Tech File: Sonar Equipment Critical to Search and Recovery
teams using Fishers side scan sonars are Columbia County Sheriff’s Department in New York, the Union Fire Company in Pennsylvania, Webster Rescue Squad in Massachusetts, Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security in Louisiana, Midland County Sheriff’s Department in Michigan, Wheeling Police Department in West Virginia, Chautauqua County Emergency Services in New York, Miami-Dade Police Recovery Unit in Florida and the US Navy’s EOD Technology Division.Photo courtesy JW Fisher
JW Fishers' Splash in the Empire State
drowning victims, submerged vehicles and sunken vessels in demanding search and recovery missions. Other agencies throughout New York that are using JW Fishers equipment include Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, Ulster County, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Tonawanda Police Department, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and Pittsfield Police.
JW Fishers’ ROVs Used for Tank Inspection Services
safer than sending a diver into the frigid waters. A few of the many other agencies using JW Fishers search equipment are the FBI, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Underwater Recovery Team, Search & Rescue Society of British Columbia, Summit County Sheriff in Colorado, New Orleans Police Department, Delaware State Police, Oxnard Fire Department in California, Grand Prairie Fire Department in Texas, the Dubai Police, and Indonesia's National Search & Rescue Agency
Search on for Missing Diver in Shark River Inlet
The Coast Guard and local police are searching for a missing diver in the Shark River Inlet in the vicinity of Belmar, New Jersey. Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay were notified by the Belmar Police department that a 17-year old free diver was reportedly missing in the Shark River Inlet at around 5 p.m. A Coast Guard 29-foot Response Boat-Small rescue crew was dispatched from Station Shark River and an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter rescue crew was dispatched from Air Station Atlantic City to aid in the search. Also searching are members of the Avon-By-The-Sea and Belmar Police
Long Beach Police Choose HYPACK Marine Search
HYPACK has sold its HYPACK Marine Search to the Long Beach, Calif. Police Department, to be integrated with the department’s existing Edgetech 4125, Kongsberg MS 1000 and Diver 6 equipment. HYPACK said its Marine Search is a simplified and user-friendly software package suited for police/fire/marine departments. The package is designed to enhance search operations by improving efficiency and safety of divers through better real time navigation information and reduced time spent on the water. It integrates a GPS and Side-scan sonar to provide real-time bottom coverage with targeting
Dive Teams Depend on Detection Devices
detectors are North Carolina’s REDS Team, a nonprofit group consisting of rescue, extrication and delivery specialists, and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team. David Pease, chief of the REDS Team, said their JW Fishers Pulse 6X detector helped locate a gun for their local police department. Washtenaw dive team member Sgt. Paul Cook reports, “We have used the Pulse 8X with excellent success locating many evidentiary items including spent cartridge casings, weapons, and property. It’s a valuable piece of our kit and we’d be lost without it.”
Shell Arctic Rig Protesters Detained and Released
of Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, in Seattle. "Individuals were detained after violating the established safety zone but there were no reports of injuries and we encourage anyone on the water to make safety their number one priority." Personnel and assets from the USCG, Seattle Police Department, Port of Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff's Office, Seattle Fire Department and Washington State Patrol were involved in the enforcement of the 500-yard safety zone. The USCG said its assets will continue to enforce the safety zone around the Polar Pioneer's transit north
Harbor Police Rescues Stranded Sea Lion
Sea lions are a common sight in San Diego Bay, but a sea lion wandering a busy roadway and then ending up in the back of a patrol car is slightly rarer. The San Diego Harbor Police Department received a call on February 18 of a sea lion in the roadway of Harbor Island Drive, near a local restaurant. Encountering the uninjured sea lion, responding officers Christine Sperry and Luis Martinez used salmon to lure the adult female sea lion into the water. Within minutes the wayward sea lion was back up on the sidewalk and nudging Officer Sperry in with her nose. When called
Pe and Dive Teams Gear Up for Underwater Search
Departments in Arkansas and the Missouri State Water Patrol are a few of the diverse group of agencies using metal detectors, video cameras and sonars in their search missions. Every year, the city of Boston, Massachusetts hosts several major events which bring in millions of people. The police department’s Special Operations Division plans for, and responds to, major emergencies that happen during these events, as well as natural or man-made disasters. The division maintains a number of support units complete with specialized equipment and, since the city includes 41 square miles of water
February 2025
