Newtown Underwater Search & Rescue (NUSAR) once again made a splash with its third annual open house on Saturday, April 18.

Held on-site at NUSAR’s headquarters on 28 Riverside Road in Sandy Hook, people were invited to meet the local search and rescue dive team and learn about their equipment and capabilities. Guests could also watch live demonstrations, blow bubbles, enjoy snacks and refreshments, and even use the team’s communications systems to speak to a diver underwater.

Founded in 1989, NUSAR is a professionally trained, all-volunteer emergency rescue team. It is dedicated to saving lives through year-round search and rescue operations not only in Newtown, but also in surrounding areas.

The bright, sunny weather made it the perfect day for attendees to walk around NUSAR's headquarters and learn all they could about the group and the volunteers behind it.

NUSAR President Dawn Singer, who excitedly greeted guests as they stopped by, said she could not be more happy for their third annual open house.

She was among the many NUSAR members who were ready at a moment's notice to tell people about the group.

Some NUSAR members led tours of their vehicles and vessels, in which they helped attendees inside and showed them all of the equipment they use during water rescue and recovery.

Beyond that, there was a video demonstration that showed the team in action, further detailing the equipment and procedures they use to stay safe out on the field.

There was also the group's demonstration dive tank, where a NUSAR member would go into a tank full of water in their dive suit and face mask. Guests could even wear a headset with an attached microphone to talk to the diver and ask questions about what it is like to be underwater.

The dive tank also had a window for visibility, which children who stopped by used to giddily wave to divers underwater. NUSAR Assistant Chief Dr Mike Cassetta said the water in this tank is murky and gives divers limited visibility. However, he added that this reflects what divers look like on a regular basis.

Inside the station were informational packets on proper water safety, along with team apparel and homemade sweet treats.

Many local businesses contributed prizes for a silent auction, ranging from specialty teas, bourbon and rock glasses, and a spa basket to a bowling certificate, coffee and dip mixes, and a beach-themed gift basket with towels and more.

NUSAR also had a display of a proposed 88' x 60' station, which would go on the back of its property, along with a little donation tank in front of it.

The new station would have four bays and be able to open on both sides, making it so they will be able to drive their vehicles and vessels out through the back. It would also have a kitchen and a conference area.

The group wants a new station because, without it, they struggle to get their vehicles and vessels out of the station.

Cassetta said the problem is that they stores their large search and rescue boat underneath the building's dock. They park their smaller truck along the wall and the big truck nearby.

"So when we get dispatched, we lose about 10-15 minutes unfortunately, where we got to pull the trucks out. We have to manhandle the boat, literally push it by hand, line it up, hook it up, and then our smaller boat is out," Cassette explained.

With the new station, rather than just one door, they would have multiple bays. These bays can go back to back so the trucks can hook up.

If there is an active drowning, Cassetta said they have about an hour to get the individual. Taking upwards of 15 minutes to get their vessels and vehicles out of headquarters is losing precious time.

"Every minute counts, but we lose 15 minutes to just get out of here," Cassetta said.

Singer said they are in the process of trying to get funded by the state of Connecticut for the new station. The process itself, she said, is easier said than done.

They had to come up with three different bids on the building; a long description of what NUSAR does and its demographics, such as where they go mileage wise, how many calls, rescues, and recoveries they get a year; and so on.

In other developments, Singer said they will start swift water training because of the few floods Newtown has had in recent years.

"It's definitely necessary for us," Singer continued. "You don't think we have swift water here in Newtown, but during that flood in August 2024, we did a rescue along South Main Street; the house was half underwater. And it was swift water."

The goal of NUSAR's open house, Singer said, is to raise funding and awareness for what they do.

The event has not significantly changed over the years, but Cassetta said they have gotten more regular foot traffic and that it is a really fun day for the team.

"It builds team morale, friends and family get to stop by, and we get to make new friends here," Cassetta said. "And I think people really get a better idea of what we do."

There are a lot of components to what NUSAR does, even beyond diving. The team handles surface rescues, such as injured hikers, and they also operate year-round on the ice.

While he feels there is some awareness, Cassetta said unfortunately not everybody is aware of what they do. In that sense, the open house really helps people understand the full scope of what they handle.

This is especially important, he said, with the unfortunate drownings they have had over the past few years across Connecticut. Just last year, they had four drownings in a four-week period, plus three major surface rescues for injured hikers.

Cassetta said it is a huge operation every time they go out; they are typically out for four to five hours at minimum, doing very intensive work underwater and on the surface.

Despite the challenges that come with their work, the group's 20 members could not be more happy and proud to give back to the community.

Through his work as a NUSAR member, Matt Rownin said he has learned about teamwork, how they depend on each other for safety, and the importance of service.

NUSAR member Lee Stuart, having been with the group for several years, said it is a community thing for him.

"I have a very unique skill that not a lot of people have, which is diving in horrendously bad, cold water with poor visibility, so why would I not bring that skill to help out the community?" Stuart said.

Even if they are not rescuing someone or saving their life, Stuart said they are providing closure for a family that has lost a family member.

He continued by saying they did a recovery last year where the family stuck around. The family was right on the shoreline while they were searching and, eventually, found the individual.

Stuart said the fire crew working with them was professional enough that they got every tarp they had and stood in a giant line to create a tarp wall. This way, the family did not see their loved one being pulled out of the water.

"And that's always struck me as just a really good example of how professional everyone is. Because it's not just us, we're working with fire teams, we're working with police, it's a multi-agency thing," Stuart said. "We all come together with our different skills and just do what we can to help."

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.