The Ryan Township Emergency & Rescue Squad bought a piece of equipment designed to preserve the dignity of drowning victims as well as evidence should the death be suspicious.
The new underwater body recovery system allows divers to recover drowning victims safely and without exposing the victim to bystanders, according to dive captain Bill Wirtz.
Wirtz said the recovery system also allows for easier transport of the victim in the water and, once on shore, includes a special bag that drains the water.
Moreover, the bag is equipped with handles and a harness with a lift bag that the diver inflates to raise the victim to the surface of the water.
He said the squad decided to invest in the system, which cost about $600.
"This will help us maintain the integrity of the situation; if it's a homicide it keeps the chain of evidence," he said.
In the event a drowning is accidental, the system preserves the dignity of the victim as he is brought out of the water.
"People tend to want to see what the victim looks like," Wirtz said. "Also, it spares the family of seeing their loved ones brought out of the water and placed into a body bag on shore."
Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner David Truskowsky, a member of the West End Fire and Rescue Dive Team in Mahanoy City, agreed that the system will be beneficial in cases where foul play is suspected.
He said being able to retrieve anything surrounding an underwater victim could help at an autopsy.
Truskowsky said if someone drowns, he or she may have material in his lungs or stomach that could potentially be compared to matter inside the recovery bag.
He also said that if nothing is found in the victim's lungs or stomach and injuries are found, it could mean the victim was killed elsewhere.
Either way, Truskowsky said the more evidence or material from a scene that can be preserved will help investigators, whether it be pathologists or police, determine exactly what led to the death.
Wirtz said the Ryan Township Emergency & Rescue Squad has 12 divers, all certified through both Dive Rescue International and Professional Association of Diving Instructors Public Safety Diving.
The unit responds to incidents at both Locust Lake and Tuscarora state parks as well as for water rescues in surrounding counties.