suits and equipment is not designed to be used for floodwaters/swiftwaters or dive operations.
In January 2004, the Board of Works for the City of Bluffton approved funding to send one diver to the Dive Rescue Instructor Academy sponsored by Dive Rescue International. This course consists of Dive Rescue I (DRI), Dive Rescue II (DRII), Med Diver, Public Safety Diver Instructor, and Dive Rescue I Trainer. After completion of this course, the department will have a fully qualified, internationally recognized instructor on staff. Conducting public safety training in-house will ensure the team is trained to recognized public safety standards, allow the addition of new divers as needed, and is much more budget friendly than sending each diver to training throughout the U.S.
Current Status
The Bluffton Fire Department currently has 5 certified divers. An additional diver from the Bluffton Police Department actively dives with the team. The Ossian Fire Department also has a diver that provides mutual aid as needed.
Equipment: The dive team currently has in operation equipment for four divers with only 1 drysuit (Viking X-Treme). This allows the divers to dive year round. However, during extreme cold conditions, bottomtime is very short. Much of the gear is owned by the individual divers.
Team Photos
Current listing of Dive Team Members
The entire department is critical to the success of the water operations team and deserves recognition as well. The listing below only shows the personnel who volunteer even additional time to be trained and competent in water operations.
| Diver |
Certifications |
| Michael Hiester |
Basic Open Water; Advanced Open Water; Rescue Diver; Master Diver Candidate; Dive Rescue I; Dive Rescue II; Swiftwater/Floodwater Rescue - Operations;
Rope Rescue Tech; Firefighter; EMT-B; Fire Instructor; Ice Rescue Operations |
| Chris Wolf |
Basic Open Water; Rope Rescue Tech; Ice Rescue Technician; Firefighter; Fire Instructor; EMT-B |
| Mike Mann |
Basic Open Water; Firefighter; Sheriff's Reserve; Ice Rescue Technician |
| Brandon Shadle |
Basic Open Water; Advanced Open Water; Rescue Diver; Commerical Diver; Firefighter; Ice Rescue Technician |
| Kurt Beer |
Basic Open Water; Firefighter |
| Andy Ellis |
Basic Open Water; City Police Officer |
| Bruce Lovell |
Surface Support; Firefighter/Captain; Ice Rescue Technician; Rope Rescue Technician; First Responder; Fire Instructor II/III |
| Brandon Mechling |
Surface Support; Firefighter; Ice Rescue Technician |
| Jim Curran |
Surface Support; Firefighter; Ice Rescue Technician |
| Eric Funk |
Surface Support; Firefighter; Ice Rescue Technician |
WANTED: The Dive Team is currently looking for a truck or trailer to use for equipment storage and hauling. Technical rescue (to include dive operations) requires an abundance of specialty equipment. The equipment we currently have in operation won't fit on our current Rescue Truck.
Last Updated: July 20, 2004
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WATER OPERATIONS
/DIVE TEAM