The Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department Dive Rescue and Recovery Team was first started in 1960 by Chester Fobare. Mr. Fobare received his dive certification and then his instructors' certification. He then trained a few interested members in becoming certified divers for the department. Today the team consists of nine (9) certified divers and is headed up by Dive Captain Ken McLaughlin.

The dive team utilizes three (3) boats for operations. The boats consist of an eighteen (18) foot john boat with a forty (40) horse power motor, a twelve (12) foot v-hull with a fifteen horse power motor and a new twelve (12) foot hovercraft donated by Mooney Bay of Plattsburgh,N.Y. These water craft are also used on any fire or rescue calls as needed.

Safety is the key word for dive team members, no member is required to dive if they do not feel capable of the task. The team has a maximum dive depth of sixty (60) feet, although some team members have dove to one hundred (100) feet for victim recoveries under certain circumstances. The dives we make are considered cold water dives as the lakes, ponds,and rivers are under seventy (70) degrees Fahrenheit year round. Visibility is considered poor and ranges from zero (0) feet to five (5) feet in most, if not all bodies of water. Rescue, and recovery dives have been made in open water in June as well as under the ice in February. Down time for each diver is limited to twenty (20) minutes due to the water temperature.

In addition to common equipment used on most rescue, and recovery teams, such as scuba gear, ropes bouys etc. The Saranac Lake Fire Department Dive Rescue and Recovery Team has also equipped it's boats with sophisticated communication, global positioning, and sonar depth finding equipment. The equipment and the department's trained divers are not only an asset to the area surrounding Saranac Lake. The team frequently travels out of the area in a mutual aid capacity.