MORE PHOTOS FROM THE TRAINING >>
By Rita L. Reith
After a six-month development process and two years of dive medical training for 22 divers, the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) Dive Rescue Teams implemented a real-time training scenario this week. The evolution may one day save the life of one their own. This training, known as the “Stevens Protocol,” will become annual training for IFD and the partnering agencies needed to make it all work.
Under the direction of Dr. Andrew Stevens, IFD and its Tactical Dive Teams joined forces with IU Health Methodist, IU School of Medicine, IU Health Lifeline, Indianapolis EMS, and Ft. Wayne St. Joseph Hospital (Lutheran Network) to organize a realistic scenario that mimicked an “Injured Diver Serious” incident. The dive took place on the White River at the Lake Indy Boat Ramp. Tac Teams set up a traditional rescue operation that was dispatched as a person in the water. It is during the “rescue” that the diver experiences a “decompression illness” and needs emergent medical attention.
As per standard operating procedure, the diver in distress is recovered and brought to shore with the assistance of the backup diver. Once on shore, medical personnel from IFD and IEMS are ready to assess, load, and go, with transport to IU Methodist. Today’s scenario included the simulated activation of Lifeline upon notification to dispatch by command that we had an “Injured Diver Serious” incident. Once transported to IU Methodist by IEMS Medics, ER doctors quickly assess and make the determination to Lifeline the patient to the hyperbaric chamber at St. Joseph Hospital in Ft. Wayne.
The purpose of the exercise is to cross-train the different partners needed to manage an injured diver. Based on this scenario and under best-case weather conditions, activation of the “Injured Diver Serious” protocol from dispatch to completion–arrival at the hospital in Ft. Wayne–is 55 minutes. Of that 55 minutes, 40 minutes is actual flight time. With decompression illness injuries being one of the most deadly to a diver, the need for a coordinated, practiced standard operating procedure is vital. From the dispatcher to on-scene crews (IFD, IEMS) to both hospitals and Lifeline, committed cooperation must exist to get the diver emergency medical assistance. For the hospital staff in Ft. Wayne, a one hour turn-around is needed to staff and prepare the hyperbaric chamber for use.
While many factors may play into a real rescue situation, the cooperative training amongst the agencies cannot be understated. Treacherous road conditions may play be among the obstacles responders face, and there has been consideration given to incorporating additional agencies such as Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Transportation, or DPW.
The cooperative effort in making this training effective and efficient is due in large part to the existing working relationship between the agencies and our mutual desire to maintain our leading edge reputation. Diver emergencies are high-risk/low-frequency occurrences, but extremely critical when they do occur. In creating this drill, Dr. Stevens, a diver himself, understands all too well the complexities in the multi-layer response. Working with the IFD Special Operations Division, he was able to achieve a lifesaving standard protocol of care for both current and future dive teams. The success and continuance of this training is crucial to sending an injured diver home to their family.
