LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Homeland Security grant has provided the Northshore Dive Team with several new pieces of important equipment to use in recovery and rescue operations in local waters.

Northshore Fire Capt. John Rodriguez said the team received the $16,000 grant at the end of December.

Diver Keith Hoyt said Willie Sapeta, Lake County's interim Office of Emergency Services coordinator and – beginning in January – the new Lake County Fire Protection chief, was important in the work of securing the grant.

In early January the team purchased the new equipment, Rodriguez said.

The new items include two air bags that can be inflated with scuba tanks, each with the capacity to lift 2,000 pounds underwater. Hoyt said the bags can be used to lift sunken cars or other vehicles out of a lake or other water body.

Rodriguez said the team also purchased four complete face mask sets that allow the divers to talk to each other, and their surface team, wirelessly. Recently the team has been practicing with the masks at the Westshore Pool in Lakeport.

In addition, they purchased hardwired communication ropes and an accompanying Aquacom communications box that also can be used for diver-to-surface and diver-to-diver communication.

In fact, Rodriguez said the special rope allows divers to speak to each other and the surface at the same time – a kind of underwater conference call.

In a practice this past Saturday in Nice, the team tried out the hardwired communication rope for the first time.

“It went great. It went even better than expected,” said Rodriguez

The grant is a major development for the team, which has been in existence for eight years and now has a total of nine members – five divers and four “tenders” who work on shore to assist the divers.

The entire team is swift water certified, with all of the divers having gone through a public safety diving course, Rodriguez said.

Team members are first responders whenever water-related incidents are reported – whether it's collisions involving vehicles going into one of the local lakes or a missing swimmer, he said.

They've worked on recovery missions in Clear Lake, Blue Lakes, Hidden Valley Lake and Lake Pillsbury, and also have assisted with operations in the Ukiah area, Rodriguez said.

“We respond to any of the lakes in Lake County,” he said.

During the team's eight-year existence, it's been supported mostly through donations and the team's beer booth at the annual Wild West Day in Upper Lake, according to Rodriguez. At the upcoming Wild West Day all of the new gear will be on display.

He said all donations go toward gear and training.

The team normally trains the first Friday and third Sunday of every month, Rodriguez said.

Donations can be made to the team at Northshore Fire Protection District's main office in Lucerne, located at 6257 Seventh Ave., telephone 707-274-3100.

Visit the team's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Northshore-Dive-Team/289897949089 .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .