Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Water safety in the Warsaw area just got safer thanks to a little help from the community.
The Warsaw Police Department Aquatic Team received grants from two foundations and donations from more than 40 businesses and individuals in support of the volunteer unit.
Eight WPD officers comprise the aquatic team and the members get together once each month to train for possible rescue scenarios. On Friday, the members performed an ice dive in Center Lake. The exercise was undertaken as the monthly training session, as well as a chance for the team to try out its new gear purchased with funds collected in its first solicitation in the more than 20 years the unit has been in existence.
The grants were awarded by the K21 Foundation ($3,000) and the Kosciusko County Foundation ($3,334). Those amounts, combined with the private donations, allowed the team to purchase a base station and six underwater communication units, with enough funds left over for an underwater camera.
Each underwater communication unit is a one-piece mask and regulator that covers the diver's face and contains a microphone for communicating both with fellow divers and with crews on the shore. The masks, which cost about $1,500 each, also provide better visibility.
WPD Ptl. Doug Light, who is team leader, said he was pleased with the response from the community. He said letters seeking donations were sent to various businesses and donations simply starting coming in.
"This community is so supportive," Light said. "I was really overwhelmed by the response."
Knowing that the community is behind the team helps the members believe the extra time and effort they put into training is worth it and makes them eager to pass on some of the information they learn.
Light said the members provided water safety classes for youth and spoke to more than 200 children (including many at church and conservation camps) during 2000 regarding general water safety.
The team also is able to assist in emergency rescues and underwater recoveries throughout the county as they are requested.
Light said the new masks are helping the team reach its goal of moving forward with technology and increasing diver safety. Previously, the team members communicated with rope signals, with varying numbers of tugs carrying different meanings.
While the rope signals likely will still be used somewhat, Light said, the masks will allow divers to remain under water for longer periods of time while conducting underwater searches.
"A lot of time, we can't even see each other and have to surface to communicate," Light said.
Training exercises take place in many different lakes in Kosciusko County and occasionally at the Warsaw Community High School pool.
For more information on the program, contact Light at the Warsaw Police Department at 372-9511.
