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RIVER RESCUE DIVISION
The River Rescue Division was launched in May
of 2000. Since it's inception, the division has worked with many
agencies including the City Of Weirton Police Department,
Steubenville Police Department (OH), Brooke County Sheriff's Department, The
Hancock County Sheriff's Department, Allegheny County Sheriff's
Department (PA), Pittsburgh Police Homicide and Narcotics
Divisions (PA), West Virginia State Police, West Virginia DNR,
Harrison County Sheriff's Department (OH),
Pennsylvania Air-Search-Rescue, Jefferson County Sheriff's
Department (OH) and many others.
Resuce appartus include a 2001 Demeree
Inflatable Rigid Hull
rescue boat and a 2002
Sea-Doo GSX Jet-Ski
used for rapid response
The division has been responsible for 3
actual rescues and numerous recoveries. We utilize a variety of
resources on each aspect of river rescue. We have responded to
many locations throughout West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Air-Search-Rescue has teamed with our division
to provide many resources including an elite corps of
Rescue/Recovery divers and cadaver K-9's. Our team also utilizes
under water cameras prior to deploying divers. This has proven
to be worthwhile conserving air as well as keeping divers out of
harms way as much as possible.
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Our camera has aided in the recovery of
a homicide victim as well as a teenager who was the victim
of a boating accident. It has become the first deployable
resource for our division. |
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Future plans for the division include
training and certifying new divers and advanced river/swift
water rescue training.
Our division will respond in a mutual-aid
capacity for any agency that requests our assistance. If your
agency is in need of our services for disaster assistance,
recovery operations or water related crime scene operations you
may call our dispatch at 304-797-8560. When you call, we will
need the following information to be used for deployment:
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Name of the requesting agency
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Contact name
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Contact phone numbers
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Radio frequency for operation communication
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Nearest LZ coordinates if divers are needed.
(This is in the event of a diver who may need Med-Evaced from
the scene.
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Name of water way (if applicable) for the
operation as well as current conditions.
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As many details for the operation as are
known.
Please keep in mind that should divers be
deployed, it may become necessary to have an Advanced Life
Support unit available at the scene.
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