The Cedar Lake Fire Department is pleased to announce the newly certified Emergency Rescue Divers for the department.  These divers on the department went through a four day class through the Lake County Divers Supply with members from local departments in the surrounding areas and some from as far as South Bend, IN.  The class consisted of learning different diving operations and techniques in and out of the water.  To become a Emergency Rescue Diver (ERDI) certified as these members did, it takes a lot of stamina and will power.  The members of the department went through this class with great pride,always sticking together with keeping their community safe in their mind.  "Saving one persons life makes it worth all the effort" was the motto between members when the going got tough in the class.   A little of what they had to go through started out as classroom time,then onto pool diving of freestyle swimming 400meters.  Immediately following they had to swim another 400meters with snorkel fins and mask. 800 meters with all the gear weighing aprox 175 lbs by themselves. Next exercise was towing another diver in a simulation with the same gear on.  Next few days consisted of lake diving operations/search and recovery. Last day entailed river diving in 3 knots of water aprox 15 Feet Deep.
 
A overview of the Cedar Lake Aquatics Team:  Consists of 13 divers in which now 8 are rescue divers and 5 open water divers.  The Cedar Lake Fire Department actively trains with Lake Dale Fire Department, Crown Point Fire Department along with other departments within Lake County.  The Fire Department has a Trailer which outfits the members to perf orm their duties as divers along with a boat which aides in these operations.

Pictured:  Front row Right to Left:  Paramedic Tom Doughty, LT/EMT Jim Fleming, FF/EMT Bill Maleckar, LT/EMT James Schultz

Back Row: FF Travis Schilling, FF/EMT Jeremy Kuiper, FF/EMT Ben Martin, Engineer/EMT John Stansu