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Divers Alert Network recently awarded a Rescue Pak Extended Care to the Bradenton Beach, Fla., Police Department Marine Unit. DAN made the contribution through its Oxygen Grant Program.
Sgt Charles Sloan of the department's marine unit said the jurisdiction of the eight-member unit extends a distance of 500 feet (150 meters) into the water that encircles the city. Each year, the city, which sits on Anna Maria Island, welcomes nearly two million visitors each year to its beaches.
"We respond to all medical calls in our city. including scuba diving accidents, and we are usually the first responders on scene," Sloan said. "The oxygen unit will allow us to provide emergency oxygen quicker to patients who are in respiratory distress."
The unit also answers requests for mutual aid from neighboring governments, he said, adding he hoped the oxygen unit will help to save lives.
Through the Oxygen Grant Program, DAN provides emergency oxygen units to deserving public safety diving teams or organizations in the DAN America region. To receive the DAN Oxygen Units, those organizations must demonstrate a genuine need of oxygen in the carrying out their work.
In addition, consideration for the grant requires training in the use of the equipment through attendance in a DAN Oxygen First Aid for Scuba Diving Injuries course. The retail value of the unit is $650.
For more about the DAN Oxygen Grant Program, click here.
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