The Rescue Squad's Dive Team was formed in 1962. The team consisted of four divers who assisted all area emergency services including the County Police Department (now the Sheriff's Office), Charleston Police Department, and the Mt. Pleasant Police Department. Besides local ponds, rivers and creeks they dove on the lakes in Berkeley County and its related creeks and rivers, and bodies as far away as Georgetown and Beaufort Counties.
The only other dive team in the state at the time was the Wildlife Department, now called Department of Natural Resources, and they were based out of Columbia, the State Capital.
The Rescue Squad was the primary dive team in the Low Country until the early 1990's, when the County Police and Charleston Police Department formed Underwater Recovery Teams [URT's].
Today the team is made up of volunteer divers who are at a minimum, Advanced Open Water certified. All divers still provide their own personal equipment. However, most team members are issued or have dry suits which allow our divers to respond during the cold water season. The Squad also has hardwired and wireless underwater communications. In addition a marine-sonic side scan sonar is used to locate victims and objects to reduce the down time of recovery divers.
The Rescue Squad Team is part of the Coordinated Dive Team which is made up of teams representing:
City of North Charleston Police Department
SC Department of Natural Resources
This group realized that following a disastrous event involving a water borne incident, public safety divers must respond as one team in order to safely and effectively bring area resources to complete the mission.
THE CHARLESTON COUNTY DIVE TEAM
WIlliam "Sport" Kitchener,
Dive Team Leader
INSTRUCTOR
Charlie Fox
DIVE MASTER
Frank Longello William Kitchener
MASTER DIVER
Shawn Jones
RESCUE
C.J. Johnson Phillip Declemente
Gary Ronzheimer
ADVANCE
Russ Bernard
DIVE TEAM MEETING/TRAINING ARE HELD ON;
2ND TUESDAY (Meeting / Class Room Training) LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH (In the Water)
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OTS is a supporter of the Rescue Squad Dive Team.
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