ERDI Tender Operations
Public Safety Diving is a
rewarding and challenging profession. Each time there is a call for
service or an incident to which a unit responds, the needs of the
public are being served by individuals who have dedicated themselves
to providing this highly specialized service.
When the average citizen
conjures up the image of a public safety diver, often it is a
romantic view of an individual dressed in full gear and regalia,
descending beneath the turbid waters in search of a singular item or
victim. The classic view shows this diligent individual as a strong,
dedicated person. This may well be the case but far more goes into
this singular individual being capable of performing his duties than
strength of character. There is a vast network of resources and
technicians that are necessary to prepare, stage and make it
possible for this professional to sink beneath the waves; one such
key role, which is often overlooked or not recognized for its value
in the team’s infrastructure, is the dive tender.
Dive tenders are truly the most
valuable element of the dive team as they are required to have
the largest knowledge base and a thorough working knowledge of
every aspect of the team’s design, capabilities and equipment
selection and even dive management strategies. Tenders must be
diligent, professional, dedicated and hard working or the team
and dive operations may suffer.
When people envision the
ideal of public safety divers, the tender should measure up to that
romantic image; he enables the dive to occur and ensures the
activities follow safe, established and proficient courses.
Dive teams are diverse
entities, formed by unique individuals who possess a specific skill
set. These individuals combine their talents in order to perform
some of the most difficult dives in extremely challenging
environments. However, each team is only as strong as its
components. The tender is one of the single most vital components of
a dive team and as such suffers the fate of having a vast amount of
the weight and responsibility squarely on his shoulders. Tenders
have to be diligent, professional and proficient in their skills and
always aware of the environment, their surroundings and the diver at
the end of the line.
Dive tenders perform
several vital roles in the overall function of the team’s
operations. When tenders fail to carry out their assigned duties,
many of the steps necessary to conduct the dive professionally,
proficiently and safely cannot be completed. As a result, the dive
mission could be jeopardized and the evidence, victim or item may
not be recovered.
Tenders must be diligent in their
actions and tasks, as they are solely responsible for the most
important of all duties, tending to the diver’s safety.
This course will discuss
the duties and responsibilities of the dive tender, as well as some
of the specialized techniques and procedures necessary to help the
tender be more professional, proficient and competent in his duties
within an emergency response diving team.
The ERDI Tender course can
be taught at multiple levels in accordance with NFPA guidelines. The
level of participation in the practical portion of the course will
determine the final level of certification. The classification
levels are: Awareness, Operations, and Technician. All ERDI programs
are available to Public Safety professionals regardless of their
position within a department.
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