Woodstock Dive Team

05/12/2026

Memorial Day plans? Had enough of parades? Mystic Seaport will host an exhibition of the CT Canine Search and Rescue dogs working with the dive team. A great museum and treasure in a very cool town. Seaport opens at 10 on Monday with exhibitions at 11 and 1.

04/26/2026

A big thank you to Allan Kelly and the Southbridge YMCA for allowing the Dive Team to practice our skills and take the annual swim test there this morning. Staying ready, staying strong for service to the community.

04/19/2026

Thanks to WINY Radio for pictures of the dive team at Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA.

04/19/2026

Hale YMCA in Putnam hosted a Healthy Kids Day on April 18.
There were activities and tours for the guests to see and join in to participate.

The dive team offered a complete exhibit of the dive gear used for both public safety and recreational diving. Allan Kelly brought his "tool box" of gear and explained the use for each application and answered questions of the guests who attended. He even brought a table low enough for the kids to see what was diplayed!

While Allan presented operations and gear, Jason Osborne worked as Tender and Topside Supervisor to manage the 1 hour and 40 minute dives of Cody Rogers and Mark Van der Voort. Anthony Provasoli worked as tender to help with the diver's gear and is learning quickly how dive operations are performed.

Communications between topside and both divers were made using underwater comm gear. Guests we offered the chance to talk to the divers using the communication system. Some interesting questions were asked while some children seemed a little hesitant to don the headset and talk to someone they could not see.

Thank you to the guests who came, the members of the dive team and especially to the YMCA for giving us an opportunity to dive, train and support the good work you do in the community.

04/09/2026

Mystic Seaport, Woodstock Divers and the CT Canine Search and Rescue team will be exhibiting how dogs and divers work together at the Seaport on Memorial Day.

The Seaport is a great resource and enjoyable museum. Hope you get to see it.

03/08/2026

March 27. Prepare yourself to help others. Class taught by Dawn Roy in Manchester. Evidence based and early intervention training program. All day course approved by CT DPH EMS for 8 hours CME.

01/22/2026

Woodstock Dive Team annual meeting Tuesday, January 27 at 19:00.
In person at Station 77 and on ZOOM. Invites have gone out to registered team members.

Agenda:
State of the team
Annual training drills
Discuss/decide response to different incidents
Personal training opportunities
Fitness and physicals (swim tests)
Answer questions

01/22/2026

Good reminder that thick ice may not be present across an entire body of water.
And tips on managing resuscitation of a victim.
Thanks to Gwenny for the tips and Tolland County Divers for the repost.

09/23/2025

Thank you to all the volunteers who attended this past Dive Team drill at Camp Woodstock. We had our annual training with the Connecticut Canine Search and Rescue Team (CCSAR) and their human handlers!

"Diving With Dogs" is always a great event and the support of the Divers, Tenders, Support Staff, and especially the Woodstock Ambulance crews who stood by to assure prompt help if needed (it wasn't but they learned how we operate and how to operate the underwater sonar used to search for things).

CCSAR is a very professional group of humans and canines with years of experience in specialized search and rescue operations. The dogs are a blast to have around and the humans are great, too!

The Woodstock Dive Team is made up from volunteers who are certified in SCUBA and/or Public Safety Diving and Tending. The volunteers come from fire departments in the northeast corner of CT and get together for these type of drills throughout the year - even when the water gets chilly, or frozen!

Another Thank you goes to Camp Woodstock and the YMCA staff who generously let us use their facility for this event. It is the best place in the area for us to safely exercise the dogs and divers due to the layout of the beach, docks and water. The beautiful new stone decks and patios are really nice to work from, too.

Pictures are of Captain Montanez driving, LT. Keller as Topside Supervisor and Divers Tim Keaten and Nick Stellitano. Also - look closely to see bubbles from Allan Kelly on a wired Comm System speaking with Deb Hervieux on the dock.

Dive Commander - Mark Van Der Voort

05/20/2025

03/04/2025

Community Assistance & Awareness

At Bungay Fire Brigade and Woodstock Dive Team, we take pride in serving our community—whether it’s performing rescues or simply bringing peace of mind. We’re always here to help, even if it means ruling out possibilities to ensure everyone stays safe.

We ask our community to keep an eye out for a Newfoundland dog in the East Thompson area. If you spot the dog or have any information, please reach out so we can assist in reuniting them with their owner.

As always, we’re here for you—day or night. Stay safe, and thank you for looking out for one another!

Bungay Fire Brigade WINY Radio