Water Rescue & Recovery MABAS 19 Dive Team
Water Rescue & Recovery Lieutenant Dan Ritchie
The Orland Fire District has 16 members that are part of the MABAS 19/22 Water Rescue and Recovery Team. Our team responds to all water related incidents involving rescue or recovery within the MABAS 19/22 jurisdiction and beyond, on an as needed basis. This response area covers about 450 square miles, which includes a variety of water ranging from numerous retention ponds, rivers and navigational water ways.
Team training was conducted twice a month and consisted of:
Annual Swim Test and SCUBA skills review Ice Diver Training Scenario based training (surface and subsurface) Surface Supplied Air Training Swift Water Technician Training Sonar Training Underwater Evidence Recovery Training Water Craft Training
Our team responded to 3 incidents in 2021. These incidents included calls for evidence recovery in ponds and a person missing in a river. FEMA Swift/Boat Operations course,
Our members put in over 380 training hours this past year. Three Ohio River members: Lieutenant Ritchie, Firefighter Zweizig, and Firefighter Duer, obtained their FEMA Swift/Flood Water Boat Operations certification. Our team is looking forward to more training opportunities in 2022 to further advance our skills and abilities.
Surface Ice Rescue , Lake Sedgwick
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Boat Operations on the Cal Sag
