Volunteers from several SAR organizations have been involved in the search for Lion Air flight JT-610, which crashed off the coast of Karawang on Monday. They have combed the sea surface and seabed, and even the skies, making sure not to neglect their own safety during the recovery operation.
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·3 minutes read
RONY KUNCORO
Members of the search and rescue team prepare to recover victims and fuselage of Lion Air flight JT-610 in Tanjung Pakis, Karawang, West Java, Monday (29/10/2018). The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said search activities would be carried out for 24 hours, but diving was extended to Tuesday (30/10) morning.
Volunteers from several search and rescue (SAR) organizations have been involved in the search for Lion Air flight JT-610, which crashed off the coast of Karawang, West Java, on Monday. They have combed the sea surface and seabed, and even the skies, making sure not to neglect their own safety during the recovery operation.
Among them is 23-year-old Tedy Firmansyah. On Thursday (1/11/2018), he was busy checking diving equipment at Karawang’s Tanjung Pakis Beach. Having been involved in several underwater searches, the West Java Scouts diver never underestimates the importance of checking diving equipment. He carefully inspected the oxygen tanks, masks, flippers, snorkels, regulators and weight belts.
“Volunteers assemble here for the recovery mission. We must never neglect own safety,” he siad.
Tedy add that divers must always dive in pairs and never alone, so there is always someone that watches their back. During dives, at least one person should stay on the surface vessel to monitor the surrounding waters and notify the divers of any danger.
Before a dive, Tedy also observed the weather as well as the waves, the wind velocity and any underwater currents. Only after making sure that everything was safe does Tedy begin his dive at the predetermined site for the search.
Coordination
The volunteers coordinate with personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) on every dive. “Coordination is extremely important. That way, the search can be more effective and divers will not have overlapping areas,” said Tedy.
Seven divers from the Indonesian Diver Rescue Team were also preparing to dive. They gathered field data from the search site in advance, including the results of the Basarnas underwater survey.
Indonesian Diver Rescue Team instructor Hendratna Yuda said that the survey results were important in making dive plans. Many things must be considered, including the duration and estimated depth of the dive. “If the dive is to a depth of 30 meters, we can remain underwater for at most 15 minutes. Safety is number one. All activities are under a single command, Basarnas,” he said.
Individual volunteers may not arbitrarily join the search efforts in Karawang. Budi Madjmoe, head of the Potensi SAR Gurila group from Cirebon, West Java, said that he had been part of the Basarnas operation in Tanjung Pakis since Monday (10/29). Along with colleagues from Cirebon and Karawang, the volunteer divers had been involved in all aspects of the operation, including surface searches in rubber dinghies.
Budi said that each member on the team had been trained in maritime disaster management, which helped them adjust to the Basarnas team’s operational methods.
Coordination and strict adherence to the rules were at the forefront of everyone’s mind, even among senior volunteers like 48-year-old national paramotor athlete Acep Rustandi. Along with his colleagues, Acep coordinated with the Basarnas team to obtain permission to fly over the coast.
Acep takes off only after he has received an “all clear”. He flies at an altitude of 75-110 meters for 45 minutes while looking for objects on the sea’s surface.
“Whenever I spot something suspicious, I report it to the joint surface team so they can reach the object quickly,” he said.
The collaborative search effort between many parties has borne fruit. Bandung SAR Agency head Deden Ridwansyah said that in addition to aircraft debris, the teams had recovered clothing and wallets that contained ID cards.
The volunteers’ hard work does not always produce the ideal results. However, their strong will to keep hope alive through this humanitarian mission amid rigorous preparations will never be in vain.
