WRPS employees have clocked another 90 consecutive days without a lost-work day and another local organization has benefited.

Columbia Basin Dive Rescue (CBDR) was nominated by Bethany Thomas of the North Employee Accident Prevention Council (NEAPC) to receive the Safety Outreach Award. Each council nominates and votes on a finalist and Mark Lindholm, President and Project Manager, chooses the winner.

CBDR is a local non-profit organization that started in 1972 and serves a 4,000-square-mile area. Not only helping with the emergency situations reported in the local media, CBDR also assists with evidence recoveries, ground searches and watercraft recoveries.

CBDR currently has 12 qualified members and three in training. Being on staff at CBDR is a big commitment. Training takes a year, and after acceptance, training never stops. A weekly commitment of two to six hours is required. Members are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to respond to emergencies. Most on staff have a background in a life-saving capacities, such as military training or firefighting. However, there are volunteer opportunities that don’t require the time commitment or being on call, such as working in the office or providing support.

Mike McDowell, Process Systems and Engineering Support, accepted the check on behalf of CBDR. McDowell is the public information officer as well as ground support. WRPS allows McDowell the flexibility to respond to emergency calls during work hours. “We appreciate WRPS support of our mission at CBDR to help protect our community and educate the public on water safety. If an emergency arises we are there with top-of-the-line rescue equipment,” said McDowell.

Want to influence who the next donation goes to? Get involved with your EAPC and nominate an organization!