Jones County Rescue Dive Team Trains for Dark Waters, Murky Situations

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — You may not know they exist, but there’s a group of men and women who dive into dark waters when law enforcement calls.

The Jones County Rescue Dive Team is trained to go into murky ponds and muddy rivers, relying only on their sense of touch to guide them.

When rescues turn into recoveries, Jones County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Bill Wright tells his men and women to remember one thing.

“Just to stay calm, don’t panic in the dark water, and keep your mind on what your trained for and it usually turns out okay,” said Wright.

Several times a year he takes them to clear waters, like the pool at East Macon Park, to practice. There’s 12 volunteer firefighters who make up team. They’re the people who jump into murky waters after tragedy strikes.

“Family members by the time we get there, they know what’s going on, but once we make that recovery and get their loved one out of the water, they really appreciate that,” said Wright.

The team also helps with evidence recovery. Most of the time when divers like Keith Eisele are searching for something, they’re not looking at all.

“You’re not going to be able to see much when you’re down there because it’s so muggy and black so you’ll have to feel around, and keep conscious of where you’re at, and not freak out basically,” said Eisele.

For these divers, communication is key. The primary diver is connected to the line tender.

“We have the lines coming out that we can basically speak to the people that’s in the boats above us. If we pull on the line so many times they’ll know what we are trying to communicate to them,” said Eisele.

There’s four others involved in the recovery, all ready to jump in in case equipment fails, or a diver runs into fishing lines, barbed wire, or just needs help

“If we do get in trouble we train in rescue techniques for each other,” said Wright.

When you’re heading into the unknown, Chief Wright says it’s a good feeling knowing someone’s got your back.

Chief Wright says the team trains several times a year to make sure they keep their skill set fresh and know exactly what to do on a dive.