DURYEA, Pennsylvania (2 Aug 2005) -- As the mercury rises, so, too, the appeal of cooling off at some of Northeastern Pennsylvania's natural swimming holes, such as the Seven Tubs, Ashley Millie and the Bluebottom reservoir. It's where, summer after summer, local rescue workers, including Germania Hose Company Scuba Team in Duryea, are called to dozens of emergencies. The volunteer dive team, the only one in Luzerne County, was formed more than two decades ago. It responds to calls in locations as close as Duryea and as far away as New York, Ohio and New Jersey. Generally by the time they get to these faraway emergency calls, the dive-team members said, what might have been a rescue mission turns into a body search. Lenny Basara, a member of the scuba team, said he and his fellow team members usually wind up throwing their gear into the back of a pickup to get to secluded spots during rescues. A few times they even had to go in on quads, he said. "I highly discourage swimming at these places because it is the unknown," said Bobby Reed, 35, a member of the rescue team for 19 years. "They think they can handle it, but you never know what kind of debris is down there that you are jumping into. A person could wind up eating out of a tube for the rest of their life." These volunteers have been called away from work, family outings and even weddings for their water-rescue services. "When the pager goes off you leave," Joe Perugino, 44, said. Ever since he became a certified diver, Reed said, he can't even go on his boat without wearing a personal flotation device. "In 2004 the number one cause for drowning was because people on boats didn't wear personal flotation devices," Perugino said. "It's out of stupidity that people don't wear them." The rescue team said the most difficult rescue it's ever had was when a sailboat tipped over in Lake Wallenpaupack about five years ago. "They lost one person," Lenny Basara said. "We were looking for the boy for close to a week because there were a lot of obstructions there, which made it tough. Another team finally found him stuck on a tree." | | This team, which has seven divers and 12 qualified support personnel, specializes in drowning accidents, swift-water rescue, boat operations and ice rescue. It averages roughly 15 calls per year. "The team started because there was a need for it," Reed, of Duryea, said. "We"ve done everything from victim recovery to evidence recovery for the state police." The team members who are divers are required to have an Advanced Open Water certification from a recognized agency. They must pass an in-house dive with the training officer as well. Members also are responsible for buying their own gear, which includes a wet and dry suit, air tanks, regulators, a full-face mask, a snorkel, gloves and fins. This basic set-up costs about $2,000 per person. "We are funded only by donations, picnics and other fund-raisers we have," Basara said. "Whatever money we need that we don't raise we pay for out of our own pockets." This scuba team uses some impressive gadgets and gizmos during its rescues, including an underwater metal detector and a complete underwater communication system. Basara said the hardest part of volunteer work for him is the chance of seeing another rescue person get hurt, which hasn't happened yet. "We want people to use common sense," Perugino, of Dallas, said. "A lot of the calls we get are alcohol related. We have to go home to our families, and we are putting ourselves at risk. It's nothing for us to get stuck down there." The group agreed it will continue to volunteer because there is a possibility it may help someone during rescue efforts. "Knowing we are the only specialized team around keeps me in it," Jim Basara, 27, said. "Ever since I became certified I think of just how powerful water is." Donations should be made out to the Germania Scuba Team and sent to P.O. Box 295, Duryea PA 18642. SOURCE - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader |
