BSAC Ireland News
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Rib owners advised to check Security of Seat and Console fixings
“Following an Incident in July 2007, the Marine Accident & Investigation Branch (MAIB) of the Department of Transport have issued a Safety Bulletin following an investigation of an Accident involving a RIB where the seats of the vessel became detached whilst in use resulting in all three persons on board being thrown into the water.
Clubs and Individual boat owners are advised to check the mountings for seats and consoles and especially in the case of glued and screwed seat pods/consoles, are therefore recommended to make the followings checks:
· Physically try to move the seats and consoles by hand to ensure there is no movement.
· Check for loose screws and/or evidence of any screw movement.
· Examine the sealant between seat/consoles and the deck to check for breaks or cracks.
· Establish if there is any water seepage under the console/seat that may indicate the sealant is not fully attached.
· Where doubt exists, seek advice from a professional boat builder/repairer to ensure the seat pods/consoles have been attached in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidance and remain secure.
In addition we would advise regular checking of the operation of Kill Cords.
Jim Watson
BSAC Safety & Development Manager”
MDI Spupplies AED Trainers for BSAC Ireland Region
The proud recipients of 5 AED training units from MDI Medical:
After a lengthy aproval process by the BSAC HQ, BSAC Ireland have recently received 5 new Welch Allyn "AED10" trainers for use on regional AED (Automated External Defibrillator) skill development courses. These units have been kindly donated by MDI Medical, based in Belfast to the BSAC Ireland region. Any Branches within the Region who are interested in the AED skill development course should contact the Regional Team.
Caroline de Lacy, Product Specialist at MDI Medical presents the new AED trainer units to Gary Mulhall (BSAC Ireland).
Craigavon Hyperbaric Unit unit opens for bussines
Congratulations to the Southern Heath and Social Care Trust on the opening of the Craigavon Hyperbaric Unit this morning. The following text is extracted from the official press release. Please remember to contact the coastguard through the usual channels if you have even the slightest suspicion of a decompression illness.
VHF: Channel 16
Tel : (028) 028 9146 3933
Fax : (028) 9146 5886
Email : wm_belfast@mcga.gov.uk
MMSI 002320021
Diving Casualties And Craigavon Hyperbaric Unit.
1. Craigavon Hyperbaric Unit will reopen on Monday 13th August at 0900 BST.
2. The new unit will be staffed, when required, by a team of medics, nurses and technicians, who will operate a duty roster.
3. Craigavon Hospital will ask casualties to complete the BSAC Incident/Accident Report Form which will also be forwarded to:
Judith McNeice
Diving Liaison Officer
MRCC Belfast
4. The number of divers that can be treated in the chamber at any one time is as follows:
o Divers able to sit up : four (maximum five)
o Stretcher cases: two
The following essential information should be passed to the Duty Medical Officer when contact is established:
o Depth and duration of dive,
o Decompression stops and any missed stops,
o Depth and duration of previous dives the same day, and the surface interval time,
o Details of symptoms, and when first exhibited,
o Any other injuries,
o Age, sex and general health of casualty
o Gas mix (compressed air, nitrox/trimix), rebreather,
o Has O2 been administered?
BSAC Ireland receives 5 AED Trainers from MDI Medical, Belfast
After a lengthy aproval process by the BSAC HQ, BSAC Ireland have recently received 5 new Welch Allyn "AED10" trainers for use on regional AED (Automated External Defibrillator) skill development courses. These units have been kindly donated by MDI Medical, based in Belfast to the BSAC Ireland region. Any Branches within the Region who are interested in the AED skill development course should contact the Regional Team.
Caroline de Lacy, Product Specialist at MDI Medical presents the new AED trainer units to Gary Mulhall (BSAC Ireland)
BSAC Ireland Mailing list moved to Yahoo Goups
After the closure of SmartGroups, the regional tema has decided to use YahooGroups to distribute emails to interested divers in the region. Unfortunately many names got lost in the transition. So if you want to be in the know, join the regional mailing list at YahooGroups!
SDC's are fun!
Pictures from the recent oxygen administraion and first aid for divers SDC have been uploaded. To view thme, click here...
PIGS SPEED DIVERS' ASCENT FROM THE DEPTHS
Deep-water divers may have to spend less time on safety procedures designed to avoid decompression sickness thanks to a personalised dive computer that could be available within two years. Problems can occur when gases dissolved in the blood form bubbles as pressure decreases. Current procedure is for deep or prolonged dives to be followed by a series of safety stops, guided by a dive computer worn on the wrist that uses a depth sensor and watch to indicate when stops are necessary. Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology believe routines are too conservative, because they are based on theoretical tables of how gases behave rather than a direct measurement that considers individual factors such as height, weight, body fat percentage and pulse rate. Based on experiments in which pigs were subjected to simulated dives in a pressure chamber, the scientists found that divers should not only make ordinary safety stops, but actually go a bit further down towards the depth afterwards. The other result of their work is a new type of dive computer that combines a uses personal data with continuous pulse monitoring to calculate how the body 1s affected by the dlve and advise how the ascent to the surface should be performed. (c) IET2006
16th September 2006
Congratulations go out to Gary Irwin, our newest Advanced Instructor in the region! I hear that the next round will be on him to celebrate his success - looking forward to meeting you Gary!
25th July 2006
In order to help maintain the ambitious SDC and ITS programme it has become necessary to expand the regional team. I would like to formally welcome Dr Andreas Riemann (better know as Franklyn) to the regional team. Franklyn will now be looking after the Skill Development Courses. The team is now constituted as:
Greg Hanna – Regional Coach – Queens SAC
Gary Mulhall – Deputy Coach – Belfast SAC
Franklyn – SDCO –
Sarah Bothwell – ITS LO – Lisburn SAC
Andrew Thompson – Communications – Trinity SAC
Keith Farrell – FCD & Technical Diving – Newry & Mourne SAC
Please join me in wishing Franklyn every success and support in his new role. If you are interested in getting involved in the Region, or would like to gain SDC instructor tickets to use in your own clubs we would be delighted to welcome you on board.
