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 Sterling Silver Scuba, a DAN Business Member operation in Sterling, Va., has become Divers Alert Network’s newest DAN Training Center and only the third in the state of Virginia.
Picured at right are Sterling Silver Scuba's first DAN course participants and Instructor. On the front: Vivek (V) Lopez, Anne (Instructor) and Happy Hsin. Standing: Jean-Francois (JF) Huard, Robert Hemingway, Kevin Davenport (Instructor), Jason Davis. Not pictured Heart Hsin.
A DAN Training Center is the highest recognition level of DAN Business Memberships. The DTCs are the Business Members who are committed to promoting dive safety through DAN Training programs, most notably, the DES, or Diving Emergency Specialist, program.
"The business accomplished this feat through the dedication of DAN’s newest Diving Emergency Specialist Instructor Kevin Davenport working with the staff to put their best fin forward toward dive safety," said a recent press release from the trainers at Blue Water First Aid of Louisville, Ky.
First an Instructor . . .
Davenport completed his DAN Instructor Course at the DEMA Show 2007 in Orlando, Fla., with DAN Examiner Larry Zettwoch and DAN DES Instructor Trainer Danny Donegan of Blue Water First Aid. Zettwoch and Donegan conduct all levels of DAN Training at the DEMA show every year as well as in various locations across the United States.
Instructor Courses Davenport completed included:
- Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving
- AEDs for Scuba Diving
- Hazardous Marine Life Injuries
- Advanced Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving and
- On-Site Neurological Assessment
Then a DEMP . . .
On Nov. 18, shortly after the close of the DEMA Show, DAN DES Instructor Trainer Danny Donegan came to Sterling to assist Davenport with his first DAN Provider course. It was a six-diver class made up of Sterling Silver Scuba store staff, divemasters and a rescue diver candidate (in photo above). They completed these courses:
- DAN Diving Emergency Management Provider with the Advanced Oxygen module and
- On-Site Neurological Assessment.
"After completing the many training scenario iterations with Anne [the resuscitation manikin] and their DAN Oxygen Unit, the group ended the day much more secure with the additions to their scuba Rescue skills," noted DAN Examiner Zettwoch.
Then DES
“When Kevin taught this first course, we created a new DES Instructor,” said Donegan. "Kevin trained six new providers in DEMP and On-Site Neurological Assessment and five new DES Providers. With this, Sterling Silver Scuba became a brand-new DAN Training Center. It was a big weekend for DAN and Sterling Scuba.”
The sixth provider in the course will attain his DES rating upon the completion of his rescue diver certification later this year.
Sterling Silver Scuba is now conducting monthly DAN courses under the guidance of Davenport as an addition to their PADI and TDI scuba curricula. The retail facility is a full-service operation carrying dive equipment and offering both local and tropical trips. Get more info at http://www.silverdivers.com.
Blue Water First Aid is a training consortium that offers ASHI, CPROX, DAN, EFR, IANTD, MEDIC, PADI, SDI and TDI* courses at the diver/provider level as well as the Instructor level. ASHI, DAN and MEDIC courses at the Instructor Trainer level are also available. Contact the staff at http://www.bluewaterfirstaid.com.
Divers, to find DTCs in your area, click here .
Trainers and business, to find out more about the program, contact DAN Business Membership by email at bizmember@DiversAlertNetwork.org or call 1-800-446-2671 (free from the U.S. or Canada) or +1-919-684-2948 ext. 295 (toll).
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