Father’s Day Tragedy Leads to Change

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA, August 22, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A tragic double drowning of a father and his 14-year-old daughter occurred in Crosby TX over the recent Father’s-Day weekend.

After receiving the initial call, the Crosby Fire Department arrived on-scene quickly. Like many fire rescue departments across the country, they were not fully equipped for rapid ‘hour-one’ water operations (the ‘live’ rescue window) and so were unable to locate the pair in time for a rescue. A public safety dive team from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded and after a brief search, the female was located and recovered. The search continued, and after approximately 7 hours, the male was located and recovered, providing closure for their family.

Crosby Fire and the Commissioners of the Harris County Emergency Services District #80, who oversee and fund the department, are committed to continuous improvement of the resources to support the department members, and their community. Recognizing the need for change, and seeing the results it could deliver to both citizens and the department, the Commissioners quickly approved the purchase of two AquaEye units for their Fire Department to enable safer and more efficient water rescue/recovery. The department then utilized donated funds to purchase a third unit.

Chief White had worked with AquaEye in his time as coordinator of the City of Baytown’s Underwater Search and Recovery Team. Based on his experiences there, he advocated for the AquaEye units for Crosby Fire. Said White, “We take some comfort in knowing that we will have AquaEye on hand the next time we need to respond to another critical water incident.”

Fire rescue teams in the United States will respond to over 3,000 water rescue calls this year. Too many will end in tragedy because most rescue teams are not fully prepared for rapid ‘hour-one’ water operations. With preparation, and a willingness to change, tragedy is preventable. “We do not want to wait for tragedy to strike” said Carlyn Loncaric, Founder and CEO of VodaSafe. “We are advocating as hard as we can to put positive change ahead of the onslaught of drownings that continue to occur
throughout the country.”

About VodaSafe:
VodaSafe has revolutionized water rescue and recovery globally with the development and delivery of its flagship product, AquaEye, the world’s first hand-held intelligent sonar device. Combining sonar and artificial intelligence technologies specifically designed to identify humans, AquaEye can search nearly an acre of water in one minute. Born at the intersection of engineering and lifesaving on the West Coast of Canada, VodaSafe is committed to enabling search and rescue, emergency responders, public safety divers, law enforcement and lifeguards to execute faster, safer and more effective water rescue and victim recovery. Website: vodasafe.ca

For further information, please contact:

Wylie Spencer
VodaSafe Inc - AquaEye
+1 604-781-5867
wylie@vodasafe.ca