Members of the Lauderdale Emergency Management Agency Public Safety Dive Team spent time on the water at Bonita Lakes Wednesday learning how to search more efficiently and guide divers more accurately using sonar technology.
Utilizing both side scanning and depth scanning sonar, first responders can narrow down a large search area to within a few feet and put divers within arm’s reach of the object or person they are trying to recover.
LEMA Director Odie Barrett said the team, which is made up of members from LEMA, Lauderdale County Fire Department and Meridian Fire Department, recently purchased Garmin live scopes, new trolling motors and Hummingbird sonar. Wednesday’s training was an opportunity to see test out the tools and see the impact they will have.
“Seeing the two technologies that are different technologies and how they work different and what we’re actually looking at is a big plus for the team,” he said. “It’s a big plus for the county and the city to have this kind of technology for our teams.”
Helping the team was Rankin County Dive Team member Brett Ishee, who has previous experience putting the technology to work in real emergencies. Ishee shared his knowledge with the group and helped answer questions Lauderdale County first responders had about the new tools.
Much of the technology can be found on a well-equipped bass fishing boat or similar vessel, with both the Garmin live scope and Hummingbird sonar being used to find underwater structure, schools of fish and mapping the lakebed. With a few changes in how they’re set up, those same tools become powerful aids in finding people.
The Public Safety Dive Team is most often called out to recover victims of drownings or other water-related incidents. While uncommon, they do happen,
Barrett said, and being able to respond quickly and efficiently is crucial.
“You know, the last thing we want to be is called out as a dive team. Last year we had four recoveries. This year we’ve had one. Sonar was used in each one of them,” he said. “And now, with the new technology that we’ve got, the better technology, hopefully we can find what we’re looking for in a shorter amount of time.”