More than a dozen Beverly firefighters have given their time to become certified rescue divers. When called upon, those firefighters respond to areas across the North Shore to mitigate underwater emergencies ranging from missing persons to submerged vehicles.
Lieutenant Robert Atherton is the team’s coordinator. Lieutenant Atherton manages the day to day operations of the team and coordinates the monthly dive drills for divers to hone their skills. Each diver is required to make 8 monthly dives as well as an annual ice dive and skills review.
Over the last three years the Dive Team has been activated more than thirty times.
In 2003, Keyspan delivered a heavy duty box truck (pictured above) to replace the departments 1986 box van on loan from the U.S. Forestry service. Fire Department Mechanic Jack Morris transformed the truck into an emergency response vehicle complete with specialized storage for the divers.
Each diver is assigned his own dry suit and wear similar Buoyancy Compensators. Since 2001, the department has purchased 3 full face masks with underwater communications capabilities. The equipment keeps divers in constant contact with surface support personnel allowing for transmission of valuable information throughout dive operations.
