On Sunday the dive team and the first aid was on scenes for
the offshore power boat races. The first aid is the lead EMS squad for anything
that happens. The power boat people have medics and EMT’s on their rescue boats
along with divers and anything that happen gets turned over to us on shore.
The dive team is
stationed on the jetty to watch over the people who watch the racers as they
come out the inlet and into the ocean and we are also backup divers if anything
major happens and more divers are needed. Over the years we have had people
fall into the rocks and fall going down off jetty so this is a good spot for us
and that’s why we have a EMT with the team and every year someone always needs
a band aid for that flip flop jetty toe.
We come down the
beach with all are gear loaded in the squads 5 ton army truck and this is a big
hit with the kid and their parents alike, lots of pictures have been taken with
the truck and divers as a backdrop. The truck if needed can go over the beach
anywhere along the whole race course and can carry whatever is needed.
This year started
out great with good weather and smaller waves out on the ocean. As the races
were lead out of the inlet by the Coast Guard and the State police and people
on the jetty cheered, but not for long. In the first turn on the first lap an
accident happened that put an end to racing for the day and put everyone in
rescue mode.
The First Aid was
at the Coast Guard station ready and waiting for the injured racers to be
brought in and did a great job getting them off to where they needed to go. But the
accident did put an end to the race. Boats needed to be recovered and one needed to
found as it had sunk and no one was in a mood to do any racing.
It is not my place
to go into details about what happened, not here anyway. I can tell you that everything
that could have been done was done. What a great job by the rescue divers,
EMTs, Medics U.S. Coast Guard and state police. Racing is racing be it car,
boat, drag, downhill skiing there is danger in all of them. We can only do our
best to make them safe and be ready if an accident happens
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