IUCRR
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 | |
| Abbreviation | IUCRR |
|---|---|
| Motto | International Underwater Rescue and Recovery |
| Formation | 1999 |
| Type | NGO |
| Purpose | All-volunteer, not-for-profit public service and educational organization |
| Location |
|
Region served | Global |
Director | Conrad Pfeifer |
Assistant Director | Dick Schwalm |
Key people |
|
| Affiliations | NSS-CDS / NACD / IANTD / GUE / PADI |
| Website | http://www.IUCRR.org/ |
Formerly called |
|
The International Underwater Cave Rescue and Recovery (IUCRR) is a non-profit virtual organization of highly trained cave divers which supports all Public Safety Agencies, and works within their Incident Command System, in the rescue and/or recovery of victims in an underwater-overhead environment[miscnotes 1]. Prior to the formation of the IUCRR in 1999, this function was performed by several cave diver training organizations, e.g. the NSS-CDS and the NACD.
The all-volunteer IUCRR team consists of Regional Coordinators (RCs) who are trained to work within the Incident Command system to assist law enforcement agencies -- at their request -- with the rescue and/or recovery of divers who have entered an underwater overhead environment, and not returned within their allotted time. Each Regional Coordinator is responsible for maintaining a current list of qualified recovery divers in their area. These divers must be certified by a recognized cave diving organization to dive in underwater-overhead environments, and attend an IUCRR course before being placed on the call-out list for rescues/recoveries. They must be qualified to dive in the environments involved before they are put to use by the law enforcement agencies.
History[edit]
Creation of recovery diving certification and a recovery team
The IUCRR was founded in 1999, by Henry Nicholson[1][2] and Robert Laird. Its origins began at the 1982 NSS-CDS (National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section) cave diving workshop, held in Branford, Florida[3]. Henry Nicholson, a sheriff's department dive team leader recognized, and made the NSS-CDS aware of, the hazards facing public safety dive teams after a close call he and his team encountered. They faced incidents demanding a police response and found themselves in situations beyond their level of training and with inadequate technical equipment.
Given this situation, the executive committee of the NSS-CDS authorized the organization of a cave diving recovery team to be made up of law enforcement officers who were cave divers. The goal was to train other responsible cave divers to be made available for law-enforcement agencies affected by cave-diving-type accidents. It was acknowledged that it was critical that such a recovery team be made up of experienced cave divers of the highest quality and credibility. And it was also apparent that it was critical for the team, during a recovery, be controlled by a law-enforcement agency.
To create such a qualified recovery team for local law-enforcement agencies and to maintain a uniform procedure that was acceptable to each agency, the NSS-CDS requested the following:
* a program coordinator * instructional seminar * call-out list * method of immediate response
which were the four corners of the structure of the organization.
The NACD (National Association of Cave Divers) also created an almost identical process, and the instruction seminar created was used by both cave diver certification agencies.
The team of divers grew successfully in numbers and expertise. All of its members were formally trained as rescue/recovery diver specialists. The team initially consisted of NSS-CDS and NACD cave divers.
The formation of the IUCRR
In January 1999, the Board of Directors for the NSS-CDS and the NACD elected to remove the Rescue and Recovery Team from any one particular cave diving organization. They agreed that it should be established as a bipartisan program to be under the joint auspices of the NSS-CDS, the NACD, and other cave diving agencies, and the IUCRR was created.
The intent of this move was to eliminate duplication, create harmony between the cave diving agencies, provide for a single-point-of-contact for Public Safety Agencies, have a single-point for consolidation of accident reports, and provide accident analysis services for the benefit of all underwater-overhead divers.
The IUCRR adopted the same four corners of the structure, added a Law Enforcement Oversight Board, and agreed to never become a training agency. Any and all needed training would be handled by cave diving training agencies (e.g., the NSS-CDS, NACD, etc.)
A website was created which provides information to the public on the mission of the IUCRR, contact information in case of emergencies, and a repository of incident reports. Call-outs, originally done via phone, over time were updated to include pagers, then email and text messages. By leveraging the Internet, relying on highly qualified cave divers, developing teams run by knowledgeable Regional Coordinators, and the organization run by dedicated members of the cave diving community who are only interested in giving back, the IUCRR manages to provide rescue/recovery services worldwide, without charge and without membership dues. Over the years, many international organizations have acknowledged the contributions of the IUCRR[4].
| From | To | |
|---|---|---|
| Henry Nicholson | Jan 1999 | Nov 2001 |
| Mark Fowler | Nov 2001 | Nov 2005 |
| Ken Hill | Nov 2005 | Dec 2022 |
| Conrad Pfeifer | Jan 2023 | Present |
| From | To | |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Desautels | 1968 | 1979 |
| Sheck Exley | 1979 | 1994 |
| John Crea | 1994 | 1999 |
| Jeff Bozanic | Dec 1999 | Present |
Organization[edit]
The IUCRR is governed by a Board of Directors, which includes administrative positions as well as a Training Coordinator.
The Law Enforcement Oversight Board (LEOB) has the final say on law enforcement issues, and consists of Law Enforcement Officers that are Certified Cave Divers and trained in the management of a rescue and/or recovery operation.
Other assets that are relied upon are the Database Coordinator and the Medical Advisory Coordinator.
Various regions around the U.S. as well as in multiple international locations are managed by Regional Coordinators (RCs). RCs maintain contact information for the IUCRR members in their region, and ensure their training is kept up to date.
All IUCRR members are required to be trained as Rescue/Recovery Surface Operations Managers (RRSOM), which ensures they are ready to assist local law enforcement with the unique requirements of an underwater cave rescue/recovery. If requested, the RRSOM can help manage the rescue/recovery operation by coordinating with the on-site officer-in-charge, and are usually able to provide resources and expertise normally unavailable to most law-enforcement agencies.
The fundamental building-block of this organization is the First Responder and Rescue/Recovery Divers. These unpaid volunteers do the grueling work of safely locating the victim, recording critical details, and bringing them to the cave entrance. Local law enforcement is always in charge of the operation -- since in most cases it would be considered a crime scene; the volunteers provide in-water and surface support when requested. No First Responder is required to participate in any given rescue/recovery. The decision to participate, and the level of that participation, are up to the individual.
The IUCRR has a world-wide resource list of trained volunteer First Responders -- Rescue/Recovery Divers. They are available by contacting the appropriate IUCRR Regional Coordinator listed on the IUCRR website's Regional Coordinator List page.
Today the IUCRR routinely makes qualified recovery teams available to local law-enforcement agencies trained to work within their Incident Command System to maintain a uniform procedure that is acceptable to each agency.
The IUCRR has no paid members, and operates only through a contribution of time, effort and funds by its membership, but does accept outside financial contributions.
There are only two levels of membership: a volunteer, and a supporter. 100% of all volunteers are certified cave divers who have been vetted by the Board of Directors or a Regional Coordinator as capable of handling the task of managing a rescue/recovery of one or more divers in an underwater-overhead environment. Supporters voluntarily provide non-diving assets for the use of the IUCRR.
Volunteer Requirements[edit]
Requirements[edit]
Experience
Minimum experience requirement: 100 significant cave dives after becoming certified as full-cave. Must be actively diving (minimum 10 significant dives per year).
Training
The volunteer must agree to attend (physically or virtually) the RRSOM (Rescue/Recovery Surface Operations Management) course as soon as possible after joining. They must also agree to attend seminars and training provided by the Regional Coordinator whenever provided, including a refresher RRSOM class every 2-3 years.
Note: In-water training is encouraged, but is not a requirement.
Commitment
The volunteer must commit to checking email at least once a day for a call-out, and/or have an active cell phone with the phone number to it available to the IUCRR (regional coordinator, assistant director, and director).
This commitment also means that the volunteer will strictly adhere to all rules and by-laws of the organization, never misrepresent the IUCRR, must not speak to anyone on behalf of the IUCRR (exception: the Surface Operation Manager is permitted to speak to the attending Law Enforcement Officer (LEO; also referred to as OIC, the Officer In Charge), and will always maintain a professional, detached demeanor when acting as a representative of the IUCRR.
If, on any given call-out, the volunteer decides to exercise their role in the IUCRR, then they must fully commit to the entire process, from beginning to end, which must include -- 100% of the time -- a written report to be provided to the Regional Coordinator within 48-72 hours after the conclusion of the rescue/recovery.
Exercising the volunteer role in the IUCRR[edit]
The IUCRR recognizes that volunteers likely have a full-time job and family responsibilities, at the very least. Consequently, the IUCRR does not require that the volunteer always activate themselves when there is a call-out. The involvement can be at any level, for any given call-out, such as:
* no involvement at all * limited to offering resources (e.g., time to make phone calls, material resources such as tanks, etc.) * a support person (e.g. setting up tents, table, chairs, etc.) * a surface-operations-manager (SOM) * in-water support diver * a recovery diver * or any other level the volunteer chooses
Only the volunteer can make the decision about how involved they become for any particular call-out. It is expected that they provide as much as is possible given the particular situation, at that time.
IUCRR volunteers must be an active cave-diver, which means they probably can be ready to provide in-water support within a fairly short time-frame. In-water support does not necessarily mean a recovery diver; the volunteer may be needed, as an example, only in the basin/sinkhole to assist other divers.
If the volunteer chooses to act as the Surface Operations Manager, they must be ready to follow all of the guidelines learned in the RRSOM class, and will be the central IUCRR representative during the rescue/recovery. The SOM primary responsibility will be to provide support to the LEO Officer-in-charge (OIC), in whatever way he/she sees fit. Frequent and accurate communications with the OIC is critical.
Whatever role is chosen, it is critical that the volunteer stays in that role until the very end, unless circumstances require that it be passed on to someone else. Any change must be communicated with the Surface Operations Manager. (If the SOM needs to retire from the scene, they will of course be communicating with the OIC.)
Accident Analysis[edit]
Originally, the idea of Accident Analysis (AA) was to gather information on cave diving incidents and, from them, to learn why cave diving fatalities occurred. Later, Sheck Exley commanded the idea of basic rules for safe cave diving, rules that were hard won by cave diving fatalities up to that point. Since then, the IUCRR has made an effort to accumulate cave diving incident reports and make them available to the general public. There was a general feeling that deaths inside underwater caves by untrained scuba divers was likely unavoidable, but that deaths by trained cave divers should be low or none. AA allowed training agencies to understand that even trained cave divers can make fatal mistakes, and they came to embrace the basic rules of safe cave diving developed by Exley. (These rules did not encompass modern rebreather equipment which did not exist at the time of Exley's publication.)
Known incidents are posted on the IUCRR web site[5] for the general public, for educational purposes. The IUCRR does not withhold any information from the public about incidents the organization was involved with, unless the LEO has not released that information, of if there are legal issues which prevent dissemination of that information.
Other than the reports shown on the IUCRR website, or those published in newspapers/magazines around the world[6][7][8][9][10], there are no records kept of the rescues/recoveries. Consequently, it is difficult to assess exactly how many bodies have been recovered. There are a large number of articles in the press on IUCRR recoveries... for example: [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. And while it was not an IUCRR recovery, one of the Australian IUCRR divers was a prominent participant in the Thai cave rescue[19].
Frequently Asked Questions about the IUCRR[edit]
- Does the IUCRR certify divers?
No. All IUCRR members are already certified and properly vetted experienced cave divers. Also, all IUCRR members must attend classroom training (or equivalent) in order to learn about the unique situations encountered when organizing a rescue/recovery operation. However, the IUCRR does not issue any certifications for in-water training. Some IUCRR members are instructors of the NACD, NSS-CDS, and other recognized cave diver training agencies, and as such can provide in-water training for IUCRR members, and can train and issue cards for Recovery / First Responder divers. These cards are not IUCRR cards, but are the cards and certification of the respective cave diver training organizations.
- Is the IUCRR a non-profit organization?
Yes. The IUCRR is registered in the State of Florida as a non-profit organization. No members are paid for their services, nor is anyone on the board of directors paid. All funds contributed to the IUCRR are used for administrative support and to support divers during a rescue/recovery operation.
- How does someone become a member of the IUCRR?
Membership is open to anyone who is willing to volunteer their time and expertise, meets the minimum requirements, agrees to the by-laws and rules, makes themselves available for call-outs, and completes the RRSOM training. No one is automatically made a member, even if they are in-water trained; everyone volunteering has to be approved by their Regional Coordinator before they are granted IUCRR membership.
- Does the IUCRR record all cave fatalities and rescues?
The IUCRR can only document underwater-overhead incidents that it knows about, and was involved with at some level. To keep track of and record every incident would require more resources (money, time, travel, etc.) than is available to the organization. And since the IUCRR cannot base our reports on hearsay or 2nd-hand information, there are only a limited number of incidents that can be recorded.
- Does the IUCRR respond to call-outs for any diver rescue/recovery?
No. A large fraction of law enforcement agencies have qualified divers that can perform the tasks associated with an open-water rescue/recovery. IUCRR members provide a highly technical, very specialized support task that only a handful of law enforcement agencies have available to them internally. The only open-water environment the IUCRR divers will provide support for would be for very deep open-water venues where the recovery of the victim would result in the recovery divers incurring extended decompression obligations. This is what is called a virtual overhead. In situations like that, the IUCRR members may provide operational support.
- Is an IUCRR diver required to perform rescue/recoveries?
Absolutely not. Just as cave-divers are taught that it's okay to call any dive at any time for any reason, or no reason at all, the volunteer members of the IUCRR also retain that same right. Most cave-divers will agree that the best time to call a dive is before the dive even starts. Despite their training and commitment, the IUCRR diver is the only person who knows whether they are or are not ready to perform a recovery dive. Recovering a victim from an underwater cave is extremely difficult and stressful, and the recovery diver must -- before they even start -- be sure they can comfortably perform the task. No one can be compelled to do a recovery dive. It is an IUCRR fundamental principle that no diver should ever risk his/her life to recover a victim. As important as it is to recover a victim's body, it's not worth the life of another diver.
- Does the IUCRR always determine the cause of the accident?
No, the IUCRR never determines the cause of an incident. One of the fundamental principles all IUCRR members agree to, is to never speculate about the cause of an incident. Our members volunteer to help in the rescue/recovery of a victim, and then to document everything they saw, as well as all facts around the case. At no time are they to speculate, nor are any conclusions made from the gathered facts. Unfortunately, even the most basic incident with an ample number of facts can result in many possible causes. Consequently, since it's extremely rare for there to be a single, incontrovertible reason for any given incident, the IUCRR cannot and does not make any conclusions. The organization simply passes on the data for others to make their own conclusions. With respect to their involvement in a rescue/recovery, IUCRR members are asked not to speak to anyone outside the recovery team. There is an IUCRR Public Liaison who acts as the central point of contact for all inquiries regarding a rescue/recovery.
- Why are some incident reports held back from being published on the IUCRR web site?
It's important to understand that the information collected during a rescue/recovery operation does not belong to the IUCRR. The IUCRR is always a subordinate to the local law enforcement organization (LEO) that is in charge of the crime scene. (In the U.S., every recovery venue is considered a crime scene until the LEO deems otherwise.) Consequently, there may be many reasons why the IUCRR does not (and often cannot) post the information to its web site. The most common reason it may not show up is simply that the information hasn't been released by the LEO. Also, there may be legal issues associated with a recovery, and we may be restrained by those proceedings from posting the information. Bottom line is, if allowed to post the information, it is posted.
Also, the IUCRR does not hold any information back, with one exception noted below. Once the recovery divers have written their report, law-enforcement has released that information, and the regional coordinator has checked it for accuracy and approved it, the information is posted on the IUCRR web site. No information is withheld, with the exception of the victim's name (and, sometimes, the buddy(ies) name(s)). The purpose of posting is to provide information to cave divers and general public on what is known about an incident, in the hopes that the information will provide educational or safety value. The exception: Since the victim(s) name(s) nor the buddy's names are not relevant to the educational or safety value of the information, they are not published.
- Who can speak/communicate/contact others on behalf of the IUCRR?
Only the Director (or, in his/her absence, the Assistant Director) or the IUCRR Public Liaison are permitted to speak to anyone outside the organization, on behalf of the organization. Anyone else in the organization that purports to speak for the IUCRR, verbally or in writing, is subject to suspension. During and following a rescue/recovery operation, the only IUCRR members permitted to talk to law enforcement are the Surface Operations Manager, the Regional Coordinator, and anyone on the Board of Directors.
RRSOM[edit]
The Rescue/Recovery Surface Operations Manager manual [20] (RRSOM) -- written by Henry Nicholson and Robert Laird -- provides a foundational understanding for all IUCRR members of how to approach and manage a underwater rescue or recovery. Fundamental precepts are:
1) Lines of communication. No one besides the Director (or officer acting for the Director) or the Public Liaison are permitted to provide any information to the public (e.g. reporters, by-standers, divers, etc.) about any IUCRR activity, particularly rescue/recoveries. Anyone violating this rule is subject to removal (and it has happened in the past). One of the IUCRRs biggest problems over the years has been misinformation and speculation about how these accidents occur, and so the IUCRR cannot allow any members to feed that kind of issue by openly talking to the public. Obviously, in-water divers and surface operations people must talk between themselves, but since there should be two separate areas, one for the public and another for the divers, the divers should be able to talk among themselves without anyone in the public sphere overhearing them. Since IUCRR members agree to NEVER speculate as to how or why an accident occurred, it would be bad form to have someone overhear any kind of comment that might be construed as an opinion. Divers simply go in, perform the tasks asked then, like true professionals, leave without a word or trace. All inquiries about the incident should be forwarded to the Director and/or the Public Liaison. Regional Coordinators have the final say in how the incident report is written. Once approved by the RC, it is then forwarded to the IUCRR Secretary who ensures the Board of Directors reviews the report before it is posted.
2) Subordinate to the LEO. IUCRR team members understand that they are ALWAYS subordinate to the local law enforcement organization (LEO)... the team members are never in charge, they are there to support the LEO. IUCRR divers are trained to keep their ego's in check at all times. As a support organization, divers must always have that support mentality and simply offer assistance. Many times the SOM can suggest to the LEO that they (the law enforcement organization) are not qualified to do certain dives. Unless they realize that and accept that AND ask for the assistance of the IUCRR, they cannot be forced to accept the offered services. Also, the IUCRR does NOT offer assistance for anything other than overhead underwater rescue/recoveries. If the situation is anything other than that, then it cannot be done under the auspices of the IUCRR.
3) Maintaining choice. IUCRR team members are NEVER compelled to do a dive. If the dive is beyond their experience/training, it is STRONGLY recommended that the IUCRR Surface Operations Manager (SOM) deny that person entry to the water. There have been situations where there were no IUCRR resources (i.e. divers) available, but there were highly qualified divers available... in those cases, there is an impromptu training class to get across the additional task loading and dangers of rescue/recoveries, and those divers are again told that it is purely their decision whether they go in. If the LEO agrees, too, then it can happen that way, but this approach is avoided if possible. No one should EVER die or put themselves in danger in trying to recover a body. The body can wait for the appropriate resources.
Also in the RRSOM manual, there are guidelines that include topics such as: dealing with the initial request, cordoning off the area, establishing a command post, introduction to the office-in-charge, interviewing any other divers who are in the area, extrication, forms to fill out, etc. When Henry Nicholson lectured, he also called on his extensive experiences describing various scenarios that caused the need for a rescue or recovery, and how the team approached and executed the task. Because there are so many factors, it is impossible to create rules or instructions for every scenario, and Henry Nicholson was smart enough to understand that. So, the RRSOM manual establishes guidelines for the Surface Operations, but experienced instructors can also provide scenarios that allow IUCRR team members to think through the processes needed for a safe rescue/recovery.
International[edit]
Though the IUCRR was founded in the U.S. and outlines how U.S. team members should approach certain aspects of a rescue/recovery (e.g., how to work with law enforcement), these same ideas may not be appropriate, relevant or even legal in other countries. So the IUCRR provides quite a bit of leeway when instructing International Regional Coordinators. The International RC better understands the laws and processes of their own country and may need to adjust some of the standardized approaches[21]
References[edit]
- ↑ https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/timesunion/name/henry-nicholson-obituary?id=28349821
- ↑ https://nsscds.org/safety/
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=GqTmCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT369&lpg=PT369&dq=iucrr&source=bl&ots=zkLW9hLWlv&sig=ACfU3U0jVU0lAAPQ38dO0AZhpIh3FHEnnQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiCh57Kotn8AhW-kmoFHTZmCzo4FBDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=iucrr&f=false
- ↑ https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US201800313893
- ↑ https://www.iucrr.org/incident-reports.html
- ↑ July 1-7, 2022 - page A 6, The Hernando Sun, "Divers' deaths at Buford Springs remain under investigation", also: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/buford-springs-cave-divers-bodies-b2108889.html
- ↑ Dec 3 2020 - page 9, Tampa Bay Newspapers - North Pinellas, "Divers recover drowning victim from Palm Harbor spring"
- ↑ 1 Jun 2017 - Forensic Science International https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/recovery-of-deceased-scuba-divers-from-within-flooded-subterranea
- ↑ American Caving Accidents, National Speleological Society, 2017, 2015 Cave-Diving Accidents and Incidents, Sec 1:87 / Page 91 (PDF), "17 January 2015 Devils Eye Spring, Florida fatality, illness"
- ↑ September 2016 Journal of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society 46(3):150-154, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309315826_Thirty_years_of_American_cave_diving_fatalities - "Thirty years of American cave diving fatalities" citations include a reference to the IUCRR
- ↑ https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2004-06-28-0406280060-story.html
- ↑ http://www.swiss-cave-diving.ch/PDF-dateien/NSS_incidents-reports_1999-2001.pdf
- ↑ https://www.wfla.com/news/local-news/hernando-county/2-cave-divers-drown-in-hernando-county/
- ↑ https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/news/body-of-missing-diver-recovered-from-ginnie-springs_id_b2dc2a86-5f28-11eb-ae61-6318a6891161
- ↑ https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-citrus-hernando/2-divers-drown-at-buford-springs
- ↑ https://sports.yahoo.com/teen-swimmers-two-cave-divers-174129307.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFvqWu0BmClr5xJ-FckkvQsfI81O6X4jvYs5kOV5GrvnObuoxqHsj5OolB7gO81GoC4O198-jWKzoBlnp8btFYJdeiXWlV4yhlPlZZyyy8pUgXRvCzgqqhBMr9AYffbGs6YdLFzVjCRUP-E62KES3iQmOoSnm6X9hQhrw67gd5Ds
- ↑ https://www.pcsoweb.com/20-168-update-body-recovered-deputies-investigate-drowning-in-a-natural-spring-in-palm-harbor-
- ↑ https://www.tdisdi.com/erdi-news/cave-drown-response/
- ↑ https://www.speleopix.com.au/
- ↑ IUCRR Rescue/Recovery Surface Operations Manual, updated Dec 2016 (available only to IUCRR members)
- ↑ https://nsscds.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/UWS-vol-48No2-searchable-FINAL.pdf
Miscellaneous Notes[edit]
- ↑ Overhead environments are partially or fully underwater with an overhead obstruction such as caves, caverns, mine shafts, etc., and includes virtual overhead environments as well
External links[edit]
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