The Oneida County public safety dive team went under the ice for its most recent training this past weekend on Clear Lake. The dive team is an extension of the Oneida County sheriff’s office and is comprised of people from across the county.

While knocking on wood, Oneida County chief deputy and dive team commander Terri Hook said no one has fallen through the ice this winter.

During the summertime, the dive team tends to be more active, rescuing people who fall in the water unexpectedly. The team is also requested to recover people who may have drowned.

Training takes place once a month, 10 months out of the year. The type of training often depends on the weather, according to Hook.

There were four divers who had not gone beneath the ice and this past weekend was their first time, Hook said.

Three of the divers were part of the Oneida County dive team while the fourth was a member of the Lincoln County dive team, she said.

Hook said the Oneida County team will train with the Lincoln County team for almost every training, and that’s because the two work often work as a combined team.

The training prepares dive team members to rescue people who may have fallen through or recover evidence. Hook said this past weekend divers recovered different objects off the floor of the lake to “simulate” real-life situations.

The dive team consists of 10 divers from across the county, two of which are sheriff’s deputies.

“It takes a long time to train a diver,” Hook said. “It’s very intricate.”

The dive team isn’t looking for new divers right now, according to Hook, though she said the team could  potentially be looking for applicants by the end of 2024.

Dive team applications are open to anyone who’s interested. Hook said swimming and medical testing are required.

“Some of our (divers) are nurses, some of our people are EMTs, we have some retired people,” she said. “So all different walks of life.”

Minocqua and Newbold fire departments took part in the ice dive training as well.

Minocqua fire chief Rich Carani said the two departments were there for support with airboats.

One airboat, he said, was used “kind of as an island out on the lake,” while the other boat was used to shuttle divers back and forth from shore.

Both boats provided an extra level of safety, he added.

Carani said he was happy with Minocqua Fire Department’s participation, which saw eight volunteer firefighters show up.

“It’s tough on Sundays to get people to come out when you’re volunteering and stuff, but I thought that was a good turnout,” he said, noting unique training like these can also be fun. “When you get to operate machinery like that (an airboat) that’s not your everyday kind of thing, yeah, it is fun. … It’s not everyday someone gets to go and operate an airboat.”

Trevor Greene may be reached via email at trevorgreene@lakelandtimes.com.