Wading Safety

A Video Presentation by Steven Morikawa
(Presented During the DVFF Meeting of March 15, 2022)

TSteven Morikawa, a member of the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club, is a FFI certified single handed and Master double-handed casting instructor. He has spent a lifetime in rescue operations at all levels. From 1979 to 2005 Steven worked in the Sonoma County Sheriff's Department Helicopter Unit where they did emergency medical, search, rescue, and law enforcement. He was search team manager for FEMA Heavy Rescue Task Force (CATF-4) where he responded to local, state, and federal emergencies. Among those were the Oklahoma City Bombing, 911, and his last FEMA deployment to Hurricane Katrina.

As an instructor Steven has been involved in more rescue disciplines than anyone would have ever known existed: SCUBA, Swift Water/ Flood Water Rescue instructor, Rescue Systems One and Two for heavy rescue, High and Low angle rope rescue, Hazardous material response, Helicopter rescue operations, Confined Space rescue operations, Trench Rescue. and emergency medical training at many levels. He also was trained in open ocean rescue operations, USLA open water lifeguard, inshore rescue boat ops, Jet Ski surf rescue operations, and WMD response- biological, chemical, energetic materials, radiological. 

He has trained US Military branches - Army, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard in the above rescue operations. In addition, he was the tactical medic for the Sonoma County and City of Berkeley Police Departments.

He wraps his career up as follows:

“In short, I worked in search and rescue, emergency medical, HazMat operations
at many levels! And now I fly fish whenever I can!”