DATE: Thursday, September 11, 1997          TAG: 9709090127

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 05   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY CINDY CLAYTON, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   94 lines

DRILLS KEEP WATER RESCUE TEAM SHARP TECHNIQUES MUST BE PRACTICED AND PERFECTED BY THE NORFOLK FIREFIGHTERS.

As the small boat rolls along on the salt-tinged waves, firefighter Richard Zawislak takes a deep breath and flings himself overboard.

His splash into the salty Chesapeake Bay water will be the hardest part of his mission. The rest will be easy: float, feign unconsciousness and wait for another Norfolk firefighter to rescue him.

But the rescue isn't easy. Troy Ramsey must strap Zawislak to a backboard as his body bobs up and down with the waves. Though the backboard and his colleague are both mostly submerged, Ramsey wrestles with the straps and manages to keep himself above the water line to complete his task.

When the operation is complete, Zawislak is hoisted onto the small boat and unstrapped so he can jump back into the water again.

Rescue techniques must be practiced and perfected by the Norfolk Fire Department's Water Rescue Team. When they aren't running out to fire or medical calls, or practicing their water rescue skills in real-life situations, the team's members are drilling in the water near Ocean View Community Beach.

``Diversity is a big thing,'' Ramsey said. ``Our fire calls have diminished, so we need to expand out into other areas.''

Where other firefighters have chosen to specialize in other areas such as hazardous materials, those assigned to Station 13 said they love the water and enjoy the training.

``We really expend a lot of time into training, which helps our edge on the water,'' said firefighter Steve Klemstine.

The team is based at Norfolk's Ocean View fire station on Maple Avenue. Members are certified in water rescue and most are qualified to ride two new Kawasaki personal watercraft on loan to the department for use in water rescues.

``We do a lot more at this station than people think,'' Klemstine said. The team works with other agencies including the lifeguards at Ocean View, the Coast Guard, Virginia and Navy Marine Patrols and the Norfolk Police Harbor Patrol. The idea, said Capt. Ken Muhleman, is for the team to be available 24 hours a day for water rescues and to assist the other agencies.

During two recent 24-hour shifts the team responded to six water-related calls, Muhleman said. ``We were out here training the other day and we helped three catamarans right themselves and towed in a fishing boat.''

The addition of two personal watercraft on loan to the department for the first time from Sunrise Auto and Cycles, has given the team a big boost. The watercraft and the team's 18-foot rigid hull, inflatable boat give the team greater maneuverability in the water, he said.

The watercraft, multi-colored Kawasaki 750s, are used to quickly transport rescue swimmers to those in trouble. Swimmers in trouble can be hoisted onto the boat to receive medical attention or carried to shore. The boat holds eight adults and can tow about 50 conscious people with a rope line attached to the hull.

The two watercraft, emblazoned with fire department logos and the fire service's Maltese Cross, will be given back to Sunrise in November. Kawasaki has a special program that allows police, fire and rescue departments to borrow the water scooters for six months at a time. When the time limit expires - usually at the end of a summer season - the watercraft can be returned to the dealer and can be sold as used.

The cost of training people to use the water scooters and the purchase of special equipment to use with them was about $2,000, Klemstine said. If the city had purchased the Kawasakis, the price would have jumped to about $12,000.

The department also gets a good deal on storage for the watercraft. Ron Boone, a Portsmouth firefighter who owns Ocean View Watersports, stores the scooters free of charge and has helped the team with training.

``He has been absolutely fantastic,'' Muhleman said of Boone. ``Every time we have had a rescue call, his staff has dropped everything they were doing and literally launched (the watercraft) for us.''

Along with the training they received from Boone, the team was trained by the Virginia Beach Lifesaving Company and firefighters from Nags Head/Kitty Hawk. From that training, they developed their own rescue routine using the watercraft.

``We took what Carolina had, we took what Virginia Beach had and we said, `OK, we have to mold it now,' '' Klemstine said. From there, he said, criteria were developed for firefighters to be certified to ride on the watercraft.

And since the team has only had about four months to perfect their skills, each trip to the beach is a learning experience, Klemstine said. Training looks easy and fun, but can be difficult.

``We're in the learning process'' right now, Klemstine said. ``We will pick up more in the coming year.''

And if everything goes well, the team will have the use of two more watercraft next year. But the boat will remain in service all year.

To keep their skills sharp through the winter months, team members will take water aerobics classes and practice rescues in the pool at Northside Park. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by LAWRENCE JACKSON

Norfolk firefighters simulate a rescue operation off Ocean View:

Richard Zawislak, in the water, feigns unconsciousness as Troy

Ramsey tries to strap him to a backboard. At right, Robert Cherry

stands by on a jet ski.

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