Teens scuba dive to learn about water rescues

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - A new generation of future law enforcers are learning about water rescue at the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office’s law enforcement teen career camp.

Water accidents are happening more often now that the weather has warmed up. That means police need to make more water rescues.

On Tuesday, several teens learned to scuba dive for rescue procedures at Idaho Dive Pirates in Idaho Falls.

“It was so fun! I never thought I’d be able to stay under water and breathe that long,” said Kaia Schroeder.

Local News 8 asked scuba instructor Bret Stewart, who has had to make several water rescues when he worked in law enforcement, what the standard water rescue procedure is.

“In a water rescue, we start off with the assumption that the person could still be alive in that first hour. It’s called the Golden Hour,” said scuba instructor Bret Stewart. “We’re there to try to find the body as quickly as possible, because within that first hour, there’s a chance that they might be able to be saved still with medical advancements.”

Stewart says you need to wear a life jacket when out on the water even if you’re a great swimmer.

“We see good swimmers drown all the time, and I’ve had to pull good swimmers off the bottom of more than one river [or] lake.”

Once the Golden Hour passes, Stewart says the rest of the water rescue mission is normally spent trying to recover the victim's body so their family can have closure.

So make sure to always use a life jacket when out on the water and stay safe out there.