U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team

About U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team

U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team (USWRDT) is committed to water safety and awareness. The Public Safety Dive Team is available for rapid response to provide governmental agencies and families with water rescue and recovery services throughout the United States.

Our volunteer members are law enforcement, military, civilians, professional divers and EMT/paramedic personnel who are highly trained and proficient at meeting the challenges of the underwater world. Based in Billings, Montana, the U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team has been providing dive rescue and recovery services, swiftwater / flood rescue, underwater investigations, and water safety education since 1997.

Dive capabilities include swiftwater, ice, rivers, blackwater, and depths up to 350 feet. USWRDT has served numerous families, private organizations, local, state, and federal agencies across the U.S.

The team also provides Public Safety Dive training and consulting, dive rescue/recovery, swiftwater rescue, on-site standby water rescue and evidence recovery services. USWRDT provides standby water rescue for water related events whether for work or play. Water safety and awareness education is another major thrust of the team's mission.

The U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team does not receive governmental or tax-based funding but operates on membership funding and donations.

Much of the team's work is not seen by the public, including the hundreds of hours of technical training required to obtain Public Safety Diver certifications and our underwater efforts. That does not mean the U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team is "out of sight, out of mind" as the services provided by the team are extremely important. The team touches entire communities as they bring home victims of drowning and assist law enforcement agencies in recovering evidence that helps bring justice to crime victims.

U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team is named such because we operate anywhere (when financially capable) in the UNITED STATES. We provide stand-by WATER RESCUE services for special events or work activities that take place on or around the water, flood rescue services, DIVE RECOVERY services, UNDERWATER INVESTIGATIONS, and occasional Dive Rescue services (near our headquarters).

Depending on the task at hand, USWRDT members utilize many different types of underwater equipment. Some of these include: SCUBA gear, Surface Supplied Diving, Rebreathers, Metal Detectors, Mixed Gas Technical Diving, Underwater Sonar, Underwater Cameras, Underwater Drone. USWRDT also utilizes specially trained K9s.

Why We Do What We Do

Many times I get asked why we do what we do... typically referring to underwater body recoveries, because it is dangerous, expensive, time consuming, emotionally and physically draining, and as you can imagine not very fun at all.

There is a host of reasons why U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team does what we do:

1. God gives everyone talents. He gives us those talents in order that we may serve others. He expects us to use the talents he has given us. He has given members of USWRDT certain talents that enable us to do this type of work. We are not the only ones; there are many people/teams with the same talents.

2. People need us. It is a tragic horrible event when someone loses a loved one. It is never an easy process dealing with the loss of a friend, family member, or loved one especially if it comes unexpectedly.

3. An unexpected death is difficult at its best. A drowning victim that has not yet been recovered can make an already devastating situation even more difficult. In a typical situation where a person passes away, the family immediately starts funeral preparations. After the funeral, the closure/healing process can begin.

In a drowning, typically funeral arrangements do not happen before the body is found, which means the healing process is delayed: day after day after day. For some people, every new day is another day of reliving the tragedy. We have seen people live through this for days, weeks and months.

4. What we get in return for making a recovery. The greatest gift of all is being able to help someone else in need. We are rewarded in ways that are difficult to put into words.