When a 911 caller reported a 16-year-old boy had disappeared while swimming in a manmade lake, the Shelby Township Fire Department’s Dive Team went into action.
Just minutes after receiving the call, a team of trained SCUBA divers and support personnel were on the scene, fighting the clock to rescue the boy before his immersion in 14 feet of water took its inevitable toll.
“The colder the water, the better their chances for survival,” said Jeremy Verbeke, dive team coordinator.
On the very first “sweep” of the area, a diver discovered the victim. The team, all trained paramedics, pulled the boy from the water and began life-saving efforts.
Although in clear medical distress, the boy did exhibit a heartbeat on the way to the hospital.
But the story’s ending was not happy. After two days on life-support, the 16-year-old succumbed. He was simply submerged too long before rescuers could get to him.
“(The 16-year-old) was the closest we’ve had to a rescue,” said Verbeke.
Sadly, the ending is typical for members of the Shelby Township Dive Team. Yet, three days later, members of the team were combing the water at the old Four Bears Water Park in a training exercise designed to keep them sharp for the next 911 call.
The same is true for a dozen divers with the Harrison Township Fire Department team and about 10 divers assigned to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office.
Those are the only jurisdictions in Macomb County that maintain active dive teams. Combined, fewer than 40 trained divers are assigned to the three agencies.
Divers go through a series of training stages ranging from open-water courses like a recreational diver would complete to ice diving and rapid deployment.
For all the dive teams, training is constant.
“We train at least once a month as a team,” said Lt. Mark Hoskin, training officer for Harrison Township. “… We all dive similarly. We all work together very, very closely.”
A recent rash of drownings has kept the teams busy. The Shelby Township incident followed another in Lake St. Clair near the Mac ‘N Ray marina.
With the July 4 holiday weekend approaching, with Macomb County residents flocking to beaches and lakes, the specter of another incident always looms.
“We’ve always got divers on duty,” Hoskin said. “We’re ready to deploy immediately.”
Shelby Township is dotted with 117 man-made lakes and ponds like the one that claimed the 16-year-old boy. Those bodies of water create their own particular set of hazards.
Once divers descend more than a few feet, visibility is virtually zero, leaving divers to search for their subject by feel, often while lying on the bottom amid weeds and debris.
“A majority of the lakes around here are stagnant (lack of moving water),” Verbeke said.”
Divers are limited to 20 minutes in the water. After that, a back-up diver provides relief, he said. “(By the 20-minute mark), you’re mind starts to wander and you’re not focused anymore.”
The number one rule of a water search is to bring back all the divers safely.
“Safety of the officer is always first,” said Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel.
During the search near Mac N’ Ray, diver safety was the driving force behind calling off the search at nightfall. While persons submerged for extended periods of time have survived, the chances are miniscule after 90 minutes.
“It’s from the time that person was last seen,” Hoskin said. “We have basically up to 90 minutes as our window of opportunity. After 90 minutes, their chances of surviving drastically decline.”
Hoskin recalled an incident in Europe when a fitness instructor survived with few ill effects after being submerged about 90 minutes.
Closer to home, a 13-year-old boy who fell through Lake St. Clair ice in the 1980s was resuscitated and lived, albeit in a coma, for about two weeks.
“There’s so much that plays into it,” Hoskin said.
Underwater searches are considered rescue attempts for the first 90 minutes. After that, the operation turns to recovery. That’s important as well, Hackel said.
In some cases, divers search for evidence that could be used in a possible criminal case. In others, it’s about concern for the family of the victim.
“You’re talking about a closure issue for the family,” the sheriff said. “… It is such an emotional issue for the family … We embrace them. We find it to be as important as if it was one of our people.”
Verbeke and Hoskin acknowledge that despite their teams’ best efforts, their work is almost never enough to prevent a tragedy. But that won’t stop them.
Because the next 911 call could be that one in a million that makes all the difference.
“Once in a career, or once in a lifetime, that’s all it would take,” Hoskin said.
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