ERD I Technician Course

ERD I Technician Course: The Foundation for Public Safety Diving

The Emergency Response Diving International (ERD) Level I Technician course is the essential starting point for certified divers joining a public safety dive team or supporting team operations. This comprehensive program provides the fundamental skills needed to function safely and effectively as part of an OSHA and NFPA-compliant team, covering both diver and surface support (tender) roles.

This demanding course prepares you for the unique challenges of public safety diving. You will learn:

• Equipment & Planning: Proper selection, preparation, and problem-solving for PSD equipment.
• Scene Management: How to respond to a call, evaluate the scene, and understand environmental risks.
• Tender Skills: Master effective line signals, diver communications, and tending techniques.
• Search & Recovery Basics: Execute multiple search patterns and understand victim recovery procedures.
• Safety Protocols: Learn evidence handling, emergency procedures, and decontamination techniques.

This course involves knowledge development, confined water skills, and open water scenarios. Participants must demonstrate mastery of scuba skills, line signals, communications, search patterns, and meet rigorous swimming and rescue evaluation standards, including:

• Diver Evals: 800-meter mask/snorkel/fin swim, 500-meter swim (no aids), 100-meter buddy tow in scuba gear.
• Tender Evals: 200-meter swim (no aids), 100-meter buddy tow in PFD, 10-minute survival float.

Who should take this course?

• Certified Open Water divers who are current public safety professionals.
• Certified Open Water divers seeking to operate within or support a dive team organization.

Prerequisites:

• Minimum age: 18
• SDI Open Water Diver certification (or equivalent)
• Current CPR, First Aid, and Oxygen Administration certifications

What You Gain: This structured training solidifies your abilities to participate effectively in planning and executing dive team operations, providing a strong foundation for more advanced ERD Ops Components courses.

Build the essential skills for public safety diving. Inquire about scheduling your ERD I Technician Course today!

Key Topics

• Foundational PSD skills (Diver & Tender roles)
• OSHA/NFPA compliance context
• Equipment preparation, selection, problem-solving
• Tender skills, line signals, diver communications (touch, line)
• Responding to calls, scene evaluation, environmental risks
• Search patterns (execution)
• Evidence handling
• Victim recovery considerations
• Emergency procedures
• Decontamination procedures
• Includes knowledge development, confined water, and open water training
• Rigorous Evaluations:
  
  • Diver: 800m M/S/F swim, 500m swim no aids, 100m buddy tow (scuba)
  • Tender: 200m swim no aids, 100m buddy tow (PFD), 10min survival float
• Prerequisites: Min. age 18, SDI Open Water Diver (or equiv.), Current CPR/First Aid/Oxygen Admin certs
• Outcome: Foundational skills for PSD team participation, preparation for ERD Ops Components courses.