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in good operational condition.
Because of Saba’s small
population, however, the island
has only two practicing doctors
and not much collective clinical
experience treating divers. The
Fort Bay chamber and its staff
required training and support.
To provide this support, DAN
sent Matías Nochetto, M.D.,
Marty McCafferty, EMT-P, DMT,
and Eric Schinazi, CHT, to Saba
for a weeklong site visit. Nochetto,
DAN’s director of medical
programs, runs DAN America’s
regional RCAP program out of
DAN headquarters in Durham,
N.C. As a DAN medic for the
past 13 years, McCafferty is
frequently a main point of contact
in dive medical emergencies.
Schinazi, a certified hyperbaric
technician (CHT) at Duke
University Medical Center, often
works with DAN because of his
vast expertise with hyperbaric
chamber operations.
The RCAP outreach project
in Saba had three primary goals:
Perform a risk assessment,
conduct training for chamber
operators and attendants, and
establish relationships with the
local physicians and chamber
staff. Risk assessments are tailored
to each facility and allow DAN
to make safety recommendations
and create a customized plan
to help each chamber conduct
its own future inspections and
basic maintenance. During the
Fort Bay inspection, for example,
Schinazi discovered that the
chamber’s fire extinguisher was
out of service — a level-one risk
that would prohibit the chamber
from reopening. The team was
able to service it and leave it
in operational condition with
instructions for preventative
maintenance.
24
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SPRING 2016
DIVE SLATE
DAN OUTREACH