Rope Rescue

Objectives
• Demonstrate the following:
• Knowledge of rope types & strengths
• Tying basic knots
• Knowledge of rope software & hardware
• Knowledge and use of anchoring points
• Constructing mechanical advantage systems
• Basket operations
 References
• NFPA 1983, Standard on Fire Service Life Safety Rope and
System Components, 2001 Edition
• Rescue Technician Instructor Guide, Department of Defense
Fire Academy
• Fire Service Rescue, Sixth Edition, IFSTA
• NFPA 1670, Standard on Operations and Training for Technical
Rescue Incidents, 1999 ed.
• NFPA 1006, Standard for Rescue Technician Professional
Qualifications, 2001 ed.
• PHTLS, Mosby, Fourth Edition
 Rope rescue
Is a subset of technical rescue that involves the
use of static nylon kernmantle ropes, anchoring
and belaying devices, friction rappel devices,
various devices to utilize mechanical advantage
for hauling systems, and other specialized
equipment to reach victims and safely recover
them.
Three primary categories of rope rescue
exist:

•High Angle Urban/ Structural

•Wilderness/Mountain Rescue

•Cave Rescue
 CAUTION:
Rescue should not be attempted by
individuals who have not been formally
trained

NFPA regulation 1006 and 1670 state that all

"rescuers" must have medical training to perform any
technical rescue operation, including cutting the vehicle
itself during an extrication.
Rope Rescue is a very
dangerous event.

No Room for:
•casual behavior,
•uncontrolled speed
•lack of quality training.
• TO SEARCH
GOAL
•
TO EXTRICATE
• TO TREAT

• TRANSPORT THE VICTIM IN SAFE AND

CALCULATED MANNER
THE GOAL CAN BE BEST MET IF THE
3S’s WILL BE CONSIDERED

 SAFETY
 SURENESS
 SIMPLICITY
 SAFETY
IS A MINDSET THAT ALL
RESCUERS MUST
POSSESS
LACK OF SAFETY IS AN
EMERGENCY CASE
 SURENESS
MEANS THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE
ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT THAT YOU
HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE BEST TRAINING
AVAILABLE
 SIMPLICITY
CAN BE EQUATED
TO EFFICIENCY; THE
SIMPLEST WAY IS OFTEN
THE MOST EFFECTIVE
 SOFTWARE

Refers to rope, webbing, accessory cord and

harness which can be used alone or in
combination to protect rescuers and victims.
 ROPES
- is one of the oldest tools used by the fire
service.

It is very valuable for application:

•hauling tools,
•accomplishing rescues of different
elevations,
•stabilizing vehicles and
•cordoning off areas.
MOST COMMON TYPES OF ROPE
CONSTRUCTION:
Laid Rope – composed of three strands twisted
together to form the final rope. Twisted
ropes are susceptible to abrasion and other types of
physical damage.

Kernmantle Rope - jacketed type. Composed of

braided covering or sheath (mantle) over the load-
bearing strands (kern).
 CLASSIFICATIONS OF ROPE
IN THE FIRE SERVICE:

Life Safety Rope - kernmantle

(also means core and sheath)
- used to support rescuers and/or victims during
actual
incidents or training

Utility Rope - used in any instance, excluding life

safety applications, where the use of rope is
required.
2 types of Life Safety Rope:

- DYNAMIC

- STATIC
Dynamic (high stretch)

- elasticity is 60% of its length without breaking

- for long falls such as rock climbing to reduce the

shock of impact on both the climber and the anchor
system

- disadvantage is raising or lowering heavy loads

 Static
- elasticity is 20% of its length without breaking

- suitable for raising and lowering heavy loads

- Mostly used in rappelling and in other

instance where only very short falls are a
possibility.
 ROPE STRENGTH

Life Safety Rope must have a minimum

breaking strength of:

-4,500 lbs for a single person load of 300 lbs

(includes rescue equipment) and

-9,000 lbs for a two-person, 600 lbs load

(including equipment).
 ROPE
STRENGTH

Therefore, the safety factor is 15:1 for

both one-person and two-person line of a
½” rope and 13:1 for 7/16” rope.
 Accessory cord
Size Breaking Strength (lbs)

6mm 2,500
8mm 3,500
9mm 4,500

12.7 mm (1/2”) 9,000

Maximum working load:

1 person life safety rope – 300 lbs (136 Kg)
2 person life safety rope – 600 lbs (272 Kg)
 Ropes Used In Rescue
• Static Kern mantle
– Fiber bundles run parallel
– Stretches no more than 20%
– Known as “low-stretch rope”
• Dynamic Kern mantle
– Made of twisted strands
– Stretches as much as 60%
– Known as “high-stretch rope”
FACTORS THAT
LOWER ROPE
STRENGTH
 FACTORS THAT LOWER ROPE STRENGTH:

Kink/Untwined

-the Deformity when the rope is

improperly uncoiled, the twisting and untwisting
becomes concentrated at a single point in the
rope.
 FACTORS THAT LOWER ROPE STRENGTH:

Shear

– rope has been placed at the edge of a

concrete structure and is moving side to side
(lateral friction). It is as if being cut by a knife.
 FACTORS THAT LOWER ROPE
STRENGTH:

Knotting – the tighter the bend, the more

strength is lost.
 FACTORS THAT LOWER ROPE
STRENGTH:

Rubbing

– rope get damaged when carabiners and

other materials run through it due to friction.
This causes the filament to be cut-off
(fluffy)
 FACTORS THAT LOWER ROPE
STRENGTH:

Water absorption

Ultraviolet ray (sunlight)

– this causes the rope to become stiff and
lose its flexibility
 FACTORS THAT LOWER ROPE
STRENGTH:

Attachment of foreign object

– sand and dust particles may go inside the rope
which cut-off the filaments. This damage is mostly
invisible to the naked eye.
Fatigue due to repeated load
– this causes elongation.
 Importance of Knot tying

 Knot tying is very important and useful in

accomplishing different rescue operations such as rope

Importance of Knot tying

rescue, water rescue and other emergencies.

 The ability to tie a good knot will result to a

successful rescue operation.

 Knots are the link for many of the elements in the

high-angle, low angle and below- grade system.
 The incorrect tying and improper application
of a knot could result in serious injury or
death on the part of the rescuer and the victim.

 Knots are used in tying ropes and webbing

together, anchoring, improvisation, safety and
others.
 Most rescues takes place under severe
environmental

conditions, thus, rope rescue technicians should be

able to do knots..
- under stress / pressure
- in the dark
- when cold
- using only one hand and with diminished physical
activity
The inability to do knots may be a sign of a
lack of desire to develop the basic skills to be
a safe team member.
CLASSIFICATIONS OF A KNOT:

Knot - is a rope intertwined with itself

- a fixed, non-moveable place on a piece of
cordage that is achieved through turns, bends and tie-
offs.

Bend - is the intertwining of two ends of rope

CLASSIFICATIONS OF A KNOT:

Hitch - is a knot that is dependent on a hoist object

- a knot that attaches to or wraps around an object,
and when the object is removed, the knot will fall
apart.

Loop – a turn of the ropes that crosses itself.

 ELEMENTS OF A KNOT:

Bight – formed by simply bending the rope back on

itself while keeping the sides parallel

Loop – made by crossing the side of a bight over

the standing part

Round turn – consists of further bending of one

side of a loop
 Parts of a Rope
(when used in making knots)

Running end – part used in hoisting

or belaying
Working end – part used in forming
the knot
Standing part – the section of the
rope between the running end and the
working end
 Basic Rescue Knots
• Overhand Safety Knot
• Used with all other knots
• Water Knot
• Used to join two ends of webbing
• Bowline
• Used as a Rescue Knot or to hoist tools
 Basic Rescue Knots
• Clove Hitch
• Used secure a rope to an object
• Around an object
• Over an object

• Double Fisherman
• Used to create a prussic hitch
 Basic Rescue Knots
• Figure Eight Knot
• On a bight – around an object
• Follow through – around an object
• Double loop – for a dual anchor point
• Inline – as a anchor point
Square knot / Reef knot – most common method in
Fire escapetwo
connecting knotropes
– seriesofof overhand
the same knots
diameter.
However, when diameters of the two ropes are not
the same, it is possible for the knot to get loosened by
sliding from each other

Butterfly knot – the most versatile mid-line loop.

It is very fast to tie, quick to untie and easily
recognized.
Double Becket bend / Double Sheet bend – is a
more secure bend than the single becket bend
because of the round form that captures the
bight of the opposite rope.

Becket bend / Sheet bend – considered part of the Bowline

family because just like bowline it is very secure yet easy to
untie after it has been set. Also, it is backed up with a
fisherman’s knot when it is used to support a live load. Also
used to connect a chain end in rope.
Ship shank - used to shorten the length of rope
 Half hitch – the base hitch for almost all hitches.

Cow hitch / Girth hitch – this knot is also used to attach

rope or webbing to an anchor point or other object. Also
Prusik
used to/connect
Double acow
ropehitch
to an– object
the most used
such hitch in and
as stretcher
rescue
ladder. work. Also used in personal attachment points for
ascending and in system uses such as tandem prusik
belays and haul prusik for mechanical advantage.
Munter / Italian
Timber hitch – maybe
– used used asor aattachment
for anchoring single person
of rope
belay.
to an object such as log, post or tree.

Round turn, two half hitch – used to tie a rope to an

object at its end or in its middle
QUALITIES OF A GOOD KNOT:

 It can easily be tied and untied even after

loading

 Easy to determine if tied correctly

 Once tied, it remains tied

 Minimal effect on rope strength

Associated Software & Hardware

• Webbing
– Flat or Tubular
– Used in place of or with rope
– Strength
• 1” = 4,500 lbs tensile
• 2” = 6,000 lbs tensile
HA R N ESS
 2 GENERAL TYPES:

1. Those identified in NFPA 1983 as Class I,

Class II and Class III

Class I – this type of harness fastens around the waist

and around thighs or under buttocks and is intended to
be used for emergency escape with one-person loads
Class II – may appear to be identical with
Class I harness, the difference is in their
rated working loads which can only be
determined by reading the label on the
harness.
Class III- same with Class II
harness but can this type of
harness can fasten over the
shoulders for it is designed
to support two-person loads
and to prevent inverting.
2. In the absence of a manufactured harness,
rescuers should know how to construct life safety
harness using the equipments available on scene-
ropes, webbing and carabiners.

Improvised Harnesses:
- Seat harness
- Emergency harness / Diaper harness
- Body sling / Rescue sling
- Lifeline
 HARDWARE

The term hardware refers to the mechanical

devices needed to safely and fully utilize
rescue rope and to construct mechanical
advantage systems with rope.
 KINDS OF HARDWARE:

1. Load-Bearing Fasteners

o Carabiners – consists of an open metal loop with a

hinged gate to close the opening. Most are made of
aluminum or steel and comes either with “O” or “D”
shapes but the one with large, D-shaped, steel
carabiners with locking gates are recommended for
rescue work.
Rule of thumb :
If the carabiner was dropped from waist
height onto a hard surface, it should not be used in
a life safety application until it has been lab tested.

Carabiners are strongest when loaded vertically near the

spine and are weakest when loaded horizontally across
he gate. They are designed to be loaded in one direction
only.
o Tri-links – are similar to carabiners but they have
screw-type locking sleeve to close the opening and
they are usually triangular or semicircular in shape.
They are designed for multidirectional loads only.
o Rescue Rings – designed to be used
when a multi-directional load must be
supported.
o Swivels – applied at the point of attachment to
the anchor, this device prevents the twist that
sometimes develops in the mechanical
advantage systems. This twist develops a
significant amount of friction into the system.
o Anchor plates – also called belay plates, these
are braking devices used to stop or slow the
descent of a rescuer of the lifeline fails. These
devices may also be used for attaching
multidirectional loads.
Associated Software & Hardware
• Ascenders
• Constructed of aluminum
• Used for descent control and climbing
• 2,500 lbs tensile
• Pulleys
• Constructed of aluminum
• Used for mechanical advantage systems or change
of directions
• May be single or multi sheave
Associated Software & Hardware
• Prussic cords
• Formed using 6 to 9mm kern mantle rope
• Ends connect using a double fisherman knot
• Used in place of an ascender
• Slings
• Formed from nylon webbing w/ sewn in loops
• Used to secure rope to an anchor point or object being
moved
ANCHOR SYSTEMS
Definition of Terms:

Anchors – are the means of securing the rope

and other elements of the high angle system to
something solid.

Anchor point – a single secure connection for

an anchor.
Anchor system – is a multiple anchor point
rigged in such a way that together they
provide a “bombproof” anchor.

Bombproof – high-angle slang for an

absolutely, positively immovable object
such as a huge boulder, a large tree or a
fire engine.
CAUTION:
Regardless of what kind of anchor is
selected, rescuers must be aware that virtually
any anchor or system can be overloaded and fail
if enough pull is supplied.
TYPES OF ANCHOR SYSTEMS:

 Single point system

 Multipoint
SINGLE POINT SYSTEM

Types:

Tensionless anchor
– a quick and easy anchor provides a
dependable anchor with a minimum of
equipment. It should be applied as low on the
anchor point as possible.
Two-Bight anchor
- a simple but effective anchor is very easy and
quick to construct, it sometimes called a three-
bight anchor.

Multiwrap anchor
– is very similar to the tensionless anchor
except that the multi wrap can be constructed
of webbing or rope.
MULTIPOINT SYSTEM

Load-Sharing Anchor - are used when there may be

some doubt that one anchor point is sufficient to carry
the expected load.
These systems allow the load to be distributed
betweentwo or more anchor points. These systems work
well as long as the direction of pull remains constant.

Note: If the direction of pull changes, the entire load can

shift to one of the anchors.
Self-Adjusting Anchor
– similar to load-sharing anchor, this is used
when a single anchor point is not strong enough to
support the anticipated load and when the direction of
the pull is also likely to change during the rescue
operation.

Note: If a change in the direction of the pull is

anticipated, a better solution in this situation is a
self-adjusting anchor system.
 Anchor Points
• Selection
– Fixed object (Railing or I beam)
– Apparatus (Sturdy components)
– “BFR” very big rock
– Picket system (difficult)
– Always have a second/separate anchor point
for the backup line
 Picket Anchor System

Each point has an approx. rating of 350 lbs

Lash from the top of the front picket to the
bottom of the next one working backwards
 Anchor Points
• Types:
– Single point
• Tensionless hitch
• Wrap 3 - Pull 2
• Figure eight follow through
• Commercial straps
• Never use a girth hitch
 Anchor points
– Multiple points

Load sharing

Load distributing
 Anchor Point Critical Angles
•Any angle in an anchor system will increase the loading on anchors and
other element of the system

•For safety, 90 degrees is the maximum preferred angle, 120 degrees

should NEVER be exceeded

•Factors for the angle formed by the legs of the anchor in a two point
anchor system
30 degrees = 0.52
60 degrees = 0.58
90 degrees = 0.71
120 degrees = 1
150 degrees = 1.94
180 degrees = 12
 Redirect Critical Angles
• The greater the angle of the re-direct, the less the force exerted on it

• Never <90 degrees

• Should be >120 degrees

Factors for the angle of the re-direct

150 degrees = 0.52

120 degrees = 1
90 degrees = 1.4
60 degrees = 1.73
0 degrees = 2
Questions?