By Bonnie Culverhouse

Whether it be boating, fishing or swimming, water accidents occur more often than you may think.

When they do happen, Minden Fire Department’s scuba dive team is called to the rescue or, sadly, the recovery.

Sunday afternoon at a small local lake, six of the seven team members of paid and volunteer fire fighters gathered to train, which is something they do on a regular basis. 

Leading the group was Hank Ashley, one of Minden’s paid firefighters. They were practicing some of the techniques learned over the last six months, he said.

“We are going over some of the different search patterns and different scenarios we would encounter as first responders,” Ashley said. “Keeping everybody together, diving together, making sure we are all on the same page.”

In one scenario Sunday, the team was investigating a “child drowning victim,” (Minnie Mouse).

“We got on the scene and our witness gave us a description of what was going on,” he said. “Off the information he gave us, we decided semi-circle or arch searches would be best because it was a ‘shore entry.’”

It was fortunate, he said, the diver found Minnie on the first pass.

“You can’t ask for much better than that,” he added. “Normally, we would’ve started CPR, but being it was a training exercise …”

All of the team is certified through Scuba Ventures in Shreveport.

“They are the best of the best,” Ashley said. “They’ve taken us from just being swimmers to being advanced.”

The team has trained at Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Ark. and lakes in east Texas.

“We have already exceeded certification for public safety diving through ERDI (Emergency Response Divers International),” Ashley said. “It’s a step toward the technical side of diving.”

Prominent at the scene Sunday was the new rescue trailer, which Chief Brian Williams said was purchased after Homeland Security received a $10,000 grant from Claiborne Electric Cooperative two years ago. Homeland Security also contributed $5,000 more to cover the cost of the trailer.

“The old trailer was short; none of the guys could stand up in it,” Williams said. “They can in this one. They can get dressed in it. It has a heater and air conditioning. And they don’t have to use steps to get in and out.”

The trailer also has scene lights. An older Homeland Security grant for around $6,000 allowed the purchase of dive equipment, including special ropes and life jackets.