Faroe Islands – Rigging for Rescue Seminar
What a fantastic experience I recently had conducting an RfR training on the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. The Faroes are located pretty well equidistant between Iceland and Scotland. I was anticipating ‘full battle conditions’ with the weather, but it turned out to be an incredibly benign week with almost no wind, sunny skies, and mild temps. Quite a treat. Over the past 12 months, the SAR team there has taken on the supreme challenge of founding a new team from scratch, acquiring equipment, training, and dedicated team members. They were fortunate to get some good guidance from their neighbors at ICE-SAR in Iceland. However, most of the credit goes to them and their commitment to the task at hand. Hosting a Rigging for Rescue seminar was treated internally as their team graduation week. They had the training scheduled nearly 9 months ago. They now feel skilled and confident in their rope rescue proficiency and in short order will be added to the emergency dispatch system in the Faroes. It was an empowering week for the team members and we at RfR felt honored to play a small role in their ongoing education in the craft of technical rescue. The week wrapped up with a great party hosted in the galley of a large sailing vessel moored in the harbor of the capital city of Torshavn. What better way to wrap up a week of training than a party on a boat complete with Irish folk songs? Rescue raises on a scenic sea cliff Looks like a PMP, but is actually a GEP (Grass Eating Pulley) Nice scenery for training if you have the weather Hang loose Hawai’i? No, the Faroes! Slope work Kootenay Highline System Comparing/contrasting vertical vs. horizontal litter orientation
Update & Beyond in Ouray
Last week we hosted a Rigging for Rescue ‘Update & Beyond’ Seminar, open to previous Rigging for Rescue seminar participants. As usual, we had a great crew and beautiful weather, and we capitalized on both to accomplish some fantastic field exercises. We also had the pleasure of hosting three international participants: two from the Ontario Provincial Police and one from the Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal. Thanks for making the trip to Ouray!
Rigging for Rescue in South Africa
We recently wrapped up a rope rescue training workshop in the Gauteng province of South Africa. We had conducted a similar Rigging for Rescue program down in Cape Town in 2010. One of the participants from that workshop, Rob Thomas, runs a mountain guiding and rescue training company called the School for Mountain Leadership here in South Africa. We had approached him many months ago about the possibility of doing a workshop while we were in-country and he enthusiastically agreed to make the arrangements. Our training session was based in the Magaliesberg Mountains north of Joburg. The Magaliesberg is an ancient mountain range with beautiful, hard quartzite rock. The rock climbing, by the way, is superb! The workshop consisted of 12 participants from various rescue agencies around the country. It was a keen group and we had a terrific week of training. Rob put the Gibbs Family up in a nice log cabin near the training site. We used the cabin as the classroom facility and also the group mess hall. It was awesome to be able to train and socialize with the South African participants. Whenever we conduct an RfR training abroad there are opportunities to gain insights into risk management preferences, decision making methodology, and of course equipment and technique differences. As Rob said during the workshop, “if you are not learning, you are not growing.” Well said. Thanks again for a memorable week!
New Course Offering!
Finding Balance: Patient Care in Technical Rescue A specialized 3-day intensive workshop for previous RfR participants focusing on: a critical thinking approach to effective leadership, size-up, teamwork, and putting it all together in a technical rescue as it pertains to patient care and evacuation finding balance in efficiently meshing the medical aspects of patient care and the movement of the patient in technical terrain This hands-on interactive workshop is tailored for medical/rescuers tasked with the patient access, care, and evacuation components of a given rescue in technical terrain. As we all know, an often overlooked aspect of rope rescue training is giving participants an opportunity to efficiently find balance with the medical aspects of a given patient care scenario and the actual movement of that patient in difficult terrain. Through thoughtful discussion, pertinent case studies, and hands-on application we will explore a variety of realistic patient care challenges in difficult terrain. We will then combine that with safely moving the patient, as a team, in the mountain rescue environment. CEs will be available. Workshop participants can count on exploring a wide variety of topics and techniques including: the importance of exemplary patient assessment skills for the medical/rescuer patient care considerations in a variety of scenarios in the difficult terrain environment patient securing and packaging considerations in a variety of settings and scenarios efficient use of medical /rescue equipment and personnel in a given technical rescue recognition of what interventions “really make a difference” for most patients in difficult terrain rescues stretcher orientation and attending considerations medical kits / new equipment BLS/ALS considerations and limitations in technical rescue pain management and medication delivery options safely improvising and adapting in patient care and rescue a reinforcement of safe, timely and efficient rope rescue techniques and principles utilized in moving the patient in both steep and high angle settings safe helicopter interface The above list is not exhaustive, nor is it a checklist. While we provide a curriculum, the techniques, equipment, and personal experiences that you and your team bring make this and every Rigging for Rescue workshop or seminar a custom experience. All field training scenarios will be in and around Ouray, Colorado. Secure your place early as this workshop will fill quickly! Dates: August 30-September 1, 2013 Course fee: $600 This course is only available to previous Rigging for Rescue participants
The International Technical Rescue Symposium
Mike and Chris just returned from another great ITRS conference. This year’s conference was held in Seattle from November 1-4. As usual the conference showcased a number of quality presentations about the latest in technical rescue research, including a presentation and key note address from the well renowned John Dill of YOSAR. Mike presented RfR’s latest research on multi-point anchor equalization. The full report and videos can be found here: http://dev.riggingforrescue.com/AnchorFavoring.html This year’s conference also included a tour of the SMC factory. The picture below show’s AERT’s Arnold Peña, a long time conference attendee, assembling a carabiner at the factory. Arnold will be attending the upcoming Rigging for Rescue seminar at Red Rock Canyon NCA
Self Rescue and Small Team Response
Last week was our Self Rescue and Small Team Response Workshop held at our home base of Ouray, Colorado. The participants were keen, the weather was flawless, and we had an outstanding week of training. Exercises included basic belay escapes and transfers of tension, rescuing the second as well as the leader using counter-balance techniques, a very challenging leader rescue in traversing terrain, a multi-pitch leader rescue and evacuation including use of a tensioned guiding line to cross a water hazard, and some team-based pickoffs. Our next offering of this workshop will be May, 2013.
From the Archive…
A demonstration drop test of the British Columbia Council on Technical Rescue Belay Competence Drop Test Method 1 meter drop on 3 meters of 11 millimeter low stretch rope with a 200kg test mass. The belay device is a mechanical rope grab: the Gibbs ascender.
West Metro Fire
Rigging for Rescue recently traveled to Colorado’s Front Range to work with a group of firefighters from multiple agencies around the state. The course was hosted by West Metro Fire and was a great training with highly skilled participants. Included in the exercises were difficult edge transitions with a vertically oriented litter, a deflection line, work with artificial high directionals, and a two-attendant moderate slope evacuation, as seen in the gallery below. We can’t wait to return in 2013!
New Location for 2012!
Many thanks to our friends at Las Vegas Metro PD SAR for working with us to now offer an open enrollment seminar in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on the west end of Las Vegas. Those of you who have had the good fortune to climb out at Red Rock Canyon will instantly recognize this as a world class technical rescue training venue. As guests of LVMPD SAR we have access to the visitor center classroom, meaning we have just a short commute between the indoor classroom and the outdoor classroom. And with affordable flights into nearby McCarran International Airport and abundant lodging just outside Red Rock Canyon, this is sure to be a popular offering. See you in Vegas! Course dates: November 10-16, 2012 http://dev.riggingforrescue.com/RfRtheSeminar.html http://dev.riggingforrescue.com/RedRock.html
Denali Climbing Rangers and 212th RQS
Another great training with Denali NP and the 212th Rescue Squadron. This year’s training took place out of the Serenity Falls Hut in Chugach State Park.
