Any personnel looking for Public Safety Diving training and/or certification must be currently employed as a Peace Officer, Firefighter, EMS, or volunteer groups that perform these functions for government entities with valid and verified identification. 

Additionally, Public Safety applicants must possess a basic SCUBA certification from a recognized agency, PFDI can help arrange this for you if required. Proper training and skill development can assist your team in executing their missions more effectively and efficiently, leading to more successful resolutions.

Instructor Level training in all courses featured is also available, please contact us to find out more.

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Public Safety Training

Emergency Response Diving 1 (ERD1)

The first level for a public safety diver.

Divers will learn:

      • Basic public safety diving skills
      • Tender Roles
      • Search Patterns
      • Scene Management and Safety 
      • Basic Evidence Collection
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This first level Emergency Response Diving Course is designed to give the certified open water diver, or open water certified public safety diver, the fundamental skills needed to safely function as part of an OSHA and NFPA compliant public safety dive team in both the diver and tender roles.

 

Who this course is for:

  • A certified open water diver who is currently a public safety professional
  • A certified open water diver who would like to operate and support persons within a dive team organization

Course Prerequisites:

  • Minimum age 18
  • SDI Open Water Diver certification or equivalent
  • Current CPR, first aid and oxygen administration certification

What you can expect to learn:

  • Equipment preparation and selection, problem solving, tender skills, responding to a call, search patterns, scene evaluation, environmental risks, evidence handling
  • Dive skills including line signals, diver communications, executing multiple search patterns, victim recovery, emergency procedures, and decontamination procedures
  • How to continue and transition your ERD I training into ERD Ops Components courses

What’s in it for you and your team?

  • Structured training that solidifies diver and tender abilities in the participation of planning and executing dive team operations

Emergency Response Diver I level minimum requirements:

  • Diver evaluations
    • Demonstrate mastery of scuba skills, line signals, diver touch communications, and search patterns
    • 800 metre mask, snorkel and fins swim, 500 metre distance swim no aids, 100 metre buddy tow in scuba equipment.
  • Tender swimming evaluations
    • 200 metre swim without aids, 100 metre buddy tow in personal flotation device (PFD), 10-minute survival float
    • Demonstrate effective line communications with divers, proper tending techniques
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PFDI ERD1 Course
ERD2-Course

Emergency Response Diving 2 (ERD2)

This course will examine: 

      • Lifting techniques
      • Encapsulation
      • A victim’s death 
      • The mechanics of drowning 
      • Handling of Remains 
      • Environmental issues
      • Full face mask and dry suit use
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The ERD II Course furthers the public safety diver’s knowledge and advances skill sets for emergency response diving. The ERD II Course will examine lifting techniques, encapsulation, a victim’s death, as well as, physiological changes a submerged body undergoes, mechanics of drowning, handling of remains, environmental issues, full face mask and dry suit use.

 

Who this course is for:

  • Any certified ERD I Public Safety Diver or team member who engages in rescue and recovery operations
  • Any certified ERD I Public Safety Diver or team member looking to increase their diver awareness and skills
  • Any certified ERD I Public Safety Diver or team member who is seeking the ability to enroll in ERDI II Ops Component training
  • Any certified ERD I Public Safety Diver or team member looking to become an ERDI Supervisor

Course prerequisites:

  • Minimum age 18
  • ERD I or equivalent
  • 10 or more logged public safety dives, either training or operational dives, beyond ERD I with a recognized public safety team
  • CPR, AED, O2, AND first aid certified or equivalents

What you can expect to learn:

  • Mechanics of drowning, including near drowning
  • Physiological changes to human remains
  • Crime scene identification and removal of crime scene evidence
  • Encapsulation considerations
  • Lifting techniques and considerations
  • Advanced skills for dry suit and full face mask diving
  • Learning decontamination procedures

ERD II students will successfully locate an object, rig a lift bag and lift the object to the surface while maintaining evidence continuity. They will discuss the potential hazards and benefits of various lifting techniques and considerations for evidence recovery. Students will also learn physiological changes that occur to human remains and how to handle a body/body bag. ERD II students should prepare to spend several hours in their dry suits, full face mask, and personal protective equipment.

What’s in it for you and your team?

  • After successful completion of the ERD II course, participants will be able to enroll in ERDI Ops Components, ERDI Supervisor courses as well as engage in rescue and recovery operations with their recognized public safety dive team

ERD II minimum requirements:

  • Minimum of 80 percent on the ERD II written test, 100 percent remediation
  • Watermanship skills:
    • 800 metre mask, snorkel, and fins swim non-stop. Use of arms is not permitted; recommend completion time is 16 minutes
    • 500 metre distance swim, non-stop, without use of swim aids; recommended completion time is 16 minutes
    • 100 metre buddy tow in full scuba equipment; recommended completion time is 4 minutes
    • Survival float without aids for 15 minutes; during the last two minutes the student will keep their hands above the waterline
  • Confined water skills:
    • Evaluation of basic scuba skills including redundant air source use
    • Dry suit skills including:
      • Proper donning, proper weighting, inflation and deflation, simulation stuck inflation valve, recovery from inverted position, and buoyancy skills
    • Full face mask skills including:
      • Equipment set up, proper donning and adjustment, entry technique, equalization, clearing partially flooded, remove and replace mask underwater, remove mask, and utilization of redundant air source
  • Open water skills:
    • Successful completion of 6 open water dives in simulated to actual incident response
    • Students are required to successfully complete the following skills:
      • Scene size-up, team briefing, deploying the team, inflate/deflate dry suit, disconnect/connect dry suit hose underwater, recover from inverted position, clear a partially flooded full face mask, remove and replace full face mask, remove full face mask and utilize redundant air source to ascend, locate an object, successfully rig a lift bag and lift the object to the surface while maintaining evidence continuity, debrief and record each dive with team log and diver log, and perform a post diver evaluation both medical and psychological
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Emergency Response Diving (ERD) Tender

This course will prepare the public safety diver for the role of tender, which is a critical part of any public safety dive team.

The tender will be responsible for logistics, recording information, public safety divers and scene safety,  and control and determining which search patterns will be utilized.

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The ERD Tender Course trains team personnel to properly line tend and participate within the public safety dive team in a non-diving roll. The ERD Tender role is so critical to the success of the mission and the team, some teams utilize their most experienced diver to fulfill the role.

Who is this course for:

  • Any team that is deploying divers into the water
  • Any team that has not been formally trained on the proper tending of divers

What you can expect to learn:

  • Team structure
  • Effective communication with the diver via, line signals and electronic communication
  • Diver safety by: choosing the right diver for the conditions, air consumption calculations
  • Mapping and documentation
  • Scene evaluation

Tenders should expect to take lots of notes and spend time analyzing outcomes to be prepared for the next callout. Learning the proper PPE for the tender and spending long hours in that PPE, crime scene recognition, search patterns and decontamination procedures are some more of the topics covered. In addition, ERD Tender students learn and master tending skills in both confined water and open water settings.

What’s in it for you and your team: a stronger team structure that is better rounded and prepared to handle any situation.

ERD Tender Technician level minimum requirements:

  • One confined water session
  • Four hours confined water training
  • Six hours open water training
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Emergency Response Diving (ERD) Drysuit Ops

This course will prepare the public safety diver to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for dry suit diving operations such as; encapsulation, contaminated environments, protecting water supplies, and decontamination procedures.

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The ERD Dry Suit Ops Course develops the knowledge and skills that are necessary for dry suit diving operations in emergency response diving. Introducing fundamental skills of dry suit diving and other important topics such as; encapsulation, contaminated environments, protecting portable water supplies and decontamination procedures.

 

Who this course is for:

  • A certified ERD I diver who has completed their Dry Suit Ops component
  • A certified ERD I diver who engages in missions in potentially hazardous water conditions

Course prerequisites:

  • Minimum age 18
  • ERD 1 or equivalent
  • Current CPR, first aid and oxygen administration certification

What you can expect to learn:

  • Environmental factors and hazards, types and features of dry suits, addressing diver insulation, dry suit maintenance, buoyancy controls and managing dry suit emergencies
  • How to begin filling requirements towards enrolling in ERD II training

What’s in it for you and your team?

  • Controlled training that solidifies diver and tender abilities in the participation of planning and executing dive team operations

ERD Dry Suit Ops minimum requirements:

  • Demonstrate proper dive planning
  • Dry suit donning and a complete understating of all dry suit functions
  • Dry suit emergency procedures to make sound judgments
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Emergency Response Diving (ERD) Hull Searching Ops 

This course is designed to provide the public safety diver with the knowledge and skills necessary to search the hulls of vessels in port and at anchor as part of security screening, evidence recovery, or other purposes. 

 

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This course is designed to provide information and hands on training to students and dive team members who may be called upon to search the hulls of vessels in port and at anchor as part of security screening, evidence recovery or other purposes.

Underwater hull inspections are considered an overhead environment and as such require additional training, safety measures and team protocols when these operations are occurring. It will often entail additional risk, extremely poor diving conditions and specific skill sets are required to accomplish the mission successfully.

 

The purpose of the ERDI Hull Inspection course is to provide the team members the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct hull inspections while identifying hazards not only to the team members but the public as well such as pollution, explosive recognition, contraband and the physical hazards such as overhead environment, intakes, exhaust, steering mechanisms and other dangers.

 

After successful completion of the ERDI Hull Inspection Ops program, team members are expected to understand protocols, search patterns and hazards to successfully conduct vessel hull inspections.

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Emergency Response Diving (ERD) Full Face Mask Ops

The Emergency Response Diver (ERD) Full Face Mask course provides the skills and knowledge for the Emergency Response Diver (ERD) diver to utilize full face masks for emergency response diving. Skills include donning, clearing, communications, and problem-solving techniques. 

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The ERD Full Face Mask Course provides the skills and knowledge for the ERD diver to utilize full face masks for emergency response diving.

 

Who this course is for:

  • A certified ERD I diver who will complete missions requiring a full face mask
  • A certified ERD I diver who engages has not been formally trained on a full face mask
  • A certified ERD I diver working towards ERD II Ops

Course prerequisites:

  • Minimum age 18
  • Certified as ERD I or equivalent
  • Current CPR, first aid and oxygen administration certification

What you can expect to learn:

  • The knowledge and skills necessary to plan and execute full face mask diving operations

What’s in it for you and your team?

  • Regulated training that involved team members in understanding functions and benefits of a full face mask
  • The ability to have each team member comfortable with full face masks diving operations
  • The ability to have each team member understands the advantages of full face mask diving operations

ERD Full Face Mask Ops minimum requirements:

  • Demonstration of proper donning and equalization
  • Perform controlled mask partial flood and clear, full mask flood and clear, mask removal and replacement
  • Switch to back up mask
  • Remove mask and utilize alternate source of air
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Emergency Response Diving (ERD) Confined Space Ops 

This public safety diver course is designed to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for limited confined space operations in emergency response conditions. This course complies with NFPA 1006 and 1670, OSHA, and FEMA for water rescue.

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The ERDI Confined Space Operations component is designed to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for limited confined space operations in emergency response conditions. This course complies with NFPA 1006 and 1670, OSHA, and FEMA for water rescue.

 

Who this course is for:

  • Any ERD II certified member of a public safety dive team who responds to operations in/near swift water found in high hills, mountain areas or in flash flood areas
  • Any ERD II certified member of a public safety dive team who responds to calls in rural and urban environments where water may be moving swiftly
  • Any ERD II certified public safety dive team member who would like to further educate themselves on the risks and procedures involved in swift water incidents

Course prerequisites:

  • Minimum age 18
  • Current CPR, first aid and oxygen administration certification
  • Certified ERD II or equivalent
  • An active member of a recognized emergency service or public safety dive team

What you can expect to learn:

  • Emergency procedures and types of penetration lines
    • Tether rescues and assists
    • Use of safety reels and spools for locating a lost buddy
    • Use of safety reels and spools for locating a lost exit
  • Communications
    • Proper techniques for using hand signals
    • Proper techniques for using line signals
    • Proper fullface mask communications
  • Hazards of confined spaces
    • Disorientation
    • Reduced visibility
    • Entrapment and entanglement
    • Loss of gas supply
    • Line traps or tether entanglement
  • Potential hazards
    • Contaminants on the surface
    • Contaminants inside a wreck
    • Glass windows/doors
    • Wrecking moving/unsettled
  • Contingency planning
    • Chamber locations
    • Communications
    • Emergency gases
    • Emergency procedures

What’s in it for you and your team?

  • After successful completion of the ERD II Confined Space Ops program, responders may engage in limited confined space operations similar to their training.

ERD Confined Space Operations Course minimum requirements:

  • Demonstrate mature, sound judgment concerning dive planning and execution
  • Complete all field exercises, and confined and open water requirements safely and efficiently
  • Minimum score of 80 percent on the ERD II Confined Space Course written examination, with 100 percent remediation
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Emergency Response Diving (ERD) Contaminated Ops

One of the most challenging public safety diver training programs. Designed to develop contaminated water skills and techniques, a high level of awareness of environmental conditions, and recognition and handling of the use of specialized equipment; helmets, and surface-supplied air delivery systems.

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The ERDI Diving in Contaminated Water Ops Component is one of the most challenging public safety diver training programs.

 

Who is this course for:

  • Any PS diver that enters a: river, stream, pond, or lake and disturbs the bottom
  • Any PS diver that enters the water where a vehicle, light aircraft, or human/animal remains could be
  • Any PS diver who is not familiar with the four generally accepted classifications of contaminated water

What you can expect to learn:

  • How to prepare for contaminated water before you enter
  • What to do once you are out of the water
  • Proper cleaning, storage, and maintenance of your PPE

Divers should be prepared to spend long hours in their PPE as well as cleaning PPE and demonstrate proficiency in all contaminated water skills and techniques, dive assessment and parameters, and a high level of awareness. Dives incorporate hazard recognition and handling, use of specialized equipment; decontamination equipment, full face mask and surface supplied air delivery systems require additional training.

What’s in it for you and your team: safety and awareness, giving you and your team more tools for environmental risk assessment resulting in short and long term health benefits.

ERD Contaminated Water Ops Technician level minimum requirements:

  • One confined water session
  • Two dives with a minimum of 30 minutes bottom time
  • Post dive decontamination exercises
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ERDI Underwater Crime Scene Investigations Program

The purpose of the ERDI Underwater Crime Scene Investigations Program is to provide necessary skills and knowledge in performing underwater crime scene investigations, preservation, and proper documentation for court-ready testimony.


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The ERDI Underwater Crime Scene Investigations Program is to provide necessary skills and knowledge in performing underwater crime scene investigations, preservation, and proper documentation for court-ready testimony.

  • Utilize proper crime scene and navigation techniques to locate, document, and recover evidence.
  • Learn proper search patterns for evidence or body recoveries, to include handling and preservation procedures.
  • Use of detection equipment for evidence detection and courtroom documentation, to include Drone usage and FAA requirements.
  • Class includes classroom, facilities, course material, and certifications.
  • This course is for Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters. Crime Scene Specialists, Coroners, and ME Investigators.

Who this course is for:

  • Certified Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T) officials, Coroners, Deputy Coroners, Certified Medical Legal Investigators (ABMDI)
  • Search and recovery dive personnel, rescue personnel who may respond to an in-water evidence search or a water related drowning
  • The public safety diver who may encounter potential evidence

Course prerequisites:

  • Minimum age 18
  • Should be an active member of a law enforcement investigation agency or emergency first response group.

What you can expect to learn:

  • Review of Bill of Rights
  • Establishing a crime scene and terms/definitions used in the industry
  • Witness interviewing and types of evidence
  • Methods of documenting scenes
    • Photographing, sketching
  • Accident vs. Fatality
  • Search patterns and securing evidence
  • Body decomposition and physiology of drowning
  • Body recovery and handling procedures
  • Scene control and court document preparation

What’s in it for you and your team?

  • Extensive diver training to allow for more team capabilities, diver response and mission completion
  • Working together as a team for crowd control and with supporting officers
  • Synchronized training that allows for proper evidence recovery and handling
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Rapid Diver Operations

This class is designed to give the operator the knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely operate a first in Rapid Diver diving system.  The class goes over the capabilities, limitations, and design parameters of using this unique piece of rescue gear.

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The Rapid Diver OPS course prepares the student for the following:

  • Equipment preparation, problem solving, responding to a call, search patterns, scene evaluation, environmental risks. The diver will learn the strengths and limitations of the equipment.
  • Dive skills including rapid deployment from a vehicle, diver communication, victim recovery, emergency procedures, and decontamination procedures.
  • Class includes, 1 day of classroom/pool and 2 days of skills and scenario diving.
  • Instructors are certified Police and Fire.
  • Additional courses available upon request.
 
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Specialty Courses

Emergency Response Diving (ERD) Small Boat Ops and Basic Marine Operations

This Police Fire Dive Instruction (PFDI) specialty course is designed to expand a diver’s knowledge in Small Boat Operations and is primarily intended to provide the basic knowledge and skills for propoer operation of a small craft, such as basic operations, safety, and local marine laws. 

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This course is designed to expand a diver’s knowledge in Small Boat Operations and is primarily intended to provide the minimum knowledge and skills that an individual must demonstrate to qualify to stand watch and/or perform other specific routine duties necessary for the safety, security or proper operation of a small craft in emergency response diving.

 

Who this course is for:

  • Any member of an emergency first response team who responds to operations in/near water
  • Any member of an emergency first response team who would like skills and knowledge needed to safely operate a small craft in accordance with local regulations
  • Any member of an emergency first response team who needs to utilize a small craft in the safe performance of emergency response diving

Course prerequisites:

  • Minimum age 18
  • Qualified to operate a small craft in accordance with local regulations
  • Current CPR, first aid and oxygen administration certification

What you can expect to learn:

  • Operational and time critical risk management
  • Three levels and four principles of Operational Risk Management (ORM)
  • Steps of the ORM process:
  • Small boat/rigid inflatable boats characteristics
    • Launching special teams from a small boat
    • Basic operation fundamentals including visibility, signals and lights
    • Navigation fundamentals including the utilization of five types of buoys
    • Start-up and shut down fundamentals including oil sump, transmission, overheating, and loss of steering
    • Radar systems and variables that can affect their ranges
    • Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and indications of malfunctions
  • Dive team applications of small boat operations including prepping the boat, deploying divers, diver-boat communications, recovering dives, and unloading

What’s in it for you and your team?

  • After successful completion of the ERDI Small Boat Ops Course, responders will be able to safely perform diver deployments from a small boat. They will also be well trained in the operations, expected to understand how to recognize the presence of hazardous conditions, protect themselves, secure the area, call for additional resources, activate an emergency plan, assess conditions and attempt a reach or throw rescue

ERD Small Boat Ops minimum requirements:

  • Prepare small boat for deployment and supervise loading/unloading of cargo/personnel
  • Deploy/recovery SAR swimmer and two divers, utilize surface hand signals
  • Conduct two towing scenarios
  • Make port/starboard landings and transit four-way point using GPS
  • Demonstrate VHF/Handheld radio transmissions
  • Complete and pass exam
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Emergency Response Diving (ERD)Rigging and Recovery Ops

Designed to give the certified open-water public safety diver the fundamental skills needed to safely function as part of an OSHA and NFPA compliant public safety dive team in both the diver and tender roles in underwater rigging and recovery operations.

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Emergency Response Diving (ERD)Rigging and Recovery Ops

This ERDI-certified course is designed to give the certified open water public safety diver the fundamental skills needed to safely function as part of an OSHA and NFPA-compliant public softy dive team in both the diver and tender roles in underwater rigging and recovery operations.

  • This ERDI Rigging and Recovery course is compliant with OSHA and NFPA.
  • The course is recognized and approved by the Sunshine State Towing Association and taught In accordance with current Marine salvage protocols.
  • Save money with ERDI. Instead of paying for recertification, put that money back into your team or equipment.
  • Students will learn advanced search and recovery techniques, proper rigging and line placement, and proper weighting and safety techniques.
  • Class includes classroom/pool instruction and course material.
  • Instructors are certified Police, Fire, and Towing instructors and trainers.
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National Fire Protection Association

Clients, employers, peers, and the public are continually challenging professionals to provide proof of competency in their areas of practice.

PFDI offers a range of on-site National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Certifications, that will help to confirm your professional credibility, by providing certification programs that indicate education, know-how, and experience by meeting eligibility requirements as specified by NFPA.

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Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Instruction​

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The American Heart Association’s (AHA) BLS course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality chest compressions, deliver appropriate ventilations and provide early use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). 

The AHA’s ACLS course builds on the foundation of lifesaving BLS skills, emphasizing the importance of continuous, high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

For healthcare providers who respond to emergencies in infants and children and for personnel in emergency response, emergency medicine, intensive care and critical care units.

 

Designed to teach emergency oxygen (O2) administration. Covering both equipment and procedures for administrating oxygen as an emergency procedure. 

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