Editor's note: We all have talents we can share with our communities, but sometimes we don't know quite where to look for those opportunities. This is the fourth in a series of monthly features in local media to highlight volunteer groups in the area. The object is to let people know about them and 'What I can do to make a difference'.

It's dirty job, but someone has to do it

by Nancy C. Butler

Most of us think of underwater being a clean, sparkling environment, but that is seldom the case for those that have been or are currently a member of the Clearwater County Sheriff's Search and Rescue (SAR) Dive Team.

I interviewed several of them and they often describe the situation as being one that you can't see more than a few feet in front of your face. It is not the tropical island diving that we see on television with colorful fish swimming by. Often when the Dive Team is called out, rivers and creeks are running high, muddy and snow melt cold.

On most of the missions they are called to, body recovery is the object. Seldom are they in a position to rescue someone that has either gone into a river, reservoir or a creek. By the time they are called out, the person has usually drowned or died from injuries in an accident.

One of the more memorable incidents for several of the team was the crash of a DC3 into the Selway River in 1979. There were 12 people aboard the plane, including a pilot and co-pilot, when it took off from Grangeville on the way to Moose Creek Ranger Station. Ten of those people were on their way to work for the U.S. Forest Service for the summer. Only 2 aboard survived.

Clearwater County Sheriff Search and Rescue Dive Team and Back Country Medics members worked together recover the body of a Moscow teen from Elk Creek Falls From left are: Tim Norton, Roger Burnham, Leo Dub and Tim Neumeyer.

The teen had been traversing the hillside with friends when he slipped and fell into the falls and its pool about 80 feet below. From left are: Doctor Pete Crecelius, Leo Dub, Tim Norton, Tim Neumeyer, Roger Burnham and Pete Boardman.

Mick Pollock remembers spending 17 days on the Selway recovering the bodies of those who were killed. It was in a wilderness area, so special permission was granted for them to cut landing zones for helicopters to transport Dive Team, Back Country Medics (then called North Idaho Back Country Medical Rescue Team) and other personnel, along with their gear, into the area for the effort. They also had permission to bring in motorized vehicles.

An Idaho State Police Trooper checks out the equipment for Mike Tinsley before he dives in the icy Salmon River on a search. Notice the ice on the sides of the river.

Nick Albers, who was Clearwater County Sheriff at the time, said they put a lot of effort into searching for those who perished in the crash, as they do in all their missions, for the sake of the families of those who have been lost. When you have been there, you know how important that is, he said.

Sometimes Dive Team members are asked to help with special needs. Notice the tracks of the Dworshak Reservoir Log Carriage in the background. The carriage part of the mechanism had come off. Divers reattached it to the tracks and stops were installed so it would not fall into the reservoir again. Shown are divers Mike Tinsley and Deputy John Bryant.

Mike Tinsley was a member of the team at the time but was not ready to go on dive missions yet. His assignment was to fill the air bottles for those who were diving. He determined that he wanted to be part of the action and the things happening with the team, so he trained to be a diver, then a dive master and took it even farther to become certified as a dive instructor. He said, "You only have to meet one distraught family on the bank to make it worthwhile."

Mick was one of the very early Dive Team members that even had some missions before he was old enough to be on SAR. He bought his dive gear from an uncle when he was 15 years old. His first dive was at Beaver Dam when Leroy Altmiller was Clearwater County Sheriff. After his time in the military, he returned to Orofino and was officially voted in as member of the posse (SAR).

Tim Neumeyer said he got involved with the team after the Selway plane crash when Mick came and asked him to join SAR. Mick knew he liked to dive and Tim decided he could help. At the time they were active in several counties in the region besides Clearwater. There were no cement barriers and few guardrails between the highway and the rivers, so there were many more accidents where vehicles went into the rivers. They were needed and that was part of the motivation.

Tim said his most memorable dive as to find two Riggins girls in the Salmon River. They had been out with two boys at a senior party and their pickup went into the river. All four got out of the pickup, but the girls were not able to make it to shore, as the boys did. The Salmon was high, muddy and cold. He said you see could in the faces of the crowd how much they wanted those hometown girls found. The team found one of the girls the first day and continued to search for another day and a half but did not find the other one. She was found later down by Clarkston. Mike added that the good people of Riggins came out to support the divers however they could whether it was food, places to sleep or encouragement.

Another part of the motivation was the closeness and camaraderie of the team as they train and work together. They find themselves in some pretty tight situations and have to be able to rely on one another and those filling the support roles that help them do their job and be safe.

Several of the past members also credited Nick for being part of the reason they got involved and stayed. Mike said Nick had an uncanny ability to help young men and women with extra energy focus it in a positive way.

A young Orofino man had been out rafting with friends one hot August day on the Clearwater River. For a time he swam beside the raft, but then was lost and drowned in the river. Shown from left are: Ron Ponozzo, Ron Pomerinke, Tim Norton and Mike Tinsley.>

Mick said he knew he was capable of doing it and felt he was good at it. He was also a member of Back Country Medics and did the rock climbing and emergency medical technician training. He feels like when he was diving he felt removed from life and death with a job to do. It is when you get out that it hits you, he said. He would "do it again in a heartbeat' if he was needed.

Bruce Hanson was recruited by brothers Dale and Roger Burnham in 1987. He said his deepest dive was in the Salmon and the shallowest mission was at the boat ramp where someone had gone into the river. He along with others also did some dives under ice for recoveries. His favorite memories are of being on stand-by at the jet boat races on the Salmon and visiting with those who were racing.

Current Dive Master Roger Burnham joined the group in 1982 at Nick's invitation. His brother, Dale, was already a member. Back then, they had wet suits and gear that most of them purchased themselves. They now have dry suits and more advanced equipment that is purchased by SAR. Shortly after he started General Telephone donated an old van and they fixed it up to haul their gear. They started getting grants from groups and funds from Dworshak Recreation District that helped them to purchase more up-to-date equipment such as dry suits.

Now the team has dry suits, regulators, underwater communication gear and the other equipment that they need, including a dive trailer that hauls their gear. They start new divers with open water certification class before swiftwater training. Some of their training is in Spokane or Coeur d'Alene. Some of it is online. Each diver has a 'Dive Monkey" that helps them to put on their gear, check regulators, watch their bubbles, record when they go down and come up and help clean up. The "Dive Monkeys" provide a safety net for the divers, Roger explained.

Those who would like to become involved in this or any of the other SAR activities should contact Chief Deputy Rick Miller at 208-476-4521 or email clearwatersar@gmail.com.

(Photos courtesy of Roger Burnham and Mike Tinsley)