Rescue Swimmer

Section 2 - Emergency Operations

PURPOSE:

To provide procedures for handling the rescue of victims from water rescue incidents.

DEFINITIONS

SURFACE WATER RESCUER – All MFRD personnel who have been trained in Surface Water Rescue. These personnel are certified to perform surface water rescue operations only; they are not permitted to dive below the water’s surface.
RESCUE SWIMMER – MFRD personnel trained and certified annually to the level of Rescue Swimmer and signed off by the MFRD Training Division to perform subsurface water rescue (may not exceed 12 feet in depth.)
RESCUE DIVER – OCFRD Technician Level Diver which holds a certification from a nationally recognized agency whose curricula meet the provisions of Chapter 13, Dive Rescue of NFPA 1006. (Ex. Public Safety Diver Certification.) Rescue Divers must be signed off by the OCFRD Training Section and meet annual recertification requirements to be considered operational. Rescue Divers operating for MFRD are the only approved personnel that may perform a search or rescue below 12ft of depth and utilize compressed gas cylinders.
LINE TENDER – MFRD personnel who have been trained by the Training Division to the level of Rescue Swimmer are capable of performing this function. A tag line tended by a line tender should be utilized for all water rescue operations.

PROCEDURES

Scene Safety

• Water rescue operations are inherently dangerous and Command shall ensure that all personnel entering the water or riding in a boat are wearing a US Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD). For safety considerations Rescue Swimmers and Rescue Divers will utilize a Buoyancy Compensation Device (BCD) as a Personal Floatation Device (PFD)
  • Only personnel who are trained as Rescue Swimmers or Rescue Divers are permitted to dive below the water’s surface.
  • Only approved water rescue equipment may be utilized.

• Command shall maintain strict accountability of all members who enter the water. For accountability purposes, the water shall be considered an IDLH.

• A Battalion Chief is to be dispatched on all water rescue calls and will notify Fire Administration for water testing if necessary due to department personnel performing water rescue operations.

• All bodies of water will be considered contaminated, and require the following documentation:
  • Exposure Form
  • Water Testing Results

• Decontamination shall be completed after all water rescue incidents.
  • Gross decontamination shall be performed for all personnel and equipment on-scene that have entered the water.
  • All personnel who have entered the water shall be placed out of service and instructed to shower (Rehab may be utilized).
  • In cases where a rescue crew enters the water as part of the dive team, the Incident Commander should consider the response of a separate rescue unit to perform patient transport.

Procedures

• MFRD has the primary responsibility for the initial response to water rescue incidents within the City of Maitland.
  • Personnel are only authorized to enter the water when there is a reasonable expectation that a life may be saved.
  • Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) has the primary responsibility for body recovery operations. OCSO or Orlando Fire Department (OFD) may be called upon to provide additional divers for a rescue operation should the need arise.
• Upon receipt of a water rescue alarm, Communications shall dispatch the appropriate units based on a tiered response. If the closest available engine and rescue are not capable of a Rescue Swimmer response, the nearest appropriate staffed engine and rescue shall be deployed in addition to the initial response.
  • Refer to Orange County Fire Rescue Departments tiered response matrix.
  • A dive rescue team may be requested through Orange County dispatch is there are suspected submerged victims.
  • Communications shall obtain and relay to responding units as much information as possible regarding the possible location of the victim. The location of the calling party should also be relayed.

• The first arriving officer shall establish Command.
  • On complex incidents, Command shall establish a Water Rescue Group. It shall be staffed with the required resources to safely affect a water rescue based on requirements as defined by the water rescue group supervisor.
  • It is recommended that the Water Rescue Group Supervisor be trained as a Rescue Swimmer at a minimum.
• Command should make contact with witnesses to determine the closest possible location of the victim.
  • Fixed landmarks should be used as a point of reference when establishing a search area.
  • A marker buoy should be deployed in the suspected location of the submerged victim.

• Command shall determine the best access for responding rescue boats if applicable.
  • If a civilian boat is initially used by crews, an MFRD boat shall support or replace the civilian boat as soon as possible.
  • Inflatable boats can be hand carried if adequate crew members are available, and do not require a boat ramp.
  • Command will evaluate the potential for a successful rescue and shall consider all known risk factors.
  • Command shall notify communications of any additional resources such as (boats, jet skis, or equipment from other agencies).
• Generally, any of the following conditions support committing crews to enter the water.
  • Confirmed eye witness to accident and location of vehicle.
  • Reasonable suspicion that the victim has been in the water for less than one hour.
  • Fresh vehicle tracks leading into the water or recent damage to guard rails and landscaping.
  • Active lights on a submerged vehicle.
  • Air bubbles or the presence of an oil slick in the area where a vehicle is suspected to have submerged.
  • Command when water rescue efforts are called off (generally after 60 minutes) and turned over to OCSO for a body recovery.

• Generally, the following conditions do not support committing crews to enter the water.
  • Lack of credible witnesses who can confirm that a person is in the water.
  • Dangerous wildlife such as snakes or alligators in close proximity.
  • Lack of physical evidence, such as fresh vehicle tracks leading into the water or an unmanned water craft in the area.
  • The Incident Commander feels the rescue cannot be performed safely. The Surface Water Rescuer and/or Rescue Swimmer are responsible for monitoring and assessing hazards and informing Command of any that should end rescue operations. Weather (i.e. lightening) is a safety factor to take into consideration as command and entering the water

• When rescuing conscious victims, personnel shall first attempt to reach or throw a rope or rescue buoy to the victim. Rescuers can easily be overpowered by panicked victims.

• When removing victims from submerged vehicles, personnel should not enter the vehicle. The preferred method is to break the glass, cut the seatbelt and reach in a window opening to remove the victim.

• A tag line tended by a Line Tender should be utilized for all water rescue searches.

• Performing a rescue on a submerged vehicle not on its wheels is inherently dangerous. Extreme caution should be exercised by a Rescue Swimmer attempting to remove a victim from a submerged vehicle positioned on its side or roof. Command should utilize the closest available staffed Dive Rescue Team when presented with this scenario.

Water Rescue Teams

• Surface Water Rescue
  • Standard operations shall dictate utilization of 2 personnel (primary and backup).

• Rescue Swimmer
  • Standard operations shall dictate utilization of 3 personnel (primary, backup, and line tender).

• Standard utilization of personnel may be subject to change as per Incident Commander and/or water rescue group leader’s discretion due to victim life safety concerns.

• 2 Out / Ready Rescue

• Boat Operator (if applicable)
  • Should stay within visual contact of personnel in the water at all times.