To purchase photos visit http://photos.newtownbee.com

Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR) opened its station on June 26 for town leaders and other invited guests to tour and learn about this unique local public safety agency. Along with exploring the Riverside Road hub, a mock-call was placed and members responded as a drill, providing onlookers a chance to see the volunteer team in action.

NUSAR Chief Mike McCarthy and Assistant Chief Dr Mike Cassetta greeted visitors as they arrived and began the tour before the mock-call was placed.

Explaining that there is a larger boat and a smaller boat at NUSAR’s disposal, McCarthy and Cassetta shared that the smaller boat currently in use is McCarthy’s, not NUSAR’s, as NUSAR’s smaller boat is non-repairable. NUSAR is waiting for the town to replace the smaller boat.

“The vital needs of the smaller boat is if we are at a scene and everybody is getting mobilized on the big boat, you can send officers in advance out,” said Cassetta. “But we also go to many smaller bodies of water, where you can’t put the big boat in and we have to operate from the smaller boat.”

One recent call required backing the smaller boat down a curvy incline, which the larger boat would not have fit, according to Cassetta.

The regularly-used smaller boat, the larger boat, and NUSAR’s two trucks were mostly funded by fundraisers, according to McCarthy. Fundraisers have been hard to hold with the pandemic, and NUSAR has a new fundraiser being put together for this September 17.

Cassetta said the team will host a dive-a-thon at Eichler’s Cove Marina and Launch. NUSAR members, from noon to 8 pm, will dive for half-hour intervals with cameras to talk with people on the shore. The event is set to demonstrate what NUSAR does in the water.

NUSAR goes wherever it is called, according to McCarthy.

“We cover a good portion of western Connecticut,” said McCarthy, adding that there are other teams in the state and NUSAR is the “only real team in the state that just does dive and water.” Other teams are police and firefighters, according to McCarthy.

Cassetta said NUSAR works year-round, even in icy conditions.

“Even in bad weather we get out there,” said Cassetta.

McCarthy explained that after the tour group walked the building a bit, they would witness the mock-call.

“We’re going to get dispatched out by dispatch, our people are going to come in. They are at their homes wherever they are ... They will show up so you will see what we go through to get everything out of the building,” said McCarthy.

“The goal,” McCarthy said, is to build a new building on the property, behind the current building in a field. Estimates for the cost of the building range from $800,000 to $1.3 million. It would be a roughly 60 feet by 80 feet steel structure, according to McCarthy.

The current building previously was used for the Sandy Hook Social Boys & Athletic Club (SAC), McCarthy continued.

“When we do get a call, you will see, getting out of here is a heroic effort,” said Cassetta. “Particularly when we only have three to four guys initially showing.”

If “things were different,” with a new space, Cassetta said ideally NUSAR would be able to mobilize with only two people, “which would cut down dramatically on our response times.”

NUSAR team members dive with about 75 lbs of gear. They dive with full face masks, suits, and dive gloves. So if team members dive in contaminated water, the water does not touch their skin. They also dive with a spare air bottle, and all of them are on push communication, McCarthy shared.

Cassetta left ahead of the mock-call, and McCarthy continued speaking about recent dives completed by the team, like an overturned kayak.

“When we go out we do the job that we need done,” said McCarthy.

McCarthy spoke about how NUSAR uses side-scanning to check dive locations. Looking around the room, he said everyone there can walk around the room and check it in a matter of minutes, but when diving, clearing the same-sized space would take an hour or more.

The large boat, “jammed in the corner because we have nowhere else to put it,” is on casters, McCarthy shared, and it weighs close to 5,000 lbs. NUSAR would also like another truck to help with storage.

And with that, McCarthy called dispatch to begin the mock-call.

“Newtown to all units, this is a drill,” the call came over shortly after.

McCarthy narrated the process as the mock-call went out, saying there was a car in the water on Walnut Tree Hill Road.

As the assembled group watched, NUSAR members arrived after driving from their homes. NUSAR’s trucks were driven out of the space, the boats were navigated and hooked up for transport, and “they were on the road,” McCarthy said.

From the time the mock-call went over dispatch to the team leaving for the location was roughly 20 minutes.

NUSAR is dispatched between 12 and 30 times a year, McCarthy shared, adding that the number of calls increased during the pandemic.

“This year is going to be a record-breaking year, it looks like,” said McCarthy.

Roughly 50% of the team is Newtown residents. Other members live in area towns, like Monroe and Cheshire.

After team members returned from the mock-call, a demonstration of NUSAR’s gear was offered and Cassetta shared a presentation he created for other dive teams. The attendees learned about the safety checks NUSAR members go through before entering the water and more.

When on-site for a rescue situation, Cassetta shared the team has a “golden hour” to up to two hours when reviving a victim is possible.

Cassetta also shared videos of dives. Within the water’s greens and browns, bubbles could be seen. Visibility was very low otherwise, and that is typical, which is why scanning is so helpful.

Cassetta stressed that anyone out enjoying time on the water should wear a life vest.

More information about NUSAR is available on its website nusar.org.

Education Editor Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.

You must be logged in to post a comment. If you do not have an account, please register here.