We wrote recently about the police scuba team of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) the team was able to purchase. In an area where many of the accidents are in or near water, being able to send an ROV down to find out more information or show divers where to go can be crucial to providing help. But one community is going farther than the scuba team. All firefighters of Eau Claire, Wisconsin are learning how their ROV can provide the most help to the community.
The training was inspired by the nearby Chippewa River, which has been slowly rising and is expected to cause flooding. In preparation, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been training the Eau Claire firefighters to use ROVs to better prepare them for dangers caused by the rising water. The DNR used an ROV last summer in another county to find the body of 3-year-old who had wandered from her home and fell into a body of water. With the ROV, the team was able to see where in the stream she was before sending divers down.
"It's nice to have a remote operating vehicles available to us for dangerous conditions like right now, when the current is very strong and the visibility is poor, and there's a lot of dangers under the water," Eau Claire Firefighter Tony Biasi said to ABC. "We'd rather put in a piece of equipment and not risk anybody's life."
In addition to having the proper training in using this equipment, having the right insurance is vital to protecting ROVs. With ROV insurance, police, firefighters and others can focus on their jobs, instead of worrying about a potential accident or damages to their equipment.