Regina Fire dive team working on underwater recovery skills

LOVERING LAKE, SASK. -

A team of Regina firefighters is taking a deep dive into training this week, as they work towards underwater recovery certification.

Regina Fire and Protective Services members were at Lovering Lake practicing their skills during a training session Thursday.

Since January, a team of 12 firefighters has been training to receive deep water underwater recovery certification. Saskatoon Fire has been the acting dive team while the team has been training, but the service hasn’t been needed.

Previously, the Regina Police Service was responsible for the recovery dive team, but three years ago it was decided Regina Fire would take over.

“If there's any request that comes through, Regina, police or surrounding area. We would now be the agency that would be involved for the below surface recovery of any evidence or anybody,” Neil Sundeen, the Deputy Fire Chief, said.

Conditions were ideal for diving on Thursday, but the team said that’s typically not the case.

“Last week, we were diving at Katepwa, and as soon as you were more than eight feet under the water is kind of black as midnight down there. We'll be moving to different lakes and different environments, just to get the guys trained in those low vis situations because as public safety divers, we don't really get to choose our dive sites,” Luke Sitter, the dive instructor for the underwater recovery team said.

The training is meant to give the divers a taste of some of the challenges they may face in real emergency situations.

The team is hopeful they will be fully qualified by October, but they’ll need to certify during the winter in order to perform ice dives.