Rescue Fire Company Chief Walters Announces Changes in Water Rescue Operations

A letter was released on Monday from Rescue Fire Company's Chief Walters explaining the termination of the current Dive Team and transitioning into Surface Water & Rescue Swimmer operations.

Letter From Chief Walters

The Chiefs Office of Rescue Fire Company announces it will discontinue dive team services and transition its water rescue capabilities to a surface-water rescue and rescue-swimmer model, effective August 2025.

This strategic shift aligns with revised operational needs, available resources, and the evolving rescue environment in Dorchester County.

Key Changes at a Glance:

• Formal retirement of the previous volunteer public safety dive team.
• Redeployment of trained personnel to operate as rescue swimmers and surface-water rescue operators.
• Acquisition or reconfiguration of watercraft and personal protective gear optimized for flood water, surface water, swift water and swimmer-based operations.
• Continued regional coordination with Dorchester County EMS and neighboring volunteer departments.

After thorough review, we determined that our community's current rescue demands are better served by highly trained rescue swimmers engaged in surface-water operations, rather than full dive-team deployment.

This change helps us allocate our volunteer resources more effectively while maintaining high levels of public safety.

Background & Rationale: Rescue Fire Company has a longstanding history of responding to water emergencies-ranging from boating incidents to flood and swift-water rescues-using a combination of dive and surface-rescue response techniques. Considering recent operational reviews and evolving incident patterns, the decision was made to reorient services toward surface-based rescue methodologies, which offer quicker deployment and similar effectiveness in many scenarios.

Community Outreach & Training Updates: A series of community open house sessions and station tours will be scheduled through summer and fall 2025, during which residents can meet the team, view the new equipment, and learn about rescue swimmer operations. High-visibility training demos will also be coordinated with regional partners to ensure interoperability and heightened preparedness.

Looking Forward: Rescue Fire Company remains steadfast in its mission to deliver top-tier fire suppression, technical rescue, EMS support, and surface-water rescue capabilities to Cambridge and surrounding communities. The department continues to rely on its volunteer force and local support to fulfill this mission.