Lowering Operation Gone Bad (Your Thoughts)

[ProgressiveRescue]

I came across this video and was amazed by the operation overall. This is a great video for people that may be just getting into the world of rope rescue. If you're one of those people post a response regarding actions you see in this video that were unsafe or pinpoint the things that caused the sudden drop of the rescuer & victim.
If you have the time, explain how you think the operation could have run smoother. (Techniques, Equipment, ect..)

Mike Donahue
Specialized Rescue Forum Moderator







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQGc8CGez9U

[FiremanLyman]

Wasn't there. Don't know who it was, or want to.

Edge transition. There was no high help but it could have been easily managed by positioning the load, tensioning the system, load the system and move out over the edge.

By using a spider bridal and extending the far side basket bridals out the whole way you can position the load under tension out over the edge while keeping the patient face up. Since you have the litter attendant he can equal out the bridals once the edge transition is complete.

Don't know what the scenario is, but if you don't have high help I would rather load the patient for a vertical lower, and use tag lines rather than a litter attendant... though litter attendant looks cool. Again, the scenario might have dictated horizontal load with attendant. Who knows?

[Ack8236]

Wasn't there. Don't know who it was, or want to.

Edge transition. There was no high help but it could have been easily managed by positioning the load, tensioning the system, load the system and move out over the edge.

Ditto. Lifting the load and trying to manually "drop" it over the edge, does just that, drops it. Would like to be able to see the rigging set-up here. Without seeing it, and seeing how they tried to load it, makes it hard to know exactly what caused the problem.

[ProgressiveRescue]

Lowering Operation

There was clearly a few shortcomings in this operation. I think it's safe to say they didn't remove the slack in the lowering line prior to the rescuer going over the edge, thus the reason he dropped 3 or 4 feet. Use of tag lines on the rescue side of the stokes basket spaced about 4 feet apart would allow the crews on the roof to safely transfer the load over the edge with the rescuer.
A litter attendent is great if there's a medical emergency however I agree with FiremanLyman regarding a simple vertical lower. If you don't need to put another rescuer on rope.... don't. But as they say different strokes for different folks.
A top view would have been great to actually see the overall operation as a whole.
Mike Donahue

[Ack8236]

After thinking about it and looking again, it appears the main line WAS loaded, but only by the rescuer. Before the "drop" he was literally hanging onto the stokes, after the drop the stokes was at his waist level. A little more attention to detail goes a long way.

[Lewiston2FF]

Our typical method of performing the lowering operation is to lower the stokes over the edge utilizing a 2:1 made out of 1" tubular webbing looped through the top rail of the basket. The doubled webbing is clipped into a carabiner on the top and manually lowered by extra people on top. Once the basket has loaded the line the attendant is lowered using the same method and using the basket rails as steps. Once the attendant and basket are on rope the lower can begin and no shock loading has occured.

[servantleader]

No high directional shouldn't be a big deal

We do something very similar when no high directional is possible:
- Edge people move (wrestle?) the stretcher into position over the edge
- Litter attendant with personal connections already rigged moves into position using the stretcher rails as a platform
- A Purcell prusik (or etrier) girth hitched around the outside rail (used as a step) and two webbing loops girth hitched around the inside rail (used as handles) help the attendant get into position
- We give attendants who are concerned about shock-loading their personal connections while moving into position the option of an additional belay which is removed before the lowering commences.

It's not pretty, but, we don't expect beauty from edge transitions w/o high directionals. At least it doesn't shock load the system. On raises with no HD we use the pike and pivot method.

[jmatthe2]

I'd say these guys need a little more practice.

I am not a fan of putting the attandant out before the basket is over the edge. There is alot of weight and not much room to work. I think someone already mentioned the attendant using the rails for support to climb out onto the basket.

When no HD is available a vertical basket is a bit easier to launch. It can always be put back into vertical using a jigger/mini-haul.

[TRT24]

I don't know what parameters they set for themselves in this scenario, but they did have high help available. The basket could have easly been slid under the handrail with the rigging going over the top. With a short bridle they would have had plenty of height advantage for a horizontal lower.

[ProgressiveRescue]

Personally I don't like to put my rigging and in turn loaded lines over any handrails. I don't know how strong they are and I don't want any questions in my mind regarding whether or knot they will be able to support the load.
What I got from this video is video is the rescuer line was not tensioned allowing for a sommther transfer over the edge. The transfer of the stokes over the edge could have gone alot smoother with the use of two pieces of webbing or rope both at the head and foot area that would allow the rescuers topside to control the weight untill it was transfered onto the mainline. Just one of the methods I've used and it seemes to work well.
Stay Safe,
Mike Donahue

[TRT24]

thats a training tower, I'm sure the rails were built to hold a load. With the belay running under the rails you can reduce the danger of a catastrophic failure of the handrail ( highly unlikey in this case). Point being, there are several methods that could be employed to avoid what occurred in the video.

[ProgressiveRescue]

I agree they're are several ways of performing this rescue however if I was forced to use those rails for an anchor I would need to back them up because their questionable anchors. Based on that and unknown matienence of said rails I'd rather stay clear placing 100% of the load on them and stay clear of them all together.
If you ran the belay under the rails and had a main-line problem and failure and we're forced to piggyback onto the belay line it would make it real difficult to get that rescuer or victim up and over those rails.
Just My Thoughts,
Stay Safe,
Mike Donahue