During the first weekend in November, four new divers finished and passed the Open Water dive certification for the Fallon/Churchill Volunteer Fire Department Dive Team. The Dive Team performs rescues and recoveries throughout Churchill County and when called on for neighboring departments. They are a crucial part of the community.
While it is not required for firefighters to be dive-certified, many members are eager to join the dive team. To get certified, these firemen had to go through roughly four days of pool work, book time, and a two-day dive in Lake Tahoe.
For this training, the department had an instructor from the Sierra Dive Center in Reno. They went over various diving situations, potential hazards, and other things to look out for. They then moved on to pool work to practice surface and underwater skills and to learn how to use the equipment. Equipment used included wet suits and dry suits, as well as SCBA equipment for breathing underwater.
The Dive Team has all its gear loaded in a dive van that is kept ready to go at a moment’s notice. The ditches and canals in Fallon are hazardous, and when vehicles crash into them or other incidents occur, it is up to the dive team to make recoveries. Swiftwater training is also provided for use in canals where the current is strong in certain areas.
Additionally, with Lahontan Reservoir nearby, it is vital to have the dive team ready in case of an emergency.
Members of the dive team continue training once a quarter to keep their skills up to date. After the initial training, the department provides blackwater diving training, which is conducted in conditions with no visibility. This is useful in areas like Lahontan Reservoir as well as the miles of irrigation canals throughout the community where visibility is severely limited beneath the surface.
The newest members of the 15-man dive team are Dan Shaw, Rafe Brown, John Ezzel, and Dave Brown.
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