Rescue Basics

1
Rescue Basics

• RUCC Training trip 2006
• David Webster

2
Rescue Principles

• Principle of Personal Safety
• Look after yourself youre worse than useless
• if you become a victim too!
• Principle of Victims Best Interest
• Dont make the situation worse.
• Principle of Simplicity
• Keep it simple, keep it fast.
• Principle of Maximum Usefulness
• Place yourself where youre going to be most
  useful
• Principle of the Clean Line
• Ropes are dangerous around water
• Principle of Presumed Insanity
• The assumption must be that the victim is a
• homicidal maniac whose only mission in life is
  
• to drown you

3
Principle of Personal Safety

• You should not take unnecessary or unjustifiable
  risks
• Its not good for you
• The situation will escalate
• Additional rescuers will be required
• Your victim wont get saved any quicker
• You wont get to the pub as quickly
• NOTE Can be difficult on a river, because the
  victim is often your friend

4
Principle of Victims Best Interest

• No action by rescuers should place victims in
  more danger than they were already in
• Theres no point in making the situation worse
• The victim wont thank you for it
• You have a duty of care to the victim

5
Principle of Simplicity

• Keep it simple, keep it fast
• Simple solutions are quicker to implement
• There is less to go wrong
• Other people will understand them easier
• They require less additional equipment
• They tend to be more flexible

6
Principle of Maximum Usefulness

• As a rescuer you should always be where youll be
  needed the most
• This applies while paddling down the river as
  well as in rescue situations
• Where youre needed most will change so your
  position should be as flexible as possible

7
Principle of the Clean Line

• Ropes and water are a bad mix
• Knots, or handles or other things attached to
  ropes tend to get hooked up on a river
• If they get hooked up or caught on rocks in a
  current, the object on the other end (possibly
  the victim) will drift towards the bottom of the
  river

8
What rescue kit would/should you have available
on a river?
9
Rescue kit available

• ? Yourself
• ? Other people
• ? Paddle
• ? Boat
• ? Throwline
• ? Sling
• ? Carabiners
• ? Whistle
• ? Knife
• Rescue Harness
• Anything else that might be useful

10
In a rescue situation, you need to

• 1. Assess the situation
• 2. Stabilise the situation
• 3. Reassess the situation
• 4. Decide on a plan of action
• 5. Communicate plan to team
• 6. Allocate tasks and ensure everyone understands
• 7. Execute plan
• 8. Review incident

11
Protecting a rapid

• aka setting up safety

12
Why set up safety?
13
Why set up safety?

• The aim of setting up safety is to
• Anticipate if a rescue is required
• Put people in place to carry out that rescue
• This will make a rescue
• Quicker
• Safer
• More capable

14
How to protect a rapid
15
Where to get more information

• Books
• Franco Ferrero White Water Safety and Rescue
• Lots of others
• Experience
• You cant do without it - get out there and get
  some

• Training Courses
• White Water Safety and Rescue (BCU) - the club
  will organise one - try and go on it
• Swiftwater Safety and Rescue (Rescue 3) - More
  advanced than WWSR, aimed at professional
  rescuers

16
(No Transcript)