Want to Make a Difference?

The Cowlitz County Dive Rescue Team is your only local dive rescue and recovery team. They are a dedicated group of volunteers that work in partnership with the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office, the Department of Emergency Management, and other law enforcement and public safety agencies to respond to water-related incidents in Cowlitz County and surrounding areas. They respond to in-water distress calls and help provide a first line of defense against accidental drowning. They provide this service for free. It's not their job, but they do it because they care.

The Cowlitz County Dive Rescue Team is also called upon when items become lost in the water or evidence must be recovered from our waterways to help solve crimes. They have training in crime scene preservation and recovery.

All of the services of the team are rendered on a 100% volunteer basis. They are all trained to professional, public-safety diving levels and work diligently to train as often as possible. This can be difficult when volunteer members must provide their own vehicles, dive gear and pay for their own training.

In 2009 alone, they responded to over 20 emergency calls and logged nearly 400 hours of mission time, with 400 hours of training time. Dives account for 35% of all requests for emergency management volunteers. In short, they are the smallest team that takes on the most dangerous and costly missions.

The funding for the team comes mostly from small government grants and donations from local businesses and individuals. The Cowlitz County Dive Rescue Team would greatly appreciate your support by making a donation or becoming a sponsor of the team. As they are a non-profit entity, all donations are tax-deductible and a receipt will be issued to you upon request. If you have any questions or are interested in joining the dive team, please contact Lori at Cowlitz County DEM (577-3130) or Brett Duling, dive team president (636-4384). Checks can be sent to Cowlitz County Dive Rescue Association c/0 Cowlitz County DEM, 312 SW First Ave, Kelso, WA (make checks payable to Cowlitz County Dive Rescue) or you can donate online at http://www.cowlitzdiverescue.com/ with most major credit cards or a PayPal account.