Alameda Fire Department (AFD) is known—and definitely appreciated—for its exceptional emergency services on land and in the water. Serving our island requires being fully prepared for every imaginable situation, so the department recently completed training eight additional firefighters to bolster its Dive Rescue Team, according to an AFD report [1] on Facebook.
[2]Over the past several months, these eight members completed nearly 200 hours of intense training in order to become certified in the various disciplines of public safety diving.
Some of their certifications include the International Association of Dive Rescue Specialists (IADRS) Watermanship Swim Test, Basic Open Water SCUBA, Advanced Open Water SCUBA (with a focus on deep, night-time, and navigation dives), Emergency Rescue Diver 1, Dry Suit Diver, Full Face Mask Diver, and Contaminated Water Diver.
The IADRS swim test is a comprehensive assessment of a diver’s water skills and stamina to ensure they possess the necessary skills for safe and effective diving operations.
AFD expressed its thanks to these Alameda Firefighters for “stepping up to take on increased training and responsibility to strengthen its Marine Operations response. Our community and the entire region is extremely fortunate to have such well-trained rescue personnel.”
[3]AFD Marine Operations
Since its inception in 2011, the Marine Operations (MAROPS) Program of the Alameda Fire Department has provided water rescue services from both the shore and on the water. The Alameda Fire Department MAROPS program is staffed with shore-based rescuers, open-water rescue swimmers, two 14′ inflatable rescue boats, a fire boat and a subsurface Dive Rescue Team, according to the City of Alameda Fire & Emergency Services [4] web page.
AFD has trained all members in “Shore Based” water rescue, which requires swimmers to deploy into the water with fins and rescue tubes or on rescue boards while other trained members operate Inflatable Rescue Boats and the Fire Boat to provide a quick water rescue response.
The AFD Dive Rescue Team is a resource that is available regionally. Members of the team undergo hundreds of hours of training and utilize Rescue 3 to respond to water and dive emergencies.
The final component of the MAROPS Program is dedicated to marina and waterfront firefighting. The Fire Department operates a powerful new M2-38 fire boat, delivered in 2023. The boat was recently used to assist the Oakland Fire Department in successfully fighting a commercial structure fire along the estuary [5].