The Patrol
Initially, members patrolled the local shoreline on week-ends in four hour shifts. It was their goal to warn out-of-town divers of hazardous diving conditions and to make sure everyone respected the marine environment. Their official name was the Pacific Grove Marine Refuge Patrol, because the city had waterfront known as the Marine Refuge. One of the primary responsibilities of the team has always been to provide emergency ocean rescue to persons in distress. Whether it's a struggling SCUBA diver, a boat floundering in the surf, or a wave watcher engulfed by the sea, the dedicated team always responds.

Medical Aid
In 1965 the city purchased it's first decompression chamber with funds provided by diving clubs, local service clubs, and city funds. The portable, single lock, six-and-a-half foot long steel tube with a single window was housed at the Pacific Grove Fire Department, but operated by members of the Patrol. The chamber is utilized for treating victims of SCUBA diving related injuries. Because of the chamber's single person design, there was no method for a physician to access a serious patient to assist with treatment procedures

The Journey
Those victims suffering from air embolism or severe decompression sickness had to be transported to a better equipped facility. Once the patient was placed inside the chamber, the unit was pressurized. It was then loaded into the rescue van and driven to the airport. There, it was loaded into a C-130 cargo transport plane along with team members and flown to a U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. team chamber in San Diego. On arrival at the airport, the group was met by a military truck and the police provided a Code-3 (red lights and siren) escort to the receiving facility. The small chamber was placed into their chamber. When the larger chamber was pressurized, the patient could then be removed and additional medical treatment would then begin.

Time of Change
In 1970 the new official name was the Pacific Grove Marine Rescue Patrol. Patrolling the shores eventually became impractical, so the week-end shifts were retired. The jurisdiction also changed from the Police Department to the Fire Department.

Today
In 1989 the team's name changed again to what it is today.
The Pacific Grove Ocean Rescue. The team now consists of
30 members and all are notified of an emergency by pagers.

The Rescuers
When the pagers say "Coastal Incident", and give the incident location , the team is activated. The rescue van, numbered 6561, has an initial response zone of roughly forty miles of coastline. As water related recreation becomes more and more popular, the cries for help have also increased. The diversified group of rescue divers train together every month. Since the unit works closely with other agencies during emergency incidents, the training is also combined with those agencies, including U.S. Coast Guard, State Park, and local fire departments.

Hyperbaric Facility
The original mono-place chamber is still under the roof of the fire-house, but no longer in use. In 1984 it was replaced with a larger, double lock, multi-place hyperbaric chamber.

All emergency patients can now be treated at our facility. Victims suffering from life threatening carbon monoxide poisoning are also treated with hyperbaric oxygenation in the chamber. In both cases, the injured are first examined and stabilized at the hospital prior to admission to our facility. Most of the rescue divers have received additional special training in hyperbaric chamber operations and have been certified as such by the National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology. Only certified personnel are involved with patient treatments. Certification is maintained by monthly training sessions, attending lectures, and participation in treating the injured. Specially trained volunteer physicians are always present and in charge of treatment operations.

The all volunteer team is available for rescues or hyperbaric treatment twenty-four hours a day. The entire unit is progressively growing to meet the needs of the local communities it serves. Specialized medical, rescue, and safety equipment for personnel is always needed. Constant training, and equipment maintenance is essential. A chamber facility use fee was recently adopted but is not a consistent source of income. Therefore the entire organization is dependent mostly upon donations.

If you agree that this is a necessary service, please help by sending donations to:

Pacific Grove Ocean Rescue
600 Pine Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
(831) 648-3110
(831) 648-3107

For more Training information, Contact Jeff Field.