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emergency training to the public.
Performing water rescues from the
exhibits over platforms and through
narrow gates — with more than 500
visitors watching — is a true team
effort. Occasionally there’s even the
added excitement of an overly curious
sea turtle, shark or moray eel.
Aquarium diving is a specialized
form of scuba diving. As in wreck or
cavern diving, additional training and
awareness are necessary to be safe in
enclosed and complex environments.
Our dive safety officer, Chuck Eicholz,
and his staff do an outstanding job
of ensuring we have what we need
to safely enjoy doing our job. The
aquarium routinely offers opportunities
for additional training, which benefits
volunteers, staff and visitors alike.
While this near-tragedy on the
field trip was accidental, nothing
about the rescue was. Working with
other trained responders, I realized
it was the aquarium’s safety-oriented
mindset and the comprehensive
DAN training I had received that
made the difference in my actions
that day. No matter where you
are, the importance of water safety
should not be ignored.
My daughter had her own challenges
learning how to swim. Since she
did not want me “hanging around
her the whole time” during the field
trip, I decided to take her to a local
pool to make sure she could pass the
swim test. It was my requirement for
letting her play at a distance while
at the water park. After we received
the news that her classmate would
be all right, my daughter told me she
finally understood why I had been so
protective with her around water.
One unexpected casualty of the
day’s events was my new iPhone. I
had it in my pocket the entire time,
and after standing in hip-deep water
for 20 minutes, it was saturated. I
went to the Apple store later that
day, sans replacement plan, and told
them what had happened. I was
stunned when they handed me a new
phone and quietly said, “That is the
best reason we have ever heard for
getting your phone wet, and we think
you should have a new one.”
The wallpaper on my new phone is
a picture of the DAN Challenge Coin
I was awarded for using my training to
provide aid in an aquatic emergency.
Now each time I use my phone I
remember that being prepared can
really make a difference.
AD
www.alertdiver.com
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49
S T E P H E N F R I N K / A T G E ORG I A A QU A R I UM
Meets the new 2010
ILCOR (AHA) Guidelines
For more information, go to
www.DAN.org
Coming from
ALL NEW
DAN Education
first aid programs
revised with new
text, photos and
instructional videos!
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1/12/12