The Frazer Amiss Underwater Search Unit Frazer Amiss Memorial Trust Underwater Search Unit Memorial...

The

Frazer Amiss

Underwater Search Unit

Frazer Amiss Memorial Trust Underwater Search Unit

Memorial Trust

© 2008 FAMT and G.Asson



This presentation is intended to give a brief overview of the aims and current status of the Frazier Amiss Memorial trust.

Please feel free to copy and distribute in whole.


Presentation covers:

• Background

• Team

• Call out

• Equipment

• Training

• Risk Assessment

• Diving operations

• Search and recovery



15 year old Frazer

Drown whilst swimming in Powell's pool Sutton park

Father and mother stayed with him all night

His Father made several attempts to recover him

It took 19 hours before the underwater unit entered the water

It took Just 20 minutes to recover him



Formation

The “Frazer Amiss Memorial Trust”

Formed to raise funds to support a Unit that will search for and

recover, victims of drowning in and around Sutton Park

Structure:

Chairman

President

Manager

Treasurer

Morris Hornton

Andrew Mitchel MP

Darren Amiss

Julie Amiss



Formation

The Dive Unit

Local divers contacted by the trust

A supervisory team was put together

and evolved as time went by

After a long start-up period unit is formed with divers from several local clubs

Some of the dive team bring other skills

Doctors, Firemen, Undertakers, Engineers, etc

All work quietly and supportively as a team



Team

Current team comprises:

• 4 Supervisors

• 8 Divers

• 9 Building up experience

• 23 Total

• Increasing to 30 in the future

• Qualifications/ experience

• BSAC Sport to First class (CMAS 2 to 4 star)

• 4 BSAC instructor trainers

• Doctors, Nurses, Police, Fire etc© 2008 FAMT and G.Asson


Call Out

Similar to Cave/ RNLI

• Call made to whole team

• Controlled by Senior supervisor

• Team built from available resource



Equipment

In order to maintain diver safety and the efficiency of the Unit, the following equipment has been acquired.

•Divator MK II Full Face Mask

•12lt cylinder and 3lt Pony

•Bell Jacket, incl integrated weights

•Switching block

•60m Umbilical Asynchronous communications system



Training

Recommended by the Nautical Archaeological Society

Peter Pritchard of Pritchard Diving Services

•Professional Diving Contractor

•Former Military and Police Diver/ Supervisor

•Multinational Military and Police Trainer, including some American parks Units.

•Dive supervisor for National Geographic

•NAS Supervisor/ trainer

•Compiles training courses

•Etc.



Training

This has been long and involved, covering

• Equipment / Concepts of barrier diving

• Communications (umbilical and rope signals)

• Tendering

• Safety

• Search patterns

• Operating in ZERO visibility and at night

• Dealing with Police and civil authorities

• Incident type identification and resolution

• Dive supervision

• Site and diver security

• Basic Forensics and Sample taking© 2008 FAMT and G.Asson

Barrier Diving

Ensures Diver

cannot come into

contact with

contaminants

Built in boots

Seals at neck

and wrists

Dry zip

Positive

Pressure

Full Face Mask

Ensures any break

in seals will not

allow water ingress

Dry Hood

Dry Gloves

Barrier Diving

Bell Jacket gives extra body protection


Dry suit

Communications

MicrophoneSpeaker

Umbilical

Attached to gated

carabineer.

Used for rope pull

communications

if voice fails


Additional Safety

2 independent gas supplies

Diver attached to umbilical

Quick release weights


Gas switch


Search and recovery

Current training

•Jack stay search

• Divers locate the victim, then return to shore

• Liaise with emergency services on recovery (Forensics etc)

• Cover Underwater if possible


Jack stay search

DiverDiver

Diver

The Jack stay search is inefficient

The diver will cover the same area twice

However, its inefficiency makes it very thorough

On extended searches, it is very important to be able to exclude an area


View of search

area

from

surface

Jack Stay search



Ongoing training:

Each diver must perform 10 hours of post course

underwater training, before they are assessed by PDS.

After this they must maintain their training

Blackroot pool 3rd Weekend of the month.

Now extending to all pools in Sutton Park.

•RISK ASSEMENT

•3 Types

•Generic

•Site Specific

•Current (on the day)© 2008 FAMT and G.Asson


Diving operations:

•ALL divers are tendered

•Standby Diver

•Tender operates via check list and reports to supervisor

•Communications logs dives

•Dive Supervisor controls ALL aspects of diving operations

•Incident/ project manager on extended search

•Minimum team size 5/ 6

•If Supervisor = Communications

•This is at the discretion of the Dive supervisor


Divers are always tendered

No diver enters the water without a safety diver and tender



We hope this presentation has given a brief overview of the aims and current status of the Frazier Amiss Memorial trust.

If you have any questions please direct them to trust who will be please answer them.

We thank you for you time


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