With two major rivers, seven large reservoirs and many other areas of water there is
no surprise that many of the team's callouts are water related. To ensure team safety and effectiveness
all team members are offered basic water awareness training. This includes identifying hazards in the water
and features likely to hold or 'attract' a missing person.
Many Team members are trained to deal with accidental immersion in swift water.
The training involved means that the Team can safely undertake bank side searches of the
rivers in our area.
Where necessary a feature identified in the course of a search can be brought to the
attention of police divers.
Primary responsiblity for responce to water rescue incidents in County Durham sits with
Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service.
However the Team's training and experience is still essential for safeguarding
the Team during searches near water.
An extremely valuable resource available to the team is our Canoe Team who can search rivers and
still water from their boats.
Searching from the water has the advantage of being fast and efficient.
A further advantage of canoeists is that their depth of experience allows them to search
moving water very effectively.
Canoe Team members must be capable of looking after themselves on a wide range of water grades
and are also expected to attend at least one training event every year and be capable
of working in an impromptu team and as part of a larger team effort.
They should hold a first aid qualification and be over 18 years old .
Ideally they will also have their own transport, live
in or near the Durham watershed and have a full set of white-water paddling equipment.
If you would like to
get involved please
contact the Canoe Team Leader. An online
application form may be found here.
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