JULIETTE, Ga. — Divers look through the murky bottom of Lake Juliette, searching for a gun.
Well, a fake gun. It is a part of the dive rescue and recovery team's final test.
"It's definitely a difficult task," diver Joe Laimana said.
Monroe County firefighters volunteered to spend over 50 hours training in the water.
"We've spent two nights a week in the water for the last ten months," Dive Team Captain David Fullmore said.
Divers say the time training was well worth it to become nationally certified.
"I personally just wanted to be able to help whenever something happens, I mean I don't want to have to stand on the side line of the bridge and feeling helpless not being able to do anything," Laimana said.
Monroe County EMA Director Matthew Perry says firefighters have been needed for rescue missions several times over the years, and it was time for training.
"We put their names on a wall for heroism and I would've hated to have to put their name on a different wall for dying in the line of duty," Perry said.
Divers practice recovering bodies, learning how to communicate through rope signals and saving a partner if they start to struggle.
Now, they don't need to call outside agencies for help during water emergencies.
"That's what makes it all worth it, is now we can instantaneously get in the water and save people and do what needs to be done," Fullmore said.
The next time someone needs help in these waters the county's dive team is standing by.