Nashville Office of Emergency Management Divers Host Dive Rescue International Public

Safety Training Series

Training helps other public safety divers hone their skills and become instructors.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 29, 2023) The Nashville Office of Emergency Management and
Nashville Fire Department hosted a Dive Rescue International – Public Safety Training Series.
This series is crafted to provide a specialized level of training to public safety divers as well as
train divers to the level of instructor.

Public Safety Divers aid in the recovery of missing people in water, recovery of evidence in
criminal investigations and can be deployed in various environments in support of other ongoing
incidents.

All instruction was provided by real public safety divers who hold a top level of knowledge and
experience in this field. In this series, the divers completed these classes:

• Critical Skills Diver
• Rapid Intervention Techniques
• Deep Diving Operations
• Light Salvage & Recovery
• Med Dive 1
• Public Safety Scuba Instructor
• Dive Rescue 1 Trainer

Students traveled to Nashville from public safety departments across the country.
The class hosted 20 participants from 13 departments that came from 11 different states
including two fire fighters from Maui, Hawaii.
During their time in the training, instructors identified and provided additional training specific
to the tragic situation on their island.

METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY

Additionally, Dive Rescue International donated two new dry suits to their department to keep
them protected from environmental hazards during future dive missions.
“We can not overstate the importance of having world-class public safety divers within our
communities,” NFD and OEM Director Chief William Swann said. “Many people do not think
about this important work until the divers are needed to help bring home a loved one lost in our
waters, help close a criminal case by finding evidence or supporting larger incidents by using the
latest technology to complete their mission.
The divers successfully completed all the courses and are newly licensed instructors.
The divers will take this knowledge and skill set back to their home departments to better serve
their communities.

Congratulations to all participants!