Advancing Vertical Rescue in Australia: A Worldwide Fact Finding Report

In 2014 Scott Young received The David Balfour Churchill Fellowship to “advance fire fighter safety by studying overseas developments in the vertical rescue industry”

Essentially, he was given the funding and support to travel the world and study the best elements of vertical rescue around the globe. He spent time in the US, Belgium, Japan, UK and France learning from the best practitioners.

He was kind enough to provide to us his complete report which is available to download and read:

Advancing Vertical Rescue in Australia: PDF

Here is the introduction and Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION
 
 Vertical rescue in its simplest form is a transportation challenge that requires moving a casualty
 
 safely from point A to B out of a hazardous situation using rigging and ropes. In practical
 
 application, it is much more complex and requires significant training and experience, due to the
 
 ever present danger of gravity. This Fellowship aimed to advance capacity in vertical rescue to
 
 help bring about safer and more efficient operations and training within Australia.
 
 This aim was pursued with targeted and detailed interviews with leading international rescue
 
 organisations including the Tokyo Fire Department, Chamonix police mountain rescue, and the
 
 New York Fire Department. Individuals with renowned expertise and influence in this area were
 
 also contacted to provide their insights and opinions. Among them are Mr Tom Pendley, Mr Reed
 
 Thorne, Mr Mike Gibbs, and Mr Kirk Mauthner. Finally, I attended advanced level and highly
 
 specialised vertical rescue courses with Rigging for Rescue, Ropes that Rescue, and Lyon Work
 
 and Rescue. This report will detail the numerous lessons learnt and potential advancements for
 
 the Australian vertical rescue industry.

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Fellowship aimed to advance knowledge in the discipline of vertical rescue in Australia. By
 
 bringing home ideas and best practice from around the world, it is hoped that vertical rescue
 
 practice in Australia will be safer and more efficient for both rescuers and casualties.
 
 I visited numerous organisations across Japan, UK, France and the USA, and participated in three
 
 specialist courses in the UK and USA. The variations between organizations were vast, and
 
 comparisons difficult. However by accessing the different ideas and sources of information, I was
 
 able to identify a number of valuable findings.
 
 The most significant technical finding was the shift towards twin tensioned rope techniques
 
 (“TTRS”). Based on my 10 years experience as a vertical rescue operator and research conducted
 
 during this Fellowship, I agree that TTRS is the future direction for vertical rescue, which will
 
 only become more popular as equipment advances develop to complement this technique.
 
 Other findings include the need to improve communication across the industry. This is crucial to
 
 providing a modern, safe, consistent and professional vertical rescue capability Australia wide.
 
 Conferences such as International Technical Rescue Symposium (ITRS), competitions such as
 
 Grimp Day, and websites such as the Alpine Near Miss Survey (ANMS) are all good examples of
 
 how information and ideas sharing could be improved in Australia.
 
 There were many equipment discoveries and alternatives to existing tools and devices, and not all
 
 were worthy of a change from what currently is in use. Some that were worthy of change
 
 however include the CMC Multi Purpose Device (“MPD”), new Petzl ASAP 2, and Kask Super
 
 Plasma Helmet combined with the Petzl Pixa 3 head torch.
 
 Vertical rescue training needs significant resources, and is often mistakenly considered a one off
 
 expense. If an organisation is legislated to provide a vertical rescue service to the community then
 
 they must commit to regular training, with full refresher courses at least once every four years for
 
 all operators to keep qualifications current, and work practices safe. The Greater Manchester Fire
 
 Brigade training and skills maintenance structure would be a good template to consider. Four, one
 
 week courses with a minimum twelve month break to help consolidate skills, would ensure skill
 
 currency.
 
 Disseminating these findings will be achieved through my role as a vertical rescue instructor and
 
 by engaging rescue organisations and training providers around Australia. I aim to submit articles
 
 to industry magazines, create a vertical rescue blog at www.roperescue.net, and actively assist
 
 climbing, mountaineering, outdoor and adventure groups in training.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3. DISCLAIMER

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

5. BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH

6. OVERVIEW OF ORGANISATIONS VISITED

7. RESEARCH FINDINGS

I. RESEARCH FINDINGS – TECHNIQUES

II. RESEARCH FINDINGS -­‐ EQUIPMENT

III. RESEARCH FINDINGS -­‐ TRAINING

IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS -­‐ INFORMATION SHARING

8. CONCLUSION

9. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

10. DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS

11. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

12. REFERENCES

13. APPENDIX 1: MIRRORED SYSTEMS WITH MPD(TTRS)

14. APPENDIX2: CRITICISMS AND COUNTER CRITICISMS TO TTRS

Download the full report here:

Advancing Vertical Rescue in Australia: PDF

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