A need arose for a dive team to be local and available in an emergency. For a long period of time the Columbia County area has had to rely on dive teams from outside the county, although these dive teams did exemplary work and many times assisted the residents of Columbia County, the importance of a local team with a reduced response time to emergencies was needed. The Columbia County Dive Team is primarily volunteer. Members of the dive team consist of a deputy sheriff acting as team coordinator and volunteer community members. The dive team operates on a county budget as well as public contributions.
Members donate training time, which helps reduce cost.
Members of the dive team are on a phone pager system and are dispatched by pager in time of need. The volunteer dive team is now completely operational and has responded to several calls for service since its creation. Members continue to train in advanced recreational dive certifications on thier own. The team also trains in the advanced realm of Public Safety Diving. The team is active in the community.