Town of Fishers

Since the early '90s the Fishers Fire Department has provided subsurface water rescue and recovery along with swiftwater rescue, flood response, ice rescue and boat operations to the citizens and visitors of the Fishers community. Our response area covers more than 300 neighborhood and golf course ponds that are ½ acre or larger, with many over 5 acres and countless smaller bodies. Additionally, we cover a recreational lake that covers 62 acres and Geist Reservoir, covering 1800 acres and about 16 miles of shoreline. Geist is consistently one of the top 5 busiest lakes in the state and home to several thousand boaters. Currently there are 1100 private docks around the lake, 600 permanent docks at the marina, 200 docks at the Indianapolis Yacht Club, and several hundred sailboats at the Indianapolis Sailing Club. In navigable rivers we cover approximately 9 ½ miles between two rivers that is frequented by kayakers, anglers and small craft boaters.

 

Our team includes 24 divers, all with individual issued drysuits and full face masks. Since the mid '90s our team has been influenced by Dive Rescue International, after 3 of our early members attended a DRI class. Since that time we have always ensured tethered dives with safety divers and 90% divers at the ready. Around 2000 we switched from wireless Buddycoms to the OTS Mk7 and comm. rope. The latest improvement was implemented this spring when we switched to full surface supplied air via the Interspiro DP1 system. We currently have 8 of the Interspiro BCDs, 4 comm integrated umbilical lines and 3 DP1 control boxes.

 

Our department supports two technical rescue stations with a 2009 Pierce Heavy Rescue (Rescue 91) and a converted dive truck with a full walk-in (Tactical 92). We keep two 14' Zodiac's on a drop deck stacked trailer and a 26' fire boat on Geist Reservoir. In addition to 24 divers, all 60 personnel at the two tactical houses are trained to the NFPA Operations level in all aspects of water rescue and we are in the process of training the majority to the Technician level of swiftwater rescue to compliment the current 18 Swiftwater techs.

 

Our department is heavily involved in the state response system and has deployed to assist agencies in other districts on 4 recent occasions during heavy flooding. We also train regularly with neighboring departments and monthly with the divers from the Fishers Police Department. In fact, the FFD and FPD have forged a new relationship in the last two years that allows us to share resources and instructors in monthly and initial diver training. We are fortunate to have 3 PSSIs and 1 DRIT in addition to 2 DRI swiftwater instructors and 4 swiftwater instructors at the Indiana River Rescue School. We will be hosting a DRI Trainer Series this spring which will increase our trainers to 4 PSSI/DRITs.

 

In all, our department is incredibly fortunate to have the latest equipment available and a group of divers willing to train regularly to use it. Each diver is responsibly for making a minimum of 8 dives per year, passing the NFPA/IADRS watermanship test annually, and passing a basic scuba skills check-off integrated into a pool session O-course. We already know it takes a unique individual to answer the call to become a firefighter, taking the step to become a public safety diver is a rare and valuable thing. The Fishers Fire Department has been blessed to have such high caliber men ready to answer that call.