For Immediate Release
February 15, 2013
FD1, Sheriff’s Office and LA State Police Respond to the
Report of a Vehicle Submerged in Water; No Occupants Found
St. Tammany Fire Protection District No.1, the St. Tammany
Parish Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana State Police responded
to the report of a submerged vehicle in the area of I-10
East Exit 261 at Oak Harbor Boulevard on
Monday February 11, 2013 at 10:23 am.
After arriving on the scene, a Sheriff’s Deputy and FD1
personnel found a single vehicle submerged in water. The
vehicle appeared to have been in the water for an extended
period of time due to the lack of disturbed mud and engine
fluids in the water around the vehicle. There were no
witnesses on the scene when units arrived; however, FD1
Fire Operator/Rapid Diver Steve Coulon, having donned
the Rapid Diver System, entered the water within 11 minutes
of arrival on scene and conducted a search of the vehicle
and surrounding water for occupants of the vehicle.
No one was found in the vehicle or surrounding area and
the diver exited the water after the search. According
to FD1 Public Information Officer Mike Thiel, “This incident
reinforces the need for programs such as the Rapid Diver
utilized by District No.1, and the Dive Rescue and Recovery
programs of the Slidell Police Department and St. Tammany
Parish Sheriff’s Office. In a community surrounded by water,
incidents such as this are bound to occur and it is vital
that emergency responders are able to mitigate these
incidents safely and effectively. Training, equipment and
interagency cooperation are vital to our success.”
The Rapid Diver Program utilized by FD1 was developed
around The Rapid Diver System after Fire Protection District
No.1 responded to several water related incidents in which
Firefighters were finding themselves entering waterways to
perform rescues with minimal safety equipment. The Rapid
Diver System provides responders with a limited air supply
and buoyancy compensation device that will help keep them
safe when entering water.
Each unit provides flotation and a 10 minute air supply.
The Rapid Diver units cost $1,200.00 each and the district
has purchased six. Two of the units are located on the
department’s Rescue Truck and the other units are on two
Fire Engines where the response area includes significant
waterways. The Rapid Diver system is a fast donning, light
weight, all inclusive scuba system that mates a tank, regulator
and buoyancy module to a universal fit load bearing harness.
More…
The benefits of this system include the ability to store the
unit in a small space, be donned and activated quickly within
an emergency vehicle where conventional scuba gear would be
cumbersome. The Rapid Diver system can also be used as a
Tactical Swimmers vest or can accommodate full size tanks
for extended use.
Members of the Fire Department are provided training by
Rick Sutton of the Coral Reef Dive Shop on the basics of
S.C.U.B.A. Slidell Police Officer and Professional Diver
Mark Michaud then takes over and checks out each diver at
the Cross Gates athletic club’s pool. Michaud then introduces
the divers to 8 hours of realistic training in the Eden Isles
canal behind Fire Station 16 on Marina Drive.
To date 55 FD1 personnel have been trained in the use of the
Rapid Diver System.
For more information about St. Tammany Fire Protection
District #1 visit us at www.slidellfire.org or follow us on
Facebook – St. Tammany Fire District #1 and Twitter – @SlidellFire_PIO
Chad Duffaut
Chief of Fire Prevention/PIO
[email protected]
Cell: (985) 960-0976
