JoCoSAR Blog

Dive Team Gets the Job Done

August 16, 2010by James Phillippe

Hello Team
Illinois River Dive; We left early from the SAR house and drove to Cave Junction and met Sheriff's Deputy Kory Krauss. He led us to the west fork of the Illinois river where the gun safe was dumped in the river. I'm glad Dutch did some RECON as it was very helpful in our readiness. We had to transport dive gear about 1/2 mile to the dive site. We did take an off road vehicle and it was very good that we took it. I would like to make a special thank you to the ground support SAR members Ted Santamaria and Jack Culwell who came with us and the assistance they gave made this recovery easier. The gun safe was at a depth of 18 ft and the visibility under water was about 10 feet. The safe door was separate from the safe case. Max and Neil used two lift bags to bring it up. To our surprise the safe door was almost as heavy the safe itself. Then the 500 lbs lift bag was used by Dave and myself to bring up the safe. The bag was attached closely to the safe and when it was raised it helped us to bring it closer to the shore. The safe was given to the sheriff and transported to the Cave Junction field office. I'm glad we left early as it became very hot that afternoon. Good Job everyone!
 
Next; We do have a meeting on Tuesday and just a little clean-up on some gear. I'm not scheduling a dive for this weekend (CORSAR, Findley Bend and Gun Safe recovery) as we have all been diving for the month. The Dive Team clothing is not quit ready yet but will be soon. I have not ordered hats yet as the business was not open the day I went there, I'll try again later. Be sure you are keeping a dive log for record submission at the end of the year for renewal of your Public Safety Diver Certification. Another note; I would like everyone to check their shot records to be sure you have had you hepatitis a & b immunizations.
That is all, Jim Phillippe, Dive Team Leader

For more pictures of the mission, click here. 

Dive Team Retrieves Evidence From Swimming Hole

August 14, 2010
The dive team also had a successful mission on Saturday.  A large piece of evidence pertinent to a legal case in Curry County ended up being dumped into a portion of the Illinois River in Josephine County.  Our dive team successfully retrieved a bulky and very heavy item out of 17 feet of water.  Using flotation devices placed under the evidence, they were able to raise it and with ropes haul it to solid ground where it was loaded onto a trailer to be transported back to Curry County.  Photos by Sheri Friebus

    

    

 

 

Search For Missing Canoeist in Washington State

Shawn Cobb, one of our more experienced divers and diving instructors points out how challenging it is to do a grid search underwater with limited visibility.  Getting the grid search down pat and keeping those skills sharp takes great patience and a lot of practice.  There is considerable tedium in getting the details right and these skills are perishable—without practice the skills dissipate quickly. SAR divers must be able to combine diving skills with exemplary mental discipline.   On the lighter side, he suggested those getting bored practicing their knot tying might try upping the challenge to what the divers do, i.e., tie those knots in the dark with thick rubber gloves on.  :- )

Divers search for a missing canoer in Lake Padden in Bellingham, Wash. on Friday, Jan. 29, 2009.

by KING5.com    Washington News   Posted on January 29, 2010 at 3:22 PM  Updated yesterday at 8:24 PM

 BELLINGHAM, Wash. - A cell phone call from a man walking around Lake Padden alerted police of two people who had capsized and were calling for help.  Bellingham Police found an overturned canoe and two men in the water. They also found a friend – an off-duty firefighter - in the parking lot.  Both the firefighter and a police officer paddled out to the struggling swimmers in an attempt to get them to shore.  One victim started swimming toward shore and was helped into one of the paddle boats. The other man could no longer be located.  Units from the Bellingham Fire Department and the South Whatcom Fire Authority also launched boats to assist in the rescue efforts, using a underwater cameras in the search for the missing man.  Volunteer divers from the Whatcom County Search and Rescue continued their efforts until dark, but the search was suspended overnight and will continue Saturday morning.  The first victim – a 28-year-old Bellingham man - was transported to an area hospital.  The second victim, also believed to be 28 years old, is still missing.

Dive Team Seeking Support Members

 The Dive Team, one of the best in Oregon, is looking for some new team members.  The requirements to be a certified rescue diver are quite stringent, and the team always welcomes potential new divers, but they also need some support team members who could help the team in training exercises with their gear and boats.  If you've wanted to be part of the dive team, but didn't think you would want to take on the diving part, here a chance to become part of this impressive group.  Of course, you would need to be a capable swimmer and there may be some other requirements, but why not look into it?

 
Contact Shawn Cobb for more information  

According to Jim Phillippe, Dive Team Leader:   "The team does actual dives on the Saturday following our dive team meetings held on the 3rd tuesday of the month. We do this so we practice what we may be asked to do. It keeps the team coheasive and proficient. There are times when we do what we call "dirt diving'"—when we stay at the SAR house and do equipment inventory or training.  This next weekend we will be doing some 'dirt diving' by inventoring equipment and doing some work on the sled and inflatable boat.  When we actually get out and dive we really feel like a team. The military says, "We train like we fight," In our case, we train as hard as we work on a rescue mission."     Thanks, Jim Phillippe

.

 

Mock Search: "Body" Recovery By the Dive Team

The dive team was tasked to search the Illinois River near the Green Bridge for one of the possible missing "subjects."  It was a cold wet day for those searching on land, but the dive team submitted themselves to the seriously cold and wet river to practice their search and recovery techniques.  As the pictures show, they succeeded in their mission (a dummy).  Actually, from their vantage point close to the water, the dive team was the first to spot one of the missing subjects high on up on a ridge.  

Speaking  only for myself as a ground pounder and novice MRU team member, I think the dive team (and swift water crew) do the riskiest and scariest SAR duty.  We don't often get pictures of them in action, but here are two.

  

Dive Team Training: Remembering Nick

The dive team recently trained in the Illinois River near the Swinging Bridge in Selma.  The divers in scuba gear swam 400 yards on their backs to an area of small rapids, where the left the river on foot to bypass the rapids and then reentered the river to dive beneath a waterfall to reach an inner pool behind the falls . ool This is the area that has claimed more lives than that of Nick Jensen, its most recent victim.  The dive team members all learn how to access this treacherous area as safely as possible to facilitate the potential for successful future rescues here.

Addendum from James Phillippe:  "Diving in the cold dark rivers of the Pacific Northwest is very strenuous not to mention dangerous. However, this is something they do and this is what they give to their community as public service. The cost of transportation, equipment and repairs are paid for by each diver. Each one wears approximately $3000 in dive equipment each time they enter the water. There are a lot of people who say they are divers but they only dive in calm water that is 80 degrees and unlimited visability. The divers of Josephine County Search and Rescue are trained and certified as Public Safety Divers. We thank you for this recognition." James Phillippe, Dive Team Leader.  

Hints:  If stops and starts, "pause" the video and let the downloading get ahead for smoother viewing. Replays run 

Dive Team on Display

On Saturday at Ray's Food Place (Merlin) the Dive Team displayed some of their gear and met the public to tell them about what they do and how they do it. 

This group of about 20 braves souls is the team that enters the usually cold, dark, and often fast-flowing rivers and usually murky lakes of Josephine County to find, rescue or retrieve subjects or evidence from the deeps.  [Imagine navigating under water with a compass when you can barely see your hand in front of your face.]

The Rogue river water averages "50-some" degrees in the summer— that is not comfortable for very long and no one can function well when the river chills their body temperature several degrees below normal.  These are working conditions for these "unpaid professionals" .

Each team member supplies his/her own personal equipment and is responsible for meeting the high standards of experience and knowledge that are tested (written tests and performance tests in the water) if an applicant wants to join this select group.

The "ancient" Dive Team trailer (long overdue for replacement, but the money isn't available to replace it yet) was on on site Saturday to exhibit the specialized gear the divers use.  

Interested kids were enthralled by the individualized attention they received from dive team members.

Photos by Nancy and Randy McLennan

From the Archive- Dive team

Those 5 albums of SAR photographs and memorabilia recently retrieved from the SAR "attic" portray a curious mixture of pictures that in some cases looks quaint, dated, and even "old fashioned," but there are also pictures of SAR members performing very courageous search and rescue work.  

The dive team willingly goes into cold, wet places with limited visibility where the threats of lethal currents and obstacles lurk unseen.  It is not an activity for the faint of heart or unfit.  

We have close to 20 brave souls who are willing to do this.  When asked for dive team action photos, divers explain that where they work there is rarely sufficient visibility to get decent photos. 

 Here are some photos from one of those old albums taken approximately 12 years ago. Unfortunately, there wasn't any information about who the diver was or where the photos were taken, but the pictures do convey some of what that underwater world would be like under "good" conditions.

Hats off to those willing to perform this demanding service to our community.

Dive Team Training

Some of the dive team participated in certification training this last weekend in a pool and then a lake.

The level one diving certification course is presented over three days and is comprised of classroom lecture followed by confined water and open water exercises. Students are also required to complete the workbook provided during the course from a Public Safety Diver. Topics studied included differences in the equipment between recreational and public safety diving, water rescue, environments encountered in calls for service, fitness for duty, underwater crime scene awareness, incident command, equipment maintenance, search patterns, search theory and the probability of detection.  This looks intense!

Jim Clarke Award Winner 2008

Dutch Miller is this year's Jim Clarke Award winner.  Dutch was voted by the JoCo SAR membership to be the member who this year best typified the extraordinary devotion to the goals of SAR that was typical of Jim Clarke for many years.  

Jim Clark Award Winner-:   Dutch Miller

Jim Clark was an exemplary  Josephine County SAR member from 1972 to 1988.  He was a generous mentor and as a SAR member consistently preformed above and beyond the call of duty.  Each year the Josephine County Search and Rescue team votes for the member who best exemplifies Jim Clark's outstanding contribution to the mission of search and rescue.

The winner of the 2008 Jim Clark Award is Dutch Miller, a member of SAR since 2001.  Here are a few examples of what Dutch's teammates had to say about him:  It was Dutch who "as a co-founder of the Dive Team put selfless time and effort into making the Team and the community better for all."  And from another: "His outstanding accomplishments reflect distinct credit upon himself, the Dive Team and the Josphine County Sheriff's Office."  And from a third team member:  "Dutch's dedication to the Team and community truly embodies the spirit of "true volunteerism"."

Congratulations to Dutch for receiving this commendation from his colleagues and a heartfelt "thank you" for the example of outstanding service he embodies.