The Geary County Sheriff and Junction City Fire Dive Team has earned their Public Safety Dive certification.

According to the a social media posting by the Sheriff’s Department, over the past week Deputies and Junction City Firefighters who comprise the Geary County Emergency Dive Team obtained the certification from Dive Rescue International. The team spent more than 24-hours, over a three day period between a classroom setting, pool training and then open water training in Milford Lake.

The certification now has the dive team fully mission capable, deployable statewide and trained in both dive rescue and dive recovery. Their commander Lt. Thad Jones of the Geary County Sheriff’s Department ) stated that over the coming months the team would continue to complete dark water training and cross train for swift water rescue.

The Junction City Department members bring an added feature, since they have already earned their swift water rescue certifications as well as their Paramedic and EMT certifications. Once the Deputies obtain their swift water rescue certifications it’s possible the team could be utilized as part of the National Task Force deployed throughout the nation as regions or states face natural disasters.