 August 09, 2005
 Adam Day, of Diversified Diving, receives training. Inside the chamber during the training was diver Alan Benitz of Ketchikan. Photograph by Dick Kauffman 06/05 Harrison's Company has a portable decompression chamber that is capable of desending to 5 atmospheres which is an incrediable portable machine. For every 33 feet (10 meters) of depth in sea water, the ambient pressure increases by an an additional 14.7 psi (1 atm). "A key point here for understanding other aspects of diving physics and physiology, is to realize that the greater the pressure, the more tightly packed (i.e., more highly concentrated) gas molecules are. As a result, when surfacing too fast, the gas bubbles expand causing decompression sickness. The chamber is the treatment of choice for this." According to Ed Fry, Ketcjolan Station Manager and Divemaster. "It (the chamber) will be available to both recreational divers as well as commercial divers in the Southeast Region of Alaska," according to Greg Harrison. Additionally, Harrison says, "the key here is to impact the survivability of someone who is a victim of decompression sickness." Harrison's team will provide a certified chamber technician to accompany the critical care air transport team to get them (the patient) to a hyperbaric chamber. That is what it is about, providing total medical care to anyone who need to be transported to a hospital that has services that can save the lives of Alaskans and visitors. Harrison and Fry agree that
with diving, medical treatment and treatment of the bends it
is a "win-win" for the community where they live and
work. Related story:
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