Have a Little FUN During Rescue Training

While rescue certified 24-foot extension aluminum training is serious rescue ladder, extended to 18 business, as it feet. First, it required members to should be, it can remember how to carry and deploy also be fun, as a rescue ladder — by the book — as well as allowing we were taught in NCDOI Rescue skills to be College. The ladder was extended Bob Twomey tested and used to the proper height while on in personal and sawhorses — or laid on wooden team building cribbing blocks on the ground. The capacities. While I do subscribe to lanyard was properly “tied off” on “training by the book” to get basic the rungs of the ladder, securing the and advanced knowledge, skills, and fly to the bed. Then, the ladder fly abilities (KSAs), there is no reason and bed were further secured by training cannot be exercised in the clove hitch-round turns-clove different, fun ways. This diversity in hitch method, like you would use training is, of course, delegated to the in the standard ladder-as-a-derrick unit’s training officer, but you know, procedure. This again tested their the training officer doesn’t always memory and technical skill. Then, need to wear starched underwear as if doing relative ladder-derrick all the time! Experiment some and procedures, four guy ropes were find new ways to test your members’ properly attached to the beams at rescue skills in unique ways. the tip of the ladder, thus creating aft,

Some years ago, after training my fore and side guy ropes. This tested department in BRT, ART, ERT and those practical skills. RT curricula, I decided to challenge We also attached a rescuer safety our members’ skills in unique ways. line over the top rung and secured pickets should be placed relative to ladder. For simplicity’s sake, I train One of the most fun, but challenging the running end to a low rung near ladder position, as well as how far rescuers to two times anything is exercises, was to test their knots, the base of the ladder. Then, when to place the pickets away from the easier to calculate than one and onelashing and ladder rigging skills we decided where the feet of the ladder on all four sides. half times anything, if site conditions by performing the “vertical ladder” ladder would be placed once the Remember, pickets are placed allow. So, picket placement skills are exercise. ladder was raised up vertical, they one and one-half to two times the tested, including the angle placement

This skill set involved using a were tested on where the anchor extended length of the ladder, thus 27 to 36 feet from the base of the

Pictured: Fore, aft guy line ropes. Can add two side guy lines for added lateral stability.

see HAVE FUN page 8

Cont’d from page 6 of the pickets and proper depth into the ground in order to obtain the proven anchor strengths.

Then came time to properly raise the ladder without it falling over in any direction. This required a member at all four guy line pickets, maintaining proper tensioning of the guy lines during the raise. Two rescuers “heeled” the ladder during the raise to keep the butt of the ladder from “kicking out” during the raise. Once vertical, all guy lines were secured to the pickets with a round turn and clove hitch. Again, testing these skills to adequately secure a ladder.

So now we had a ladder standing vertically. But, as with the ladder derrick procedure, two pickets had to be driven into the ground very close to the beams of the ladder for securing the base of the ladder from any movement once loaded. Again, clove hitch, round turns, finished off with a clove hitch around the beams of the ladder and the pickets. So now we have a secured vertical ladder 18 feet tall.

At this point, a rescuer ties into the safety rope via a sit harness, or, if you want more training review, have the rescuer tie a class three rescue harness. The rescuer climbed the ladder, seeing how a vertical climb is much different than a standard angle climb. Some rescuers went to the top and back down, others climbed around a ladder beam and descended down the other side. Lessons taught? Yes. Trust the rope, the knots, the pickets, the ladder’s strength, the climber’s abilities to adapt and most importantly, to trust your fellow rescuers.

There are other technical but fun exercises you can do. You can secure a timber or a ground ladder to a stable elevated tower or beam that can be used for ascending a rope exercise with prusik knots or your mechanical ascenders. Likewise, rig two ropes, have the rescuer ascend one rope, switch off to the other rope, then descend back to the ground. Rope skills are greatly tested here along with enhancing personal endurance and technical skill levels. This exercise is also a great confidence builder for the rescuer. What’s tested here? More lashing skills, rope handling and knots and vertical high-level skills.

These are just a few examples of the many creative training scenarios a training officer can come up with. Be creative, and yes, be safe and don’t mis-rig or overload your equipment.

Ladder beams secured to pickets

The stabilized vertical ladder ready for climbing. Suspended ladder used for rope lashing, knot and climbing skills.

Bob Twomey has been in the volunteer rescue service for 46 years, having served on five Rescue Squads from the coast to the mountains. He is currently a member of Transylvania County Rescue Squad, past Chief and Training Chief, an EMT for 45 years, and is an IFSAC and OSFM certified Rescue Instructor. Bob has been active in SAR, Mountain Rescue, and teaches highlevel rescue. He is the chief pilot of Wolf Tree Aviation, and flies helicopter searches and rescue support locally. He is a Crew Chief for the NC Forest Service. He can be reached at 828-884-7174 or at btwomey@ comporium.net.