Ottawa County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office Robert L. Bratton

Joe Alix, Chief Diver

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Underwater Response Team was formed in March of 1993. The formerly private rescue team known as North Coast Rescue was renamed and reorganized to provide county wide jurisdiction. Request for our services have also been made in Erie, Seneca, Wood and Lucas Counties.

The geographical area of Ottawa County alone justified the need for such service. Ottawa County has a total of 576.94 square miles, with 323.67 square miles being of navigable waterways. The 107 miles of shoreline account for 41% of the 262 miles of Ohio's eight counties that share Lake Erie's southern shoreline.

At the forming of this rescue service, Ottawa County's 182 marine facilities made up 69% of Ohio's 383 marine facilities. These 182 marine facilities supported approx. 15,400 commercial boat docks for permanent docking or about 58% of the total commercial boat docking on Lake Erie. This number has since grown to just under 16,000. This does not include the privately owned docks nor the increasing popular dry, rack or transit boaters. This all translates to over 4,242 million man hours of boating on Ottawa County waterways and over 100,000 fishing licenses sold in Ottawa County.

Diver safety being paramount, diver training and experience is required for all members. All divers entering the water must be at least rescue certified and no diver is permitted under the ice without ice rescue training.

At the present time our diver certifications include four dive instructors, six dive masters and six deputies who are rescue diver certified. All are ice certified and must hold current CPR certifications. In addition, five of the six surface support personnel are certified for open water.

With North Coast Rescue having no equipment, other than the personal equipment owned by each member, the need for equipment was evident. Our first equipment came from a $5,000 donation by the Ottawa County Commissioners for the purchase of five dry suits at a cost of $6,000. A military surplus program was used to obtain a variety or equipment. This equipment was then evaluated for use and either refurbished for our use or traded to other departments for equipment needed. The major assets of the program have been two 1977 four wheel drive Army ambulances, one which is utilized for equipment and the other for personnel. A twenty-two foot Boston Whaler, without engine, was also acquired from the military surplus and brought to Ottawa County from New York. This vessel has since been refurbished, outfitted and is now in service. Three years of fund raising efforts were required to obtain the engine to power the Whaler.

The services provided by this division of the Sheriff's Office is not limited to just body rescue and recovery. Public awareness of water safety is among one of the many duties of this division. This is achieved by going to different organizations and providing presentations, by attending many parades in the county and presenting programs in the elementary schools on water safety.

Evidence recovery for all Ottawa County law enforcement agencies as well as the surrounding counties is also made available through the use of personal equipment including two underwater metal detectors and three underwater 35mm cameras. This equipment, as well as life supporting dive gear, is owned and maintained by each diver.

With an average of ten emergency calls a year, approximately 1700 man hours are volunteered yearly maintaining equipment, the stations and programs. Nearly 150 man hours were accumulated in moving the station from the Port Clinton Lumber Company to the new station at the Ohio Edison's Lakeview Substation.

Tax deductible donations can be made direct to the Ottawa County Sheriff Water Rescue & Recovery Division by means of cash, check or even items to be used, sold or raffled.

Dive Team