Dive Team

Rrescue officer in dry suit under ice covered waterThe Placer County Sheriff's Office has two dive teams, one located on the north shore of Lake Tahoe and the other in Auburn. The Auburn team has eight divers who are Deputy Sheriffs and one civilian volunteer. Since Placer County has many lakes and rivers, the team is trained on scuba as well as swift water rescue. Search and rescues, evidence collection, vehicle and vessel recoveries, and victim recoveries are the main duties of the team.

Equipment

The team has a panel truck equipped with:

  • First aid gear
  • Lift bags for raising items off the bottom
  • Night vision goggles
  • Scuba gear
  • Underwater communications
  • Underwater photography equipment

The team also carries swift water rescue gear including climbing harnesses, ropes, helmets, and carabiners. When the search and rescue operation is on a lake, the team uses one of the patrol boats. There is also a 14 foot Zodiac dive boat for some of the smaller lakes. For river rescues, the team uses two white water rafts equipped with oar frames.