Some Superheroes don’t wear capes. Sometimes they wear fins, and masks. Sometimes they, like Batman, use high tech equipment, sometimes it’s a blind search in mucky water, or by boat with sonar. Regardless of the methods employed, the Portage County Water Rescue Team is a team of Superheroes. One hopes they are not ever needed, but oh so glad they exist when the need arises.
Founded in 2001, the Portage County Water Rescue Team (PCWRT) is made up of members of local fire and law enforcement departments. It originally was funded solely through the budgets of the member organizations but now has grown to receive funding from the County. The original Commander, Dave Moore, led the team for their first 20 years. Commander Scott Simmons took over in 2021. The team has expanded to allow departments bordering Portage County to join, including Berlin, Marlboro, and Milton Townships as well as Hartville. The team currently has about 80 members, 24 of whom are divers. There is ongoing training that will add 15 more divers in November.
Commander Simmons comes with quite the resume. From Stow, he did post graduate work in the Navy Reserves through Hocking College. He became a volunteer FireFighter in 1988 and obtained his EMT certification that same year. He became a full time Paramedic for Athens County in 1991. He was then hired at the Kent Fire department from 1997 to 2023. Now semi-retired, he dedicates time to teaching EMS education for University Hospitals, traveling to 8-10 fire departments monthly to refresh their skills for hourly continued education.
If they had a published mission statement, it would surely be to “make every rescue count, do it by the book and do it in the safest way possible.” So, what do they do?
All members have specialized training. Being an amateur scuba diver myself, I could tell the intensity of the training is immense. They train in search patterns, what a body does underwater, boat operations rescue, Surface Ice Rescue, Swiftwater/flooding, and even drone operations. It would probably be easier to say what they don’t do, but haven’t found it yet.
If one would be interested in becoming a PCWRT Superhero, training starts with an open water dive class, then the Dive Rescue 1 class, after that they should dive for a few years to get comfortable. Trust me, this is beyond PADI, NAUI or YMCA Rescue training! They also train in Full Face Mask and Dry Suits. Full Face masks allow the diver to communicate with the shore at all times. A dry suit is a specialized suit that keeps all the water away from the diver, (unless Ethel zips you in.) This allows greater time in the water, and one can dive in colder water more comfortably. Ice Diving prepares the diver for being in a cold-water environment, with an overhead obstruction. In Surface Ice Rescue Class the goal is to rescue the victim that has fallen through the ice before they drop below the surface. Commander Simmons says this is the most fun class, he likes the big yellow suits!
The team also has Drone pilots. One has to have a federal license to operate a drone in this capacity. The drone has a speaker and the pilot is able to send it to assess the scene. It has a very useful attached claw, which could remotely send a life jacket to someone struggling. It also has a very powerful spotlight, able to light up half a Football Field. It has a thermal camera to pick up heat signatures, allowing the pilot to search through the dark for multiple victims. The drone allows the search to begin at the shoreline, help other rescuers communicate and coordinate the effort. The current goal is to have 5 to 7 certified Drone Operators. Assistant Chief Jalbert of Charlestown has been leading this effort.
This Spring there is a Shore Support Class planned. Topics covered in this class, which always has a great deal of interest, is Equipment, Search, Dressing the Diver, Witness Interviewing. Basically, it covers everything that happens on the shore prior to entering the water. Usually, 5-6 of these students go on to the next level, Open Water Dive Class.
Boat Operations Training is stressed. During this, the leader hides a ‘victim’ (think dummy from CPR class) and the team must do a Sonar Search to find it. Then mark it and send the divers. They are taught how to use airbags to raise boats and cars. Leading these classes are Assistant Commander Matt Bright and James Taylor (not the singer.)
The ultimate goal is a 3 year plan to obtain a high enough FEMA Swiftwater typing, that will allow the team to deploy nationwide for large water emergencies.
So, how does all of their equipment get purchased, maintained and transported? Even us amateur divers know the financial discomfort of getting, and maintaining our equipment! Equipment is transported by a dive truck from Kent FD and a utility truck from Suffield FD, last year they put a donated county trailer, (Trailer 1) into service, it carries enough equipment to handle all water related calls, the team also has a goal to have a (Trailer 2) in service by the end of 2025. Commander Simmons has been busy setting priorities. He is working with a budget from the County commissioners. This helps with the cost of equipment, team training, classes for training, not to mention servicing the scuba equipment and tanks. The team had a few raffles earlier in the year, which did allow for the purchase of the Drone. With the help of our Awesome County EMA, they also applied for a Homeland Security Grant for an Underwater Drone which has a camera, sonar, and claw. Purchasing Surface Supplied Air will be the next goal as it would be very valuable to their operation. It has the ability to keep divers underwater, tethered to an air supply rather than the scuba tanks, and also has communication built in. To this end, they hope to be working with a nonprofit organization, the Portage Foundation, as a way to receive more donations.
There are also many donors we wish to thank that helped us get the drone:
• John’s Towing
• The Lake House Kitchen and Grill
• Water Street Tavern
• War Horse Ink
• The Randal S. Pugh Memorial Fund
• Iron Ink Tattoo
• The Summit Sportsman’s Association
• The Palmyra Firefighters Association
• The Ravenna American Legion Post
• Black Bean Tattoo
• The Atwater Firefighters Association
• North Water Brewing
• The Edinburg Firefighters Association
• And a Very Special Anonymous Donor.
If you would be interested in making a direct donation, please reach out to PCWRT1@gmail.com. Their treasurer would be happy to help you.
Commander Simmons and the PCWR Team has graciously invited me to observe some of their training. I look forward to sharing more about this group of heroes. Up next, some more high tech equipment and some rescue training.
