Local dive team relies on practice, practice, practice

Groping their way through the murky waters at Viking Lake, 14 divers practiced skills they will most likely need when their dive team responds to the emergencies that occur on lakes and rivers throughout southwest Iowa, northern Missouri and western Nebraska.

Dive teams from four counties, Ringgold, Adams, Montgomery and Pottawattamie (RAMP), came to Viking Lake State Park with their loaded trucks and extra personnel on May 15, as part of their monthly meetings. Some meetings provide out-of-water instruction, but that day, it was time to get wet in Viking Lake’s 58-degree waters.

Dropped somewhere in the lake was a waterlogged mannequin divers were to locate, simulating recovery runs they have been called to in the past or might face in the future.

A few team members are full time employees of the Red Oak Fire Department, some are part time, and others have “regular” jobs, but have an interest in water rescues and recoveries.

Red Oak’s UPS driver Kenny Hammon was the day’s “incident commander”. He said this exercise was a mock disaster of a person who had fallen out of a boat.

After all 14 divers practiced swimming a line in search of the sunken, waterlogged mannequin, the group would have the difficult task of lifting the heavy object out of the water and into one of the waiting boats. The mannequin will be recovered a few more times by RAMP divers at future practice sessions in other lakes.

“In an actual recovery, if we found a body, we’d bag it underwater so everything is discreet. The big thing is to keep the family in mind… They would be (anxiously waiting) on shore, and it’s all about closure for them,” Hammon said.

For this RAMP meeting, however, divers took turns methodically searching for the mannequin settled on the bottom of the lake somewhere between shore and the boats that waited at the end of the rope grid in the distance.

Non-diving team members found ways to assist or watched from shore.

The major obstacle divers contended with was a sunken oak tree. It had been dumped into the lake to make fishing more interesting for some of Viking’s 30,000 annual visitors.

When Viking Lake was drained a few years ago, DNR placed brush, trees, old picnic tables, pallets and even chunks of old rebar, on the lake’s floor.

Added to those intentional dumps are items left behind by recreational lake users. Some pose problems for divers, especially when the “junk” can rip wetsuits.

Though the May 15 class involved a simulated search for a human, the team has sometimes assisted in searches for items purposefully sunk in rivers and lakes by people hoping those items won’t be recovered, or perhaps by those who have had accidents.

The team recovered a weapon in a kidnapping case in Missouri, a stolen car in a river in Mills County, and a lot of garbage like fish lines and old boots.

Their success depends upon how they set up their search.

“We work in grids,” 42-year-old Bill Petty said. Not every team does, but grids have provided a systematic search method for the Red Oak based team.

“When we took part in the recent Fremont recovery, we had 10 lines at any one time, with nine divers in the water.”

Fremont’s 150-acre lake is narrow and long, the team said. An elderly gentleman had fallen into the lake on a Saturday, but his body had not been recovered when they got the call on Wednesday evening. Other teams had used their resources, their volunteers were tired, and Red Oak’s help was needed.

Using the grid system when they arrived on Thursday morning, the Red Oak team recovered the body in two hours.

Though assignments are often tough, diving is one way to meet a community’s need.

Petty, whose recreational diving experience prompted him to volunteer for the rescue and recovery dive team, said he went though various certification levels to qualify because it was something he could offer.

“Not everybody wants to do it,” he said, “and not everybody can. It’s a way I can give back to my community and county.”

Even if someone is willing to risk his or her life in a water rescue or recovery, participation requires a financial and time commitment.

“Divers have to provide their own equipment, and that ranges from $1,700-2,500. We’re all volunteers. It’s a not-for-profit organization, and you have to take time away from work when there’s a need,” Petty said.

Expenses aside, the small group of volunteers feel they have to be ready. Sometimes it’s a long time between calls, and other times they are kept fairly busy.

“We got three calls last year,” Hammon said. The meetings, of course, are a commitment the volunteers take on, too.

Besides a monthly meeting, the group practices skills twice a month. They even practice under ice diving in the winter.

Bob Eisenbraun, who completed his instructor school two years ago, is the certified Red Oak Dive Team instructor who oversees the schedule of practices.

Petty recognizes age and physical ability help determine how much “bottom time” a diver can spend in the water. Bottom time begins when the diver enters the water and ends when the diver exits the water, either into a waiting boat, or back on shore.

Besides the diver’s stamina, diving conditions determine bottom time. A brush pile or other sunken objects may provide perfect underwater fish habitats, but can complicate and endanger the safety of volunteers assisting in water rescues and recoveries.

On May 15, more than a dozen non-divers lined the shore to help if a fellow diver or teammate got into trouble.

One of those helping ensure safety was Jim Corliss of Red Oak, whose voice guided divers with their mutual wireless communication systems. Bubbles from the oxygen tanks showed Corliss whether divers were within grid lines as they searched for the mannequin.

Corliss pointed to the wireless receiver on the left side of a diver’s wetsuit head covering as the diver waited in chest-deep water not far from shore. That, one or two oxygen tanks, goggles and a wetsuit are the basic equipment divers need to get started.

As two divers at a time sunk beneath the water’s surface, Corliss asked them to confirm that they could hear his instructions. His eyes scanned between the grids for air bubbles as divers worked their way toward the mannequin or the boatmen at the end of the ropes. Occasionally he gave verbal instruction so divers could correct their courses. He spoke calmly when divers indicated they were concerned about getting tangled in something or encountering other obstacles.

Practice helps divers gauge their reactions to different situations, hopefully preparing them for real missions in the future.

Rick Askey, 44, Chris Brown, 34, and Petty are the local fire station’s certified dive team now, and more volunteer divers or on-shore personnel are welcome to apply.

The not-for-profit organization rarely bills for any service. They do, however, try to get some payment if they work to recover a stolen vehicle.

“That bill is sent to the insurance company and we think we can charge for that because of all that’s involved. We’re providing a service for the company,” Petty said.

Red Oak’s dive team began after some fatalities at Viking Lake several years ago. Team members want to be able to respond when a call comes in.

Divers said their toughest calls are when children are involved. They recalled how close they came to reviving a toddler in Griswold, but were regrettably too late. They had a tough time when called to help recover teenagers from Maryville and from Beaver Lake.

Within hours of their Saturday morning practice, several rescue team members the area responded to a call for help because two men were stranded on a log in the Nishnabotna River. This time the water rescue maneuvered a rescue boat to the men. Once safe, the men assured emergency personnel from the Red Oak Fire Department they would not need hospitalization.

The non-profit team of men and women divers and on-shore helpers welcomes donations and would be glad to interview those interested in becoming part of the team.

Contributions for the local dive team’s expenses can be made at the Red Oak fire station or by contacting team members mentioned in this article.