AD 2017 Q4

need you, and perhaps we can inspire you to book a trip soon to support dive
operators there or in another affected destination.
As soon as these hurricanes hit, the first thing DAN staff wanted to do
was offer aid. Helping out is what we do naturally at DAN — it’s in our
DNA. The frustrating truth was there was very little we could do to offer
immediate help following the storms. Contrary to popular belief, DAN
does not own a helicopter or have an emergency-response team ready to
deploy at a moment’s notice (trust me, I wish we did). More than one staff
member volunteered to hop on a plane and travel to affected destinations
to help in any way possible, even if only to assist with cleanup. That is the
heart of DAN: people who work tirelessly to help others. In this situation the
immediate assistance we could offer was limited to emergency evacuations
of injured DAN members, promotion of destinations open for business and
encouraging support of specialized disaster-relief charities.
Now, in the aftermath of these hurricanes, DAN can do more. We can help
replace damaged or lost first-aid kits and oxygen units; we can send experts
to inspect and help repair hyperbaric chambers; and, most important, we can
help educate the diving public about disaster preparedness, loss prevention,
asset protection and safety. While DAN is best known for incident and injury
management, our primary goal is incident and injury prevention. We know
we need to be there when bad things happen, but we would prefer to take
steps to prevent bad things from happening at all. Even as I write, the DAN
team is developing disaster-preparedness plans for travelers. You will begin to
see articles and recommendations in Alert Diver and elsewhere in dive media
in the coming months.
We know that you want to help, too. And even if it’s not practical for you
to travel to the destinations that need our support, you can assist DAN in our
efforts to support and promote the businesses and people around whom our
community is built. Donating to the DAN Foundation is one way you can
give to the diving community, and you can decide which causes you wish to
support. We will use 100 percent of donations to support the DAN mission
and the particular initiative you designate.
Whether you donate to the DAN Oxygen Grant Program, the Recompression
Chamber Assistance Program (RCAP), our first-aid initiatives or any of the
other DAN mission programs, your support will translate into real help for
the dive community. Initiatives such as our Oxygen Grant Program provide
vital aid to the communities affected by this year’s natural disasters. Through
this program, we aim to improve diver safety by ensuring that every dive
operation has the critical first-aid equipment it needs. Similarly, RCAP bolsters
the hyperbaric chambers and emergency services on which injured divers rely,
and our first-aid initiatives supply operators and other dive businesses with the
necessary equipment to respond to all kinds of injuries.
Whether you choose to support one initiative specifically or DAN as an
organization, know that your support makes a real impact on the safety of
the diving community. AD
Safe diving, everyone,
“DONATING TO THE
DAN FOUNDATION IS
ONE WAY YOU CAN
GIVE TO THE DIVING
COMMUNITY, AND
YOU CAN DECIDE
WHICH CAUSES
YOU WISH TO
SUPPORT. WE WILL
USE 100 PERCENT
OF DONATIONS
TO SUPPORT THE
DAN MISSION AND
THE PARTICULAR
INITIATIVE YOU
DESIGNATE.”
William M. Ziefle
DAN President and CEO
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