Tweet
I am a certified Rescue Tech 1, threw the department of defense. I have not been in the class in about 4years, although I do participate in a lot of high angle rescue situations with a local search and rescue team.
My question stems from this. Four members of my department attended the Alabama fire college to be certified to instruct confined space rescue. Long story short we were out training and set the tripod over the hole. (We have a trainer we used). When the rescuer was placed on the 4to1 B/T and the Belay line was hooked up before the "Rescuer" entered the whole. They attached the belay line to the same attachment point on his harness as his load line.
This sent up red flags all over my head and I asked " Why are you hooking up his belay line to the same point as his haul line?" I got the typical firehouse answer from the instructor. Because that’s how I was taught at AFC. I said to myself, “well I was always taught that rope rescue systems are always safety redundant, and that you have 2 systems (Haul, and Belay) that are totally independent from each other so that if one system fails and any point, the second system is intact.”
I used common sense and the education that I had received to explain why you would not want to hook your belay line to the same attachment point as the haul line, because if that attachment point fails, then you now have no belay line, and no haul line and you fall to the ground below.
My instructor failed to accept common sense and just kept repeating “That’s how they taught it at AFC”
I guess I am calling all the RESCUE RATS out there to help me with my defense. I guess my fellow firefighter who was teaching this class got a little “Butt Hurt” when I called safety on attaching the belay line and the haul line to the same attachment point, and ran his mouth to my Captain, who then decided to get an attitude with me, over having a legit safety concern, and voicing it.
If anyone could lead me in the right direction to the standard that says two independent attachment points, two independent systems, and two independent anchor systems, I would appreciate it.
My question stems from this. Four members of my department attended the Alabama fire college to be certified to instruct confined space rescue. Long story short we were out training and set the tripod over the hole. (We have a trainer we used). When the rescuer was placed on the 4to1 B/T and the Belay line was hooked up before the "Rescuer" entered the whole. They attached the belay line to the same attachment point on his harness as his load line.
This sent up red flags all over my head and I asked " Why are you hooking up his belay line to the same point as his haul line?" I got the typical firehouse answer from the instructor. Because that’s how I was taught at AFC. I said to myself, “well I was always taught that rope rescue systems are always safety redundant, and that you have 2 systems (Haul, and Belay) that are totally independent from each other so that if one system fails and any point, the second system is intact.”
I used common sense and the education that I had received to explain why you would not want to hook your belay line to the same attachment point as the haul line, because if that attachment point fails, then you now have no belay line, and no haul line and you fall to the ground below.
My instructor failed to accept common sense and just kept repeating “That’s how they taught it at AFC”
I guess I am calling all the RESCUE RATS out there to help me with my defense. I guess my fellow firefighter who was teaching this class got a little “Butt Hurt” when I called safety on attaching the belay line and the haul line to the same attachment point, and ran his mouth to my Captain, who then decided to get an attitude with me, over having a legit safety concern, and voicing it.
If anyone could lead me in the right direction to the standard that says two independent attachment points, two independent systems, and two independent anchor systems, I would appreciate it.
Comment