Biographical Info
Age: 50
Additional Info: Switala had been a firefighter and dive rescue team member for 18 years.
Incident Details
Cause of Death: Switala died of accidental drowning during a dive training drill.
Date of Incident: August 27, 2005
By Chuck Biedka
Tribune-Review (Greensburg, Pa.)
Michael Switala was excited two weeks ago when he was able to dive to 90 feet.
"It was only for about 15 minutes, but it was like a 'new car' experience for him," said friend and fellow firefighter diver Randi Shank.
Switala's deep dive duration was short because of the decompression needed. Firefighter divers will only go to 100 feet deep if they have the added training. Special gas and air mixtures are needed for deeper dives.
Switala, 50, of Lower Burrell, died Sunday after a training dive Saturday in a lake near Slippery Rock, Lawrence County.
Switala was an 18-year veteran firefighter and dive rescue team member who continued to improve his skills as a diver, his friends said.
"He loved the fire department, community service and diving," said Scott Camerlo, of Scott's Scuba in Freeport.
Switala was known for his compassion, and he showed it even in death: he was an organ donor.
"Mike was a genuine person. He was easy to talk to," said friend and Lower Burrell No. 3 Fire Chief Mark Marmo. "You could sit and talk with him, and he was well-versed on many topics."
Switala, who was a Navy veteran, was a certified emergency medical technician, firefighter, rescue diver and devoted family man, Marmo said.
Switala was a man who didn't get excited during emergencies and his self-control helped to calm younger firefighters and divers, Marmo said.
Switala worked at Allegheny Ludlum until he was laid off. Since then, he was self-employed doing mortgage closings, according to Shank said.
Shank said that the Saturday night training session was going routinely.
"He was communicating well with his diving buddy," Shank said. "Everything appeared normal."
When Switala didn't return to the surface with his buddy, that driver immediately went back down and found Switala with his mouthpiece hanging away from his mouth, said Camerlo, a master instructor who supervised the dive.
The buddy diver tried to put the mouthpiece back in, but when Switala didn't respond, the driver grabbed him and raced to the surface, Camerlo said.
Camerlo said CPR was being performed within three minutes of when he surfaced and an ambulance was there in three minutes.
The Allegheny County Coroner's Office performed an autopsy and ruled that Switala accidentally drowned. No other findings were made, a deputy coroner said.
Camerlo said nighttime diving is something that emergency divers want to know how to do to better serve the public.
In his obituary, Switala's family noted, "He died doing what he loved to do."
