MNScuba.com

The Isanti County Sheriffs Department Dive Team had a Joint training session today with Isanti County Safety Rescue and Lindstrom Fire. The training was over on South Lindstrom Lake and the weather was 10 degrees at 7:30 AM. The ice thickness was about 20 inches but more porous than anyone should drive on. Lindstrom Fire Dept had their air boat out there and it was good to see what it can and can't do. We used it for transport for the three teams as if the ice was thin, even though it wasn't. We started with a thin ice rescue scenario and did that several times with different members. Then we did a recovery from depth using a training dummy dropped in about 26' deep water. I was depressed on the first drop to recover the dummy as it was submerged in about 6'+ deep silt. The dummy was about 250 lbs on land and about 100 pounds negative underwater. I was inverted in the silt doing a rope and grope search with my head down and fins up. At one point I could not feel the hard bottom but I could feel the mud against my fins 6' above. The dummy was about 4' or 5' from my original drop into the soup and about 3' deep into the silt. After getting it to the surface, the other two teams took over with medical training and brought the dummy to shore using the air boat. We ran this scenario a few times. Then we had them park the air boat over our triangle hole and practiced entering the water from the boat and getting back in it while kitted up. I thought I broke my snot locker when I smacked my face against the side of the hull while getting pulled in. Great day for training though.

So the air boat was neat to see. They told us the top end on ice is about 110 MPH, and 70 MPH on water. They rarely go over 12 MPH with the boat. We had 8 people in the boat (counting the pilot and co-pilot) along with two scuba kits while on the hard ice. They told us that the capacity is reduced for open water as there is no buoyancy to the boat at all so if it capsizes it will go right to the bottom. Working around the boat was interesting as lighter items needed to be stowed as the wind from the boat coming and going would blow it into the next zip code.

The four members of our dive team are also members of MNSCUBA: Nate Putbrese "Shooter", Art Gullette "AandA", Brian Dahl "Monterey Man", and myself John Oliver.

I think that training was some of the most productive I have exp. to date.
Did any of the pics or video I took turn out?

I have about 3 short videos from the day, but they are over exposed because of the bright sun (I really hate my camera) The photos, turned out ok. I am waiting to get Kens photos and I will put a youtube video together with the videos and photos.

I have about 3 short videos from the day, but they are over exposed because of the bright sun (I really hate my camera) The photos, turned out ok. I am waiting to get Kens photos and I will put a youtube video together with the videos and photos.
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I will be working on a facebook page for the dive team that we can interface with safety and rescue. I will also make sure to get a second camara operational for our training events. I think it would be a good idea to run the training scenarios again this year here with safety and rescue before the ice is gone.

a couple more pics

You guys every think about putting a ladder on that boat?  It would be a wise investment for the county.

It was a borrowed boat from another agency so we did not know what to expect when we got there. A rope ladder or a simple pontoon ladder would be nice even though rope ladders kinda suck when they fold under the boat. Getting in the boat if the boat was in water would be easier at it would only have about 5" of freeboard, versus the 2'+ when on hard ice. Looping a rope over the valve handle works in a pinch for tall boats or seawalls. The boat was made by Diamondback Boats and they have a new option where the front of the boat winches down to make a ladder in the front (like the Higgins landing craft used in WW2.

The first photo is the one we used motoring across the asphalt to get to the lake. The second photo is the Diamondback with the optional drop down steps in the front. The third photo is one step further that has a wider ramp in the front that will accomodate wheeled and tracked vehicles to be loaded in it. The last photo is of an airboat with a minihoe in it :o .

Isn't there suppose to be a bear? ???

Isn't there supposed to be thin ice too?

We thought it would be good to practice this thin ice rescue training before the ice gets thin, so when it does we will be ready. Kinda like learning how to drive a car prior to getting into an accident, instead of waiting for the accident to happen and then learning how to drive. A lot of the training can be simulated (thick ice versus thin ice, training dummy versus panic stricken hypothermic 250 pound victim that is trying to climb on top of you to get out of the water) besides the thick ice makes a stable platform to get the 20 people learning these tasks near the hole and participating in the whole activity.

P.S. Gentle Ben the bear was already booked to be at the casino for a sold out show ;D