Ben Anderson
The Times, Gainesville, Ga.
(TNS)

Dec. 1—Update: Hall County’s Marine Rescue Team will replace its dive team with an underwater drone that will be used to try to rescue and recover drowning victims.

Hall County Fire Chief Chris Armstrong said there will be few changes.

“The only difference is that rather than send a person down in dive gear to either do a rescue or recovery of a person under water, we’re using an underwater drone to do that instead,” Armstrong said.

That means the fire department will no longer have divers who are trained and equipped to jump in the water and rescue people who have gone underwater or recover people who have drowned.

Divers will be replaced by a $100,000 underwater drone that can be deployed in three minutes or less and reach depths of up to 305 meters, according to the department. The drone is equipped with a camera, a sonar system and a robotic arm that can grab onto drowning victims and tow them to the surface. In effect, divers will become drone operators.

The robot is expected to arrive in January, and Armstrong said they will spend the six months after that training firefighters to operate it, in time for Memorial Day. The fire department will also be purchasing a boat with a fire hose that is expected to cost around $650,000.

Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman B.J. Williams said they are not planning to make any changes to their Underwater Search and Rescue dive team.

Some people are worried about these changes, including Todd Jordan, an emergency physician at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center who says he and his wife are certified dive instructors who have been training the fire department’s dive team for the last 10 years.

In a post in the Lanier Lake Life Facebook group, he wrote, “If the Public Safety Divers respond to a boat fire and see burnt victims jump overboard, they cannot go under water after them. If there is a drowning, they will have to stand on the shore or stay on the boat without attempting to save a life. They will only be able to operate a robot. If they respond to a jumper on a bridge and see them jump, they cannot dive to save them. If they respond to a car off a bridge in ten feet of water with children trapped in car seats, they cannot help. Robots cannot enter a car to save a human child in a car seat. Robots cannot untangle themselves when they are trapped in fishing line and trees. It IS possible to save a person in this lake.”

He added: “As a citizen of Hall County, I find this very concerning. I feel that all the residents in North Georgia, who frequent Lake Lanier, should be aware of this potentially dangerous change and that they will no longer be protected by a Public Safety Dive Team.”

Jordan reiterated those concerns in an interview with The Times.

Armstrong said their divers haven’t saved a single drowning victim in the 20 years since the county’s Marine Rescue Team was founded. In the past five years, there have been 32 drownings, and the dive team has responded to 10 of them. They have recovered four bodies but saved zero lives.

Armstrong said he isn’t sure whether the underwater drone might have more success, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try.

“We’re still doing rescues,” he said. “We’re just changing the way we’re rescuing people.”

Lake Lanier is one of the most visited lakes with 12 million enjoying its waters annually.

In 2022, six people drowned in the lake.

The decision is also motivated by concerns about diver safety.

“One of the most risky things we do is diving in that lake,” Armstrong said. “If I spend

A Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue truck needed rescuing itself Friday morning, Local10.com reported.

It caught fire inside a fleet facility in the 500 block of Southwest 34th Street near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the report said.

Only one ladder truck was damaged and was moved outside the warehouse to be towed, according to the report.

Authorities are now trying to figure out what caused the fire.

By Steve Shupert

When you raised your hand and took the oath of firefighter, you instantly became a professional power tool operator. For years, these skills were not a focus of firefighter training and were often taken for granted.

Inattention to this important skill set is costing our communities needless injuries, expensive repairs, and inefficient operations. We need to learn how our tools work, why they fail, and how to keep them working. By being better tool operators, we can be better firefighters.

General Power Tool Systems

“The right tool for the right job” is an old but true saying. As your knowledge of these tools/systems increases, so will your proficiency as an operator who can quickly determine the proper application and safe operation of each tool. We use the term tool/systems to drive home the concept that each tool is not an entity unto itself. It is the combination of fuel, power source, hoses, gears, bolts, bits, blades, and your knowledge that makes it work. Tool systems are made up of a lot of parts—some small, some big, but all are important. Misunderstanding how all the components come together to make a tool do its job can lead to injury, inefficiency, and inability to complete the task. While there are differences in each system, generally the tools themselves have points in common.

You must continuously assess the working end of your tool. Keep the blades/bits dressed and sharp. Portable power tools are often only as good as the bits or blades that do the work. These items are expensive to purchase but not nearly as costly to the victim as an extended extrication caused by worn bits and blades, not to mention the extra wear and tear they cause to the power tools themselves. In addition to being harder on the tool, worn bits/blades require more effort from field personnel to get the job done.

Anticipate long-term operations. Plan for replacement of consumables and field repairs such as changing chain saw chains, spark plugs, and filters. Keep air hoses, electric extension cords, and hydraulic lines as short as possible. This will reduce the loss of energy being delivered to your tool. Just as bends and kinks in fire hose result in less water movement, energy conductors can suffer the same loss of energy through their hoses and cords.

When tools operate, they can slip, jump, and bounce around on the material you are attacking. Plan for the action and reaction of the tool and the obstacle you are trying to cut or breach. Be prepared to deal with the debris, the weight of the cut-out piece, and the speed of the release when materials are cut all the way through.

When operating hydraulic or pneumatic tools, listen for pressure relief valves venting, which can indicate that the tool system may be overloaded. Stay within the operating envelope of your tool package. When you have questions or problems, refer to your supervisor and the operating manuals.

Always wear the appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, ear protection, safety glasses, helmet, respiratory protection, and work uniform. Do not wear loose-fitting clothing or other items that could get entangled in the power tool. Prepare to mitigate any hazard your tool operation may produce, such as dust, dirty water runoff, and exhaust fumes. When operating gas engines, plan for and predict the accumulation of carbon monoxide and continuously monitor the atmosphere. Refuel tools away from the work area and be cognizant of hot mufflers and motors.

All tools require a general inspection prior to use. Check for loose, cracked, or broken components such as nuts, bolts, blocked vents, and cord damage. Always confirm proper lubrication and general tool operation. Never run power tools when tired, distracted, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A moment of inatten

Firovac-Reberland Equipment—Ellicottville (NY) Volunteer Fire Department tanker. Freightliner 114SD cab and chassis; Detroit Diesel DD13 505-hp engine; Hawk style body; 4,000-gallon polished aluminum water tank; Zico portable tank brackets on both sides of the tank; three air-operated water valves for the main fill/dump ports. Dealer: Dave Mangus, Empire Emergency Apparatus, Niagara Falls, NY.

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