1. Lamorinda Community Emergency Response Team Rescue Ropes, Anchors and Knots

2. Semper Salus!
Safety is Always the Number One Priority!

3. CERT Disclaimer
This 2 hour presentation will NOT qualify you to perform Technical Rope Rescue!
Do not put a life in jeopardy by exceeding your training.
We are here to present a series of knots, anchors and other material to familiarize you with the proper tools for LOW ANGLE emergency use.
Practice the knots as often as possible on household chores.

4. Rope Rescue Definitions
Low angle rope rescue refers to an environment in which the "on-rope" rescuers are predominately supported by the rescuers themselves (feet on the ground) and not the rope rescue system.
High angle rope rescue refers to an environment in which the "on-rope" rescuers are predominantly supported by the rope rescue system.

5. Safety Factors
Ropes, webbing, carabiners and other hardware have tensile strengths (minimum breaking strength or MBS) rated in pounds or kN. 1 kN = 220 pounds.
Safety Factors are used to limit the chance failure.
NFPA Life Safety – 15:1
NFPA Utility – 7:1
Mountain Climbing – 10:1

6. Strength Loss Caused by Knots

7. Ropes and Webbing

8. Rope Types - Utility
A Utility Rope is one that is used for hauling supplies or securing objects.
A Utility Rope must NEVER be used to support the weight of a person.

9. Rope Types - Utility
Utility Rope materials:

10. Rope Types – Life Safety
A Life Safety Rope is normally a Static Kernmantle nylon rope.
½ inch, MBS 9,000 lbs.
Safety Factor 15:1
Working strength 600 lbs.
Static kernmantle (low stretch)
Used to support personnel
Parallel fiber core prevents stretch
Dynamic kernmantle (high stretch)
Shock-load absorbing ability
Mountain climbing line
Twisted or Laid core allows stretch
Static ropes are typically manufactured in one color and have a contrasting color as a tracer. Dynamic ropes come in three to four colors.

11. Rope Types – Life Safety
Kernmantle is constructed with
High-strength continuous fiber inner core (kern)
Braided outer sheath (mantle)
Kern is the load bearing element (about 70%) protected by the mantle

12. Webbing Used for Most common Tying anchors
Lashing victims into a litter
Tying personal harness
Most common
1 inch, spiral weave, tubular, nylon
MBS 4,000 lbs.

13. Webbing
Sold in cut lengths that conform to color code standard followed by most rescue teams throughout North and South America:
Green 1.5M Ft
Yellow 3.5M 12 Ft
Blue M 15 Ft
Orange / Red 6 M 20 Ft
Black M Ft
To remember the colors in order: Get Your Boots On

14. Webbing Flat Webbing Tubular Webbing Single layer of fabric
Hard to tie into knots
MBS 3,000 lbs. for 1”
Mainly used for straps and harnesses
Tubular Webbing
2 types:
Spiral Weave (Shuttle Loom)
Edge Stitched (Needle Loom)
Easy to tie into knots
MBS 4,000 lbs. for 1”

15. Rope and Webbing Care Inspect before and after use Inspect for-
Visual damage
Loose Mantle
Kinks
Store away from sunlight, heat and chemicals
Wash and air dry

16. Rope Use and Limits Do not submit Life Safety Rope to shock loads
Do not step on rope, you will grind in dirt
Use edge protection on all ropes crossing sharp edges and on dirt slopes
Keep a written log on all Life Safety Rope
Damaged or worn Life Safety Rope can be decommissioned into Utility Rope with appropriate markings.

17. Rescue Anchors

18. Anchors
An anchor is used to support the complete weight of the victim and the rescuers with all equipment
An anchor must be “bomb-proof”
Anchors may be natural or manmade
Trees
Rocks – “BFR”, a “very large rock”
Trucks
Buildings

19. Anchors Select anchors that are in line with the pull of the system
Consider that the direction of the pull may change with the movement of the load
Do not use trailer hitches or tow hooks as anchor points. Use main frames or axles for stable points of attachment.

20. Anchors Picket systems require more resources and time
Multi-point anchors can distribute shock load better and offer redundancy if a single anchor fails
Redundant anchor points should be as strong as the main anchor point
Back-up anchors must have little slack in case of shock loading

21. Anchors Angle between the legs should not exceed 90°
Load-distributing anchor systems share the load and provide readjustment if a point fails

22. Anchors Wrap 3 Pull 2 with webbing
Load is off knot and web is doubled for strength

23. Anchors
Load Sharing with Webbing
Load divided among 3 anchor points

24. Anchors Tensionless Hitch Minimum 3 wraps, more if surface is smooth
Anchor at least 8x diameter of rope
Aligns with direction of pull
Same strength as rope because no load on knot

25. Anchors Picket Anchor System
A single picket driven 2 feet into firm soil has a safe working load of approximately 700 lb.
A combination picket or three pickets in line and lashed together will hold about 1,800 lb.

26. Anchors
Triangle Picket Anchor System

27. Rescue Knots

28. Names of rope parts A rope has many parts, each with a name
To avoid confusion, here are the part names

29. Names of line parts
Bight - a bend in the rope that does not cross back across itself.
Loop - a bend in the rope that DOES cross itself.
Elbow – the crossing of the rope
Standing end – the long end, not the knotted end.
Standing part – the middle of the rope.
Working end – the end where the knot is tied

30. Stoppers A knot that stops a rope from exiting a pulley
A knot that stops a primary knot from loosening by securing the working end

31. Stoppers
Overhand Knot
Used to back up other knots

32. Stoppers Double Overhand Stopper Knot
Reliable, moderately large stopper

33. Stoppers Figure Eight Stopper Knot
Used to stop rope travel through a device
Basis of the Figure Eight family of knots

34. Loops
Non slipping loops
Slipping loops
Attachment points
Anchor knots

35. Loops Figure Eight Loop Can be attached to an object with a carabiner
Non slipping loop

36. Loops Figure Eight Follow Through Tied around an object
Non slipping loop

37. Loops Figure Eight on a Bight
Can be attached to an object with a carabiner
Non slipping loop

38. Loops Double Loop Figure Eight Forms two individual loops
Creates more bearing surface for the load
More efficient than the normal figure eight loop

39. Loops Directional Figure Eight Loop Forms loop in the middle of a rope
Takes strain in one direction only
Strain from other direction collapses loop

40. Loops Alpine Butterfly Designed to be pulled in any of 3 directions
Can be tied mid-line
No back ups needed

41. One Side of the Butterfly forms an X or Cross
The Other Side has Two Parallel Ropes

42. Loops Bowline Non-slipping loop MUST be backed up
Lower efficiency than figure 8 family

43. Loops
Bowline on a Bight
Non-slipping loop
Double loops

44. Loops Handcuff Loop Slipping loop
Used to secure wrists or ankles of victim

45. Hitches A knot that ties around an object
The object may be the standing end of the rope

46. Hitches Half Hitch Basic knot
Used in multiples, i.e. 2 half-hitches or 3 half-hitches

47. Hitches
Clove Hitch
Can be tied with webbing also

48. Hitches Girth Hitch or Lark’s Foot Basis of the Prusik Hitch
Not to be used with webbing in anchor point because it can cut itself

49. Hitches Tensionless Hitch Minimum 3 wraps, more if surface is smooth
Anchor at least 8x diameter of rope
Aligns with direction of pull
Same strength as rope because no load on knot

50. Hitches Prusik Hitch Triple wrap in tandem for rescue loads
Should slip before failure

51. Hitches
Marlinspike Hitch
Use to secure the top of a stake for driving

52. Hitches Trucker’s Hitch Use to attach, then tension rope
Can be doubled up

53. Bends
For Joining Two Ropes

54. Bends
Fisherman’s Bend
Can be used as back up knot

55. Bends Double Fisherman’s Bend Suited for ropes of equal diameters
Commonly used to tie Prusik Loops
Requires no back up knot
Parallel Ropes

56. Bends
Figure Eight Bend
Suited for ropes of equal diameters

57. Bends Sheet or Becket Bend Join ropes of unequal diameters
When tied the bight goes in the larger rope

58. Utility Knots Square Knot or Reef Knot
A binding knot, not a joining bend
Used to keep objects together
Not to be used with synthetic ropes
Not a load bearing knot
Very low efficiency
Lose over half of rope strength

59. Utility Knots Thieve’s Knot
Result of improperly tied Reef (Square) Knot
Bitter ends on opposite sides
It is said that sailors would secure their belongings in a ditty bag using the thief knot, often with the ends hidden. If another sailor went through the bag, the odds were high the thief would tie the bag back using the more common reef knot, revealing the tampering, hence the name.

60. Square
Thieves

61. Utility Knots Granny Knot Result of improperly tied Reef Knot
Loops are over/under
Bitter ends on same side
Comes loose easily
Can jam and be hard to untie

62. Utility Knots Water Knot An overhand follow through
Mainly used for webbing
Primary use is creating loops of webbing

63. Prusik Loops Use 8mm kernmantle rope on ½” rescue rope
Tie with pair of Double or Triple Fisherman’s Knots
Short is 60”
Long is 72”
Use different colors for long and short

64. Fist Width Between Prusiks
Prusik Loops
Fist Width Between Prusiks
Triple Wrapped
Knots off set from apex
“ One to pull, two to haul ”

65. Practice
A Rescue Team that handles rope only once a year can not be proficient in knot tying.
Practice

66. Semper Salus!

67. Other Resources
Animated Knots by GrogTM available as Windows or Mac Desktop App or Mobile App on iPhone and Android platforms.
Office of the State Fire Marshal. Low Angle Rope Rescue Operational Instructor and Student Manual. Sacramento, CA: State Fire Training, Accessed 21 Feb

68. Credits
Original presentation created by Sherry Balon for Rural/Metro Corporation, Division of Training. Made available in the public domain at:
Additional material from N.C. Rope Rescue Tech presentation, California Low Angle Rope Rescue Operational Manual and many others
Adapted and enhanced for Lamorinda CERT by Duncan Seibert