Copyright 2002 by Drowning Accident Rescue Team.
All rights reserved.
 Unless otherwise noted.

Hosted by the
 Helm Solutions Group, Inc.

For Problems or Questions
 about this website contact:

RichM at dart366@dartsac.org

Older DART News

Fireworks Fundraiser held 6/28/07 through 07/04/07 was a great success with wonderful turnout from our members. The long, HOT hours spent opening, closing, selling, restocking, inventorying were rewarded by a nice increase in budgetary funds that will help DART in the coming months. Booth hours were also spent educating people about water safety & in DART's role in the community. The selling built to a crescendo towards the final hours of the very last day, as Firework buffs flocked to acquire the most pizzazz & bang for their buck...also it was great fun to interact with DART team members. Thanks also to our wonderful sponsors that contributed to this Event: Chipotle, Chevy's, Outback Restaurants, B.J. Restaurants, Baja Fresh, Red Robin, Bel-Air Markets, Laguna pizza, Chilies Restaurants, and   Radio Stations: KNCI Country, 102.5 KSFM ,103.5 the Bomb   

 March 7 - 11, 2007   The Sacramento Boat Show was days exposure of watercraft enthusiasts to DART's sworn mission to educate & save lives and property. Cal Expo provided a booth for DART in Building C which was manned all of each day by DART Members

Saturday March 10th  Pocket Area Emergency Awareness Presentation at Kennedy High School was given by RonR, ShaneD, and PatrickC

Ron Harknett's 20th Anniversary Memorial Service was held Sunday 2/25/07 at Noon at Miller Park. This solemn service commemorated the life of DART member RonH. In remembrance of this unfortunate tragedy of a DART member 20 years ago, we reflected upon the many changes in DART  procedures and attitudes that have taken place. The family that RonH left behind was assured that his legacy lives on in the hearts of the DART Team members. The Sacramento County Sheriffs Color Guard ceremoniously began and ended the service. Chaplains' Frank & Mindy Russell conducted service, with talks by various family members and with past DART members that were part of DART 20 years ago. A Sheriffs boat with family members and some DART members laid a floating wreath of flowers on the swift Sacramento River. DART gratefully thanks the surviving family members for
 having accepted our offer to provide a memorial service. Because of Ron Harknett and others who have given all, we dive safer.  

The 2007 Crab Feed with Silent Auction was held Friday, January 19th at the Sacramento Elks Lodge #6 (6446 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento) from 6pm to past 11pm   
The Silent Auction items were on display from 6pm until about 9pm. The Dinner @ 7pm started with fresh salad & rolls followed by tasty pasta and finally all the fresh cracked crab you could possibly eat. Over 50 Auction items donated by
various businesses, individuals and organizations were bid on and sold to provide the valuable monetary support of D.A.R.T.  Over 400 people packed into the Elks Lodge to enjoy Food, Raffles, Music, Dancing and good hearted socializing. Ranier of Clear & Distinct Music and veteran DART member was DJ & Master-of-Ceremonies                                                      

Presidents Dinner was held at Frasinetti's Restaurant Sacramento, Sunday,  12/3/06 @ 6pm and celebrated a very eventful year, and commemorated all Team members.

LGS Training    October 19th thru the 22nd, 2006

      Three LGS Trainers taught Divers and Shore Support the fundamental concepts of LGS Public Safety Diving. Many newer members of DART got LGS Shore and/or Diver Certified, Older members got recertified, and some El Dorado County Sheriff Department Divers got LGS certified as well.

  The 1st night (10/19/06) consisted of 4 hours of classroom training. The 2nd day, at the Air Force dock, students got some more classroom teaching, followed by comprehensive lessons in diver gear dress up and rapid deployment techniques. Proper tender-diver rope signaling was also practiced on the dock tarmac. By afternoon, all LGS students relocated to Tiscornia Park to practice dive ops, which continued well after dark. The 3rd day was an exhaustive full day at Tiscornia Park, practicing everything from the Zen of underwater dexterity (the "cutting box") and contingencies (entanglement,  out-of-air, injuries) to search patterns. LGS Trainers also showed little mercy upon the shore personnel whom took DAC / SAC / breathing rates, drew search diagrams, tended lines and oversaw the the dynamic complexity of dive operations. The final day was another exhaustive dive operation on the Sacramento River next to the Elkhorn Boat ramp where students finally caught up on their LGS certification (or RE-certification) requirements . The final afternoon was spent taking the final exam....  from which everyone passed !

Diver Drysuit Training   9/26/06 at the Air Force Dock New & older divers tried on dry suits, and along with shore personnel updated their magnetic info cards for the rigs. Many people got to familiarize themselves with drysuit care and maintenance. All were needed to smooth the transition to LGS Training

Great American River Cleanup (GARCU), September 16th. Dolphin Dive Club and Seahorse Dive Club sponsored the Dive Portion of GARCU. A group of rafters in Rafts donated by American River Raft Rental, along with divers from the Clubs and 3 DART representatives (JeffS, JerryC, and RichM) scoured the trash from bottom to shore. Divers & rafts departed from Lower Sunrise at about 8am & ended up at Goethe Park between 2 to 4pm.

2nd Annual California Preparedness Day  9/14/06 West Steps of State Capitol

DART was quite the sensation among the School kids, their teachers, and the public. The request that DART have an "interactive, educational, and innovative display" was met: JeffS, JohnM and MichaelV handed out water safety booklets, whistles, coloring books, and talked to the throngs of curious people about water safety and the role of DART. RichM dressed in full dive gear for the entire event and attracted attention of many kids that wanted to try on the EXO. The First Lady, Maria (Shriver) Schwarznegger and ex-governor Jerry Brown worked their way through the crowd and briefly spoke to some DART members.

1st EMERGENCY RESPONDER'S DAY  8/26/06 at the California State Fair. JeffS, WaltD, MissyD, Neava, briefed the many State Fair patrons about DART's mission and on water safety. Under the big shady trees in front of the Cal Expo Entrance, children tried on the EXO26 mask whilst also exploring DART Rig #1 that was parked on the lawn. Neava led Walt -- suited in full dive gear- to greet arriving Fair participants. MissyD waisted no time in introducing our PDF-Bear to curious children. At 9 pm the DART Rig was driven, with lights flashing & occasional sirens, in the 1st  responders parade through a winding path across the fairgrounds

All American BBQ  Fundraiser August 5th, 2006 was held at the Towe Auto Museum & included a Silent Auction. Admission with this All-You-Can-Eat BBQ came with Full Access to the  Auto Museum through-out the evening, plus music, dancing, and raffles. Mindy Russell & the Sacramento Sheriff's Color Guard performed a touching tribute to DART, DART Supporters, and to those that have given their precious time & energy to help others.

ClarenceW gave a presentation at Calvary Christian School, Sacramento 7/27/06 where he lauded Water Safety Education, and the role of the DART Team to these aspiring students.

Bridge to Bridge Boat Race - 7/22 to 23/2006 (Saturday & Sunday) in Old Sacramento - DART Members were the Safety and Emergency Response for the river and boating area during the races. DART Rig 7 was outfitted for rapid response diving, and DART Rig 1 served topside for Water Safety Education, PR, & Team Support Chief of Operations thanks all that attended for their dedicated support. Thankfully, no mishaps occurred on this Hot, Hot day.

D.A.R.T. Members JeffS, JohnM, and RichM attended the Dolphin Dive Club
"Picnic in the Park" at Fair Oaks Park 7/19/06 (Wednesday). Jeff  gave a brief talk about water safety and about DART's mission. RichM was the "dope on a rope" for Jeffs demo of shore-to-diver communication.  BBQ food, a raffle prize, and friendly diver conversation   -- in very warm weather --  finalized a pleasant afternoon

ClarenceW gave enticing DART Presentation to the Rotary Club at the Sacramento Inn on 7/14/06 Morning. Breakfast was provided. The Rotary Club was so very kind & generous in providing a donation. And Thank You Clarence !

The Annual Fireworks booth  6/28 thru 7/4/06 was a smashing success Thanks to all members that put in such time and effort to provide our team with the support needed to make this event  possible. A special thanks to the public that provided devotion to the Team (enough to bypass all the other fireworks booths along the way). Your public support will provide us with the ability to train shore support & divers, maintain & replace worn equipment, and hence, allow us to give water rescue, recovery, and education back to the public.

   Thanks also to our wonderful sponsors that contributed to this Event:Chili's Restaurant, Laguna Pizza, Chipotle, Quisno's, BelAir Markets, Chevy's, Red Robin, and  Radio Stations: KNCI, 102.5 and 103.5    

 SETA Head Start at Hiram Johnson High School (65th & 14th Sts), June 24th got a DART Presentation and a PFD Exchange. DART Members were summarily treated to a free BBQ. Thank you to ClarenceW and PatrickC

             
A Presentation to the Davis Police Youth Academy was given June 21st. ClarenceW & DART want to thank JohnM and RussD for their promotionof the Team and with Water Safety Education for these young recruits.

 Radio Stations  KSEG 96 (The Eagle),
          KSSJ 94.7 (Smooth Jazz),
          KCTC 1230AM,
          KDND 107.9 (The END), and
          KWOD 106.5

  All did interviews this month of June with RonR to help promote DART and to advertise our upcoming Fireworks Booth and BBQ Fundraiser. Interviews were broadcast early morning on Sunday June 17th & Sunday 18th Congratulations to Kat Mandru for setting this all up. She' a big supporter of DART

  Dock Day  June 3rd was a good day for new members to become acquainted with other team members and equipment, as they sized drysuits, cleaned the dock equipment and rigs, and learned basic protocol and maintenance of gear. Member data was also updated for magnetic cards and for roster info. The dock hasn't looked this clean in years !  Thanks for all those that showed up !

 Blue Angels at Mather Air Field March 18th & 19th was a DART Public Relations opportunity organized by ClarenceW and was a resounding success, with more than the usual number of people flocking to our booth to learn more about DART

 Boat Show at CalExpo - March 10,11,12th was another successful PR Event which was also organized by ClarenceW and BrandonW, and introduced the boating public to DART, and our commitments to water safety

  EXO 26 Technician Class

     0rganized by Logistician DougP on March 23 brought training from a Kirby Morgan EXO Expert Repairman and inspired at least 6 of our members to repair our own EXOs.
     Congratulations to the new Technicians !

 Once again, ClarenceW has volunteered to organize the successful educational events at:

    Calvary Christian School 7/27/06
    La Sierra Community Center, Carmichael on 7/17/06
    David Reese Elementary School on 5/24/06
    Sacramento Children's Home - 4/22/06

    Charles Mack Elementary School on 3/29/06

    Florin Elementary School on 4/5/06

            where numerous kids gained exposure to the tenets of water safety
            as well as being able to play with our "really cool" dive gear

 Roseville Scout Troop 311 earned credit for their merit badges during an entertaining demonstration of a DART Diver dress rehearsal, that included an engaging discussion about water safety. Thanks goes to JeffS and MichaelV for a lively time

 Other Presentations given include:

    Kaiser's Safety Awareness Day, Cottage & Morse Ave. 6/16/06 ClarenceW

    MLK School (Pocket Area) on 6/2/05 2 Assembly presentations by RonR
    Samuel Kennedy Elementary School -  4/26/06 Briggs Dr., Sacramento

    Safety Day, Davis PD - 5/13/06 with RonR

    Safetyville with one of the DART Rigs - 5/13/06 with ClarenceW)

June 2005 DART Newsletter