MIDDLEFIELD, Conn. — What usually is a placid location just of Route 66 in Middlefield was a bit busier on Tuesday.
More than a dozen times a year, the Middletown Fire Department’s Dive Team gears up and heads out on the water, their latest training day happened in the waters of the Mount Higby Reservoir.
“We practice the way we play,” said Battalion Chief Dave Albert a veteran of the Middletown Dive Team.
With all their gear, ropes, and a compliment of team members, the training day consisted of various drills under the murky waters of the reservoir.
“We’re always ready to go at a moment’s notice,” Albert added.
Lieutenant Keith Clark, a 22-year veteran of the Middletown Fire Department and the leader of the dive team said, “should a call come in we immediately respond with five divers that we have on shift.”
The Middletown team currently staffs 20 divers, with ten more members that can assist during calls. Battalion Chief Albert said that during the Summer season calls usually increase and that the safety message should always be amplified.
“Go out in the water and have fun but still be conscious that if you can’t swim don’t risk it.” Lieutenant Clark added, “if you are going to swim, swim with a friend, a partner, someone who knows where you are.”
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