Easton Firefighters Earn Master Scuba Diver Certification for Bristol North Dive Team

EASTON — Chief Justin Alexander is proud to share that three Easton firefighters earned the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Master Scuba Diver Certification last month.

Master Scuba Divers and Easton firefighters Matt Ingeno, Tony Ioannidis and Lt. Jason Healey are members of the Bristol North Dive Team, a search-and-recovery team established in 2020 and comprised of firefighters from Easton, Franklin, North Attleborough and Norton. The team of 18 divers and five tenders utilize technical dive skills and resources such as boats and dive trucks to conduct searches and evidence recovery missions in bodies of water throughout Bristol County.

Easton firefighters Matt Ingeno, Tony Ioannidis and Lt. Jason Healey are the only members of the Bristol North Dive Team to have earned the Master Scuba Diver certification. According to PADI, less than 2% of all certified scuba divers ever achieve this status. Divers must complete at least eight prerequisite certifications and log a minimum of 50 dives to qualify for this achievement.

Search and recovery divers often have to conduct painstaking searches in cold water for hours, under silty conditions that impact visibility tens of feet under the surface. Eliminating daylight from the equation can make a search far more difficult and time-consuming.

“Most riverbed conditions limit how far you can see objects, sometimes even preventing you from seeing your hand in front of your face,” Lt. Healey said. “With limited visibility, we search by feel, which makes consistent training so essential.”

Firefighter Lt. Healey and members from North Attleborough and Norton fire departments participated in evidence recovery drills at Falls Pond in North Attleborough on Oct. 10. Four divers on the team geared up in dry suits and full-face masks with communication systems to search for biodegradable clay pigeons at the bottom of the pond. Norton Firefighter Josh Wilson conducted operations from the surface, guiding divers along a tether while communicating with them underwater via headset.

“While rescue diving is a low-frequency event, it’s a high-risk environment even for the most skilled divers,” said Bristol North Dive Team Leader and North Attleborough Assistant Fire Chief George McKinnon. “We train all year to keep up our skills and to ensure that we are the most prepared when responding to water emergencies safely and effectively.”

“The dedication and effort Firefighter Matt Ingeno, Firefighter Tony Ioannidis, and Lt. Jason Healey put in to achieve this certification is truly commendable,” said Easton Fire Chief Justin Alexander. “I am incredibly proud of the work the entire team puts in every month to maintain their skills at the high level that they do. We are fortunate to be part of an outstanding regional effort that makes the Bristol North Dive Team a professional and respected group.”

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