SAFETY FOR TECHNICAL RESCUE

NFPA 1670 Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents 2014 Edition

NFPA 1670 Chapter 5 Rope Rescue 5.3 Operations Level 5.3.2* Organizations operating at the operations level for rope rescue incidents shall, commensurate with the identified needs of the organization, develop and implement procedures for rescues involving movement of persons from one stable location to another, including, but not limited to, the following: (1)* Sizing up existing and potential conditions at incidents where rope rescue operations will be performed (2)* Assuring safety in rope rescue operations

OBJECTIVES  All TRT members will have a clear understanding of the Duties of the MSO, (Mission Safety Officer).  All TRT members will have a clear understanding of the Duties of the Edge Man.  All TRT members will be responsible for understanding all General Safety Guidelines.  All TRT members will have a clear understanding of all “Commands” and their proper use.

MISSION SAFETY OFFICER (MSO) It will be the policy of The Henderson Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team to appoint a safety officer on all TRT events. Including Training The safety officer will be referred to as the MSO or Mission Safety Officer. The MSO will always be an active member of the Technical Rescue Team.

Duties of the MSO Check each rescuer’s harness and all connections before the rescuer approaches the edge.

Duties of the MSO A complete check of all rope systems before they are put to use.

Duties of the MSO Make sure safety line is in place Monitor all rope operations throughout each TRT event.

Edge Man A second position will be assigned by the Technical Rescue Team Leader. The edge man will serve as a secondary safety and the main communication link between the rescuer and the systems operators. The edge man will be positioned on the edge in the hazard or danger area.

Edge Man

Duties of The Edge Man Controls all activities on or near the edge. Is always tied into the safety line and should be in a position to observe the rescuer. Relays all communications and commands from the rescuer to the systems operators and from the operators to the rescuer via voice or radio contact.

Duties of The Edge Man Maintains awareness of: Rope travel over the edge The position of the fall line Need for additional edge protection Need for additional edge personnel for edge transition of litter Other duties as directed by the TRT Leader

COMMANDS “STOP” – Command given at any time by any member of the team when an unsafe situation is observed. This command will be repeated by all team members. “ON ROPE” – Command given by edge man to let everyone know the system is now loaded and the operation will begin.

Commands Continued “ON BELAY” – Command given from the rescuer to the belay man. This command is asking for confirmation. (Am I on belay?) “BELAY ON” – Reply to the above command. This confirms that the rescuer is indeed being belayed an the belay system is ready. (Yes, the belay is on!)

Commands Continued “SET” – This command is given by the leader of the raising or haul team. It is to let the systems operators know that they must now set their systems. “BELAY SET” – This command is given by the belay system operator to let the team know the belay system is properly locked off and the tandem prusiks are set.

Commands Continued “MAIN SET” - This command is given by the main line system operator to let the team know the main line system is properly locked off and the tandem prusiks are set. “RESET” – Command called by the leader of the raising or haul team to let the haul team know that both main and belay are set and the team may relax tension on the MA and reset for another raise.

Commands Continued “ROPE” – This command is given any time a rope is deployed or thrown from an elevated position. “ROCK” – This command is given any time debris or equipment is knocked loose. “DOWN” – (“Down Slow” or “Down Fast”) Command given when rescuer is ready to be lowered and to help to determine the desired rate of descent. “GOOD SPEED” – Systems are operating at a good speed

Commands Continued “RAISE” – Command given when rescuer is ready to be raised. “SLACK” – Command given to ask for more rope. May be called for on main or belay. “TENSION” – Command given when rescuer wants all slack to be taken out of the system. May be called for on main or belay.

General Safety Guidelines All team members are responsible for personal and team safety. If at any time an unsafe condition is observed, the command “STOP” should be given. Any member of the team may give this command.

General Safety Guidelines Equipment will be inspected – Before, During, & After use. “Budding Check” immediately after donning harness. Safety check will be done on all systems. The “Touch System” will be used on all systems.

“Touch System”

General Safety Guidelines A safety line, (Edge Line) will be established immediately and no one will be allowed beyond this point without being “tied in”. A belay line will always be used. Rope system checks will be performed by team members other than those who built it.

General Safety Guidelines All systems must pass the “Whistle Test”. This means at the sound of the whistle all systems operators take their hands off the systems. The entire system should be built so as prusiks and safeties are in place to capture the load without a severe shock on the system.

SUMMARY  Safety is every ones responsibility  Duties of the MSO  Duties of the Edge Man  Commands  General Safety Guidelines

Questions? All Classes must be documented in SUNPRO CLASS CODE = RRCLASS05