Miller report

Firefighter Mark Miller, a very proficient, experienced and disciplined diver, did not trigger his buoyancy compensator or shed his 44 pounds of weights to bring himself to the surface, indicating that something may have rendered him incapable of taking routine emergency measures.

But, the long awaited report of the New Hampshire Marine Patrols investigation into Miller's March 11 drowning death offers no real answers to this mystery. The report merely refers to two possible explanations — that Miller lost consciousness or became hypothermic — without thoroughly exploring either.

Fire Chief Ken Erickson, who received the report on Friday, has not disguised his disappointment that it fails either to enable the department to bring Miller's death to closure or to ensure against a similar tragedy in the future. "The report raises more questions than it answers," he said yesterday.

Miller was testing new diving suits in Lake Winnipesaukee — just off Weirs Beach — with fellow firefighter J. P. Hobby at the time of the tragedy. His body was located, face down, on the bottom of the lake by diver Michael Nalen about 1 p.m. the next day. The water was 20 to 22 feet deep at the recovery site, which was determined to be about 72 feet under the ice cover.

Miller and Hobby were said to have initiated their dive in the open water closer to shore.

The Marine Patrol report is several inches thick, but only six pages contain original narrative.

The report relies on Donald Stevens, owner and operator of Atlantic AquaSport of Rye, who examined the Viking Pro dry suit Miller was wearing, for its suggestion that Miller may have lost consciousness. After examining the suit , Stevens questioned whether it was properly sized for Miller. In particular, Stevens said that the measurement of the neck seal indicated it was sized for someone with a fifteen and one-half inch neck. Their is no mention of Miller's neck size.

The report notes that Stevens explained that if the neck was too tight, it could cause a "carotid sinus reflex," rendering the diver wearing it unconscious. Erickson explained that — in layman's terms — this means a reduction in the flow of blood through primary arteries can cause a person to pass out.

But, apart from Stevens's hypothetical remark, the report offers no indication at all that the neck seal was actually too tight when worn by Miller. Moreover, Erickson pointed out that Miller had worn the same suit on eight previous occasions, including a three hour stint in lake Opechee and a near hour long spell in the Atlantic Ocean, without incident.

Stevens also found that the outlet valve on the left shoulder of the suit was in the fully opened position. If the outlet valve were in the opened position, the suit would not have held the air, which acts as an insulator to protect against cold water. He also remarked that Miller was using a half mask and uninsulated beanie head cover. Stevens ventured that Miller may have succumbed to hypothermia. Again, Erickson noted that Miller had used the same equipment in similar, if not more severe conditions, without mishap before March 11.

"At the close of this investigation I am unable to identify a specific event that may have caused Miller's death," concluded Dave Ouellette, who conducted the inquiry and prepared the report.

Erickson said he had hoped the report would resolve some of the lingering questions about the dry suits and other equipment the department's divers are using. He indicated that he would continue to pursue these questions directly with the manufacturers.

Meanwhile, officials of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which routinely investigates the deaths of firefighters in the line of duty, have begun inquiring into Miller's death. Erickson said officials from NIOSH who came to Laconia last week expressed interest in obtaining Miller's suit and equipment, indicating they would have it examined by the United States Navy. Their report is expected by the end of the year.