BY PAUL HASENMEIER
The 21st century has brought new responsibilities to fire departments across the country: all-hazard responses to biological, fire, hazmat, medical, technical, and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incidents.
During many of these events, you may need to perform a rope rescue. Whether you use a low- or high-angle system to lower a 500-pound patient down a set of stairs on a stretcher (as our department once did), pick off a window washer from a dangling platform, or raise an injured worker from a confined space in a paint factory, proficiency in the technical rescue discipline is important.
Preparing for rescue scenarios specific to your response area is a priority. Small-town fire departments like mine, the Huron (OH) Fire Department (located on Lake Erie), have their own local rescue concerns. For example, our department has walked through, climbed, and preplanned rigging for rescue inside and outside of our jurisdiction’s water towers. The water tower in photo 1 is around 100 feet high and holds 500,000 gallons (photo 1).
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If the captain of a lake freighter has a medical emergency while in the wheelhouse, he may not be able to descend the switchback vertical stairs to the deck. If we had to rescue this patient, the 40-foot elevation from the deck to the wheelhouse and the limited number of anchor points would be critical obstacles (photo 2).
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At a local amusement park, maintenance personnel may often operate at great heights. If an injury or medical emergency occurs, the fire department would have to perform rope rescue. In the off-season, the park allows us to train on the roller coasters (photo 3).
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As rescuers, we throw a lot of muscle at problems and it usually works. But for some of these unusual emergencies, rope rescue techniques may be the safest way to mitigate the situation.
If you come from a small volunteer, combination, or large metropolitan department, low staffing issues are already raising safety concerns. How can our best rescue companies or technical teams overcome these challenges? Through evaluating projected staffing levels, training, organization, and planning, we can successfully operate efficiently and effectively when called on.
STAFFING
您的部门是否有国家消防协会（NFPA）在指定的时间范围内发生大火的现场建议使用的消防员数量？当然，我们所有人都可能努力达到这些数字，但现实表示，在整个美国，这可能不会发生在一个以上的地方。预计技术绳救援的类似投票率。
Evaluate your projected staffing levels, how many of your firefighters are trained in rope rescue, and the equipment you have available. If rope rescue has not been your department’s technical forte, determine what your existing staff can do.
TRAINING
Find a way to take your department to the next level. Make it a goal to train all department members to the rope rescue awareness level, at which personnel will be able to do the following:
- 认识现有和潜在的绳索救援情况。
- Identify the resources necessary to conduct safe and effective operations.
- Apply the incident command system (ICS) to rope rescue incidents.
- Understand how to maintain site control and manage the scene.
- Recognize general rope rescue hazards and the necessary procedures for mitigating these hazards before, during, and after a rescue.
- Know the types and uses of personal protective equipment (PPE) used at a rope rescue incident.
If you have already achieved this goal, then strive to train most of your department to the operations level of rope rescue. Although a bit more advanced, training to this level will offer valuable skills such as self-rescue, ascending/descending ropes, constructing and using belays, lowering and using mechanical advantage hauling systems, and packaging a patient in a stokes basket (photo 4).
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One step further is to train a select number of firefighters to the technician level. Several firefighters and officers would be the so-called “rope gurus,” preferably distributed among the shifts or at each station. Or you could designate one company to perform this function (e.g., rescue, urban search and rescue, truck). These members should be well versed in all aspects of the rigging process. Once your department has achieved this training level, plan scenario-based training that will challenge the rescuers’ skills.
ORGANIZATION
在最坏情况下计划并组织设备。也许在您年度知识渊博的绳索救援技术人员度假时，该电话将在0230小时及其年度绳索复习后的六个月内到达。这肯定意味着颅骨中的一些蜘蛛网，但是有组织的设备缓存和计划将帮助您回忆起以前的培训。
通过将设备放入单独的袋子中来组织您的设备，而不是将所有硬件放入塑料容器中，而必须在紧急情况下（照片5）进行整理。
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个人包。One for each rescuer who will be working at a height or near an edge. A good number of bags is eight. Each will contain a harness, a helmet, gloves, prusiks, webbing, a body cord, an oval link, carabiners, a rescue guide, and an operational plan (photo 6).
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救援r bag.包含包装受害者所需的设备，例如受害者安全带和头盔，织带，Prusiks，拾音器皮带，救援指南和操作计划（照片7）。
(7) - Edge bag.Contains equipment that will help pad sharp or 90° edges and anchor points. It includes edge rollers, entry ease plates, three-foot sections of out-of-service three- and five-inch hose, webbing, anchor straps, a rescue guide, and an operational plan (photo 8).
(8) - Belay bag.Contains equipment needed to set up a tandem prusik belay, a rescue guide, and an operational plan (photo 9).
(9) - Lower/haul bag.Contains equipment that personnel will use to set up a lowering system and a mechanical advantage system such as a 3:1 (Z-drag), a rescue guide, and an operational plan (photo 10).
(10) - Officer bag.Contains extra equipment such as pulleys, carabiners, load-releasing hitches, webbing, prusiks, and anchor straps that may be needed in different situations. The contents of this bag can be divided up for where they are needed during the operation (photo 11).
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PLANNING
培训正在进行中,该设备organized, start planning how the crews should operate together. Use the ICS, put a highly trained rope rescuer in charge of operations, divide up other operations-level personnel among the other operational functions (rescuer, belay, lower/haul, edge), designate an awareness-level rescuer as the safety officer, and make cheat sheets that reference the rescue guides for quick reminders. Incorporate all these hints and proven tricks of the trade into your organization’s operations.
By increasing your rope rescue knowledge, you will be a better firefighter and rescuer. We use ropes in many different areas of our profession, as mentioned above. Many other utility, self-rescue, and technical rescue uses can and should be a constant rope training focus. Train like you expect to operate on the scene of an emergency.
PAUL HASENMEIER是休伦（OH）消防师的10年消防队老兵和中尉。他是一名护理人员，消防检查员，水肺潜水员和讲师。他拥有消防科学副学士学位，曾在众多技术救援学科工作，并且是俄亥俄州1区城市搜救团队的成员。他是一位贡献者188金宝搏是正规吗和School Bus Fleet杂志。他是一个classroom presenter at FDIC 2008, the New York Fire Chiefs Conference, the Ohio Fire Chiefs Conference, the Ohio Association for Pupil Transportation Conference, the Ohio State Firefighters Association Conference, Fire Rescue Canada, the Fire Department Safety Officers Conference, and other regional and national training events.
