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Imagine yourself in a hostile \u201calien\u201d environment, where gravity is different, and your survival depends on the limited air supply you carry on your back.\u00a0 Now, further imagine you can\u2019t see anything<\/u> and have to navigate through pipes filled with obstacles, that require you to remove your air supply, just to get through!<\/p>\n
It sounds like a scene from a horror movie or the latest new video game, but it actually was part of the \u201cconfidence course\u201d for our Pierce County Metro Dive Team.\u00a0 Acting Dive team Commander Detective Brent Van Dyke explained that those are realistic situations his team may face in the Puget Sound, lakes and rivers of Pierce County.\u00a0 He wanted his divers to have experienced those challenges in training, so they are prepared for what they may face in a call out.<\/p>\n
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I am a certified Open Water diver who dives on an occasional basis \u2013 think Hawaii with a few dives in Puget Sound. \u00a0So, when I spent Thursday afternoon with our dive team for their training at the Rogers Pool, I had some appreciation for some of their skills.\u00a0 However, they are routinely called out to dive in situations that I would never<\/u> do.\u00a0 That is why their equipment and, more importantly, their training and teamwork are so critical to keeping them both effective and safe.\u00a0 They rescue people, recover drowning victims, and locate key evidence.\u00a0 I was astounded that they had recovered a pistol and seven .22 caliber bullets from the Puyallup River \u2013 yes, in a flowing river with near zero-visibility!<\/p>\n
Our team\u2019s expertise means they are regularly called to help others outside of Pierce County.\u00a0 Most recently they were up in Snohomish County helping search for a lost Tulalip Tribal Officer.<\/p>\n
Like nearly all of us, technology is helping them do their jobs more effectively, and safer too.\u00a0 They have two sonars that they can deploy from boats to help search along the bottom. \u00a0\u00a0They also have an aging remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which can go much deeper than they can safely dive. However, I have not seen this technology firsthand \u2013 yet.<\/p>\n
As we were exiting the pool, the team got a call out to help rescue a potentially lost swimmer off Browns Point.\u00a0 As they responded to this call for help, I realized it would be fully dark by the time they arrived at the scene.\u00a0 I am very glad they are well-trained.<\/p>\n
I had the chance to do another one of my favorite things this week – hosting a Town Hall with you! \u00a0It was our third virtual Town Hall since March.<\/p>\n
I appreciated hearing what\u2019s on your mind and I was impressed by the questions you asked – you didn\u2019t pull any punches.\u00a0 In addition to answering those questions, the hour-long Zoom meeting gave me a chance to provide an update on two important topics: the COVID recovery and the mid-biennium budget adjustment under consideration by the Council.<\/p>\n
My thanks to the hundreds of you who spent your lunch hour with me.\u00a0 For those unable to attend, you can watch the replay here:<\/p>\n
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