HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-03-15, Page 15OPP diving team practises in Huron
BY MONA IRWIN
There's nothing quite like stand-
ing on a frozen -over lake on a dull
winter day - listening to the
cheery notes of We're Off to See
the Wizard burbling up from the
chilly depths.
Or hearing somebody cackle
fiendishly as they announce, "OK,
now we're going to cut off your air
supply."
That's what was going on last
Wednesday (Mar. 8), as OPP
divers converged on the north side
of the harbour to practise their
'sub -ice' diving skills.
"They practise every two
weeks, unless there's an opera-
tional dive going on," says
Goderich OPP Const. Bill Wilson,
who is himself an experienced
diver, although not a member of
the OPP diving team. "There's
never been an accident in all the
years the OPP have had a diving
team" - approximately 30 years.
The divers gathered at Wilson's
house Thursday to pack up their
gear. Divers from Essex County
OPP (near Windsor), Barrie,
Mount Forest and Chatham took
part in the six -hour practice.
The divers were also trying out
a new air delivery system. The
new air system consists of a sur-
face air supply that's delivered
through a complex control panel
(which also allows divers to com-
municate with each other and with
the team leader on the surface) via
an 'umbilical' cord that is attached
to the diver. There are also two
backup systems: a surface air sup-
ply that bypasses the control
panel, and the 80 -cubic -foot stan-
dard air tank that the diver carries.
The divers went in one at a
time, and as each slipped beneath
the ice, he was asked to drop to
the lake bottom (about 20 feet)
and then the main air supply was
shut off at the main tank on the
surface, and the air was drained
Const. Frank Wilson of Markdale enters the water of Lake Huron.
out of the umbilical.
"Then the diver had to reach
down onto his belt and turn on the
'pony"' - the air tank each carries
on his back - and breath through
that for a while, Wilson says.
Finally, that too was shut off (by
the diver), and the third air supply
system, which bypasses the con-
trol panel, was activated from the
surface.
"There's a safety diver on the
surface, breathing the same air
supply and on the same radio
wavelength as the diver underwa-
ter," Wilson says. He's also a sort
of safety backup, as he'll notice
any problems with the air supply.
The diver who's underwater can
be pulled out by the 200 -foot -long
umbilical line if something goes
wrong, a::1 if he becomes tangled
in something, or if the umbilical
snags on something, the safety
diver, who's suited up and ready,
can go in and get him.
For the sub -ice dive, the divers
used a chainsaw to cut a triangular
hole in the ice.
"The triangular shape of the
hole makes it easier for divers to
get out," W.Ison explains. OPP
divers must take a qualifying
course to allow them to operate a
chainsaw, just as if they used it
commercially to trim trees or cut
up wood for sale, Wilson says.
The OPP diving team is not a
rescue team, he adds - it's a recov-
ery team. They recover bodies,
weapons, stolen vehicles (they
hook up the chains so the tow
truck can pull the vehicle out) and
so on.
OPP regulations prohibit them
from diving any deeper than 100
feet (30 metres).
"After that, they'll call in a com-
mercial diver," Wilson says. "As a
rule, the OPP don't do decompres-
sion dives."
There are 'dive tables' which
advise divers the maximum length
of time they should spend under-
water at various depths, he
explains.
"For 100 feet, you've got a 15 -
minute 'bottom time' - and that
starts from the time you hit the
surface of the water and includes
the time it takes you to re -sur-
face," he says. "So you've got
maybe five minutes on the bot-
tom."
There are commercial divers
who can descend to 1,000 feet, but
the deeper a diver goes, the more
medical problems that can arise.
Most divers are breathing air that's
similar to the air everyone
breathes: 20 per cent oxygen, 80
per cent nitrogen. But as a diver
descends, the molecules compress,
creating what divers call 'rich' air.
"As you come back to the sur-
face, the molecules expand,"
Wilson says. And all those steadi-
ly expanding nitrogen molecules
in your bloodstream will start to
block the flow of blood, and you
get 'the bends': extreme pain in the
joints, nausea, dizziness and light-
headedness. If rescue isn't close
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, March 11, 1995-15
by, a diver will probably pass out
and can die.
That's'partly why divers can't
just rushy back to the surface. The
further down they've been, the
more time they have to allow
themselves to come back up, so
they have time to exhale the
excess nitrogen in the blood. The
rule of thumb is to take five min-
utes at 10 feet just to breathe out
more of the accumulated nitrogen,
Wilson says.
Seaforth farmers'
co-op elects .
new officers
continued from page four
A colony house at Holm Farm,
Huller, owned by W. L. Whyte,
was completely destroyed by fire
early Thursday morning.
Stephen Gilbert, son of Rev. C. F.
L. Gilbert, Rector of St. Thomas'
Church, Seaforth, and Mrs. Gilbert,
and Gordon Houghton, London,
were winners at the Huron College
oratorical contest in the college
chapel on Thursday night.
* * *
The following officers were
elected at the annual meeting of the
Seaforth Fanners' Co-operative in
Carnegie Library Hall: President, R.
S. McKercher, vice-president, E. B.
Goudie; secretary, Frank Reynolds;
treasurer, T. M. McMillan; Direc-
tors, Robert Tyndall, James
McIntosh and Ross McGregor.
* * *
Mrs. Ken Campbell is teaching in
place of Mrs. Les. Dolmage, who
has been ill with pneumonia
* * *
Pte. Albert John McFaddin, hus-
band of the former Miss Maxine
Kelly, and son of Henry McFaddin
and the late Mrs. Lillian McFaddin
is reported missing overseas.
MARCH 19, 1970
A well-known Egmondville
couple, Mr. and Mrs. Harold
Wilson, will celebrate their 50th
wedding anniversary this weekend.
***
Seaforth & District
Community Centres
HOCKEY
POOL '95
RANK STANDINGS Pts.
as of Mar. 9/95
1. Nosaf Ttetsna 314
2. Patrick Flanagan 314
3. Terry Gray II 311
4 Gary Hetesi III 307
5. Terry Gray I 303
6. John Cairns 301
7.
Belfour Van Lieshout 289
8 M.H.R.R. & S. III 283
9. Art Strong 281
10. Chris Bach - 1 281
11. Guod Ttetsna 281
12. Tom & Kyle Devereaux 281
13. C.U.B. 280
14. Jason Anstett 280
15. Bob Regele 279
16. Bure #10 279
17. M&DI 279
18. Karl Teichert 277
19. Bruce 'Bottoms' Scott 276
20. Doug Bach 276
21. Keegan Teichert 276
22. Brian Little! 275
23. Cooner #1 275
24. Derek Gridzak 275
25. Jason Carroll 275
26. Pat Young # 2 274
27. Bob McNaughton III 273
28. Jamie Storr # 1 272
29. Brett - I 270
30. Don Freeman 270
31. Jim Watson 269
32. Steve Van Dyk #2 269
33. B&D-4 268
34. Eddy Belfour 268
35. Gary Bennett - I 268
36. Mike Murray - Yes 268
37. Pam Nesbitt 268
38. Quentin Burgess 267
39. Scott McNaughton 267
40. Don Dupee 264
41. Joe II 264
42. Bill Tremeer 263
43. Paul McElwain 263
44. Dale Kennedy 262
45. Gary Hakkers - I 262
46. Hilda Bach 262
47. Steven Ritz 262
48. J. Devereaux & Girls 261
49. Al Nicholson # I 260
50. Bobby Clarke # 16 260
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WINTER'S LAST FLING? Students at Seaforth District High School took advantage of last Thursday
sunny winter weather for a Fun Day outdoors at the school. Events included British Bulldog, volleyball,
soccer and the obstacle course pictured above.
Students warned of swollen rivers
The Ausable-Bayfield
Conservation Authority brought a
message of spring to students of
St. Patrick's School in Dublin on
Feb. 16.
Education technician Angela
Skevington told the students that
rivers change from one season to
another. The slow-moving, calm
water river in the summer
becomes a furious torrent of water
in the spring.
"People generally like water
and want to be near it," she told
students. However, she cautioned
them about the dangers.
The students saw slides and a
video showing flooded areas and
partially frozen rivers. Although
people skate, snowshoe, play
hockey, and snowmobile on
frozen rivers in the winter,
Skevington told students that they
must he wary of the ice in the
spring.
"If you see snow-covered rivers
with open water, you want to stay
off of it," she said.
There are many dangerous ice
conditions at this time of year,
including caverns under the newly
People
Seaforth native
tours with
Thunder Bay
orchestra
Seaforth native Madonna
McQuaid is currently on tour with
the Thunder Bay Symphony
Orchestra.
made ice, thin ice on top of flow-
ing water, and weak ice present on
solid ice which may break with
your weight and cause you to fall
into a hole.
The students had many ideas on
what they would do if they fell
into a swollen river. They suggest-
ed grabbing on to something,
throwing their scarf to hook it
onto a branch, and staying close to
thc edge.
However, Skevington said the
current pulls you into the centre of
thc river, making it difficult to
stay near the river's hanks. Student
Stacey Scott put her hand into a
pail of cold water, similar to the
temperature of melted snow and
ice. Her fingers became stiff and
sore and said throwing a scarf or
grabbing onto something would
be difficult.
Skevington urged children to
play with a buddy. If trouble aris-
es, one child can get help for the
other.
Besides urging students to stay
away from rivers in the spring.
Skevington also taught them about
flooding.
Clinton Raceway
invites you to
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Fri. Meadowlands & Woodbine
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Post time 1:00
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Racing Weekdays
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