Technical Rescue
rope rescue
When you hear about rescue, most think about cutting people out of cars. However, the most basic part of rescue relies on ropes! Knots, repelling, ascending/ descending, and creating mechanical advantages are the fundamentals to rescue. Ropes and rope-rigging equipment can be easily carried into environments that cranes and trucks cannot. With the proper training, skilled rescuers can assemble all of the equipment to make equally powerful and safe lifting systems.
Rope rescue can be either high-angle or low-angle. High-angle rescues are very skill-intensive, and require rescuers to access the patient while suspended on the rope. There may be little to no footing, and the patient is often retrieved in a stokes basket. A low-angle rescue still posses the risks of falling and injuries, but may not require the rescue to be attached to a rope. Semi-steep slopes or icy hills are examples of these types of rescues.
Stokes Basket
A stokes basket is a specialized patient- carrying device that can be rigged to ropes and safely extricate victims out of complex and dangerous environments.
Rigging Packs
Rigging packs carry a wide variety of gear to rig ropes into Mechanical Advantage Systems. In this photo, these are our "One-Man Packs", designed for a single rescuer to set-up an entire rescue system.
Special Consideration: What is "One-Man Rescue"?
One-man rescue is a term coined by Mountain Park Rescue Squad that refers to the use of more technical, skill-intensive techniques to successfully complete a rescue in the absence of sufficient personnel. Based on the curriculum and expectations of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), North Carolina Office of the State Fire Marshall (NC OFSM), and the North Carolina Association of Rescue and Emergency Medical Services (NCAREMS), numerous personnel are required to complete a rescue, especially a rope or technical rescue. The problem is that in recent years, volunteerism has decreased. Modern society often leaves many of those willing to volunteer unable to, or if they can, they often do not have the time or availability for every call. While typical standards would require 8 TR certified responders to respond, this is not the realistic outcome.
So in response, we are pioneering a new approach to rescue. While it is complicated and technical, it briefly involves concepts such as:
A rescuer solely managing their own ascent and descent while on a rope (traditionally managed by a rigging team)
A single attendant packaging and managing the victim while 1 - 3 others prepare a haul system
Advanced technology from other industries, such as SPRAT, that are not traditional to the rescue setting
Technology to decrease individual workload while simultaneously increasing individual capacity and output
vehicle rescue
The "Jaws of Life" refer to a set of hydraulic tools used to assist rescuers in cutting victims out of a vehicle, a process known as Extrication. The tools are actually called spreaders, cutters, and rams, and each is powered with hydraulic fluid to rip apart, push apart, cut through, and stabilize vehicles. The hydraulic tools are only part of a vehicle rescue, however. Stabilization is the use of various items to keep a vehicle steady and safe while rescuers work on it. This requires cribbing, high-lift jacks, struts, and air bags.
Hydraulic Ram
The hydraulic ram is one of multiple tools we use for vehicle extrication. The ram is a long, strong telescopic rod with special edges that extends outwards. The result is that it creates a "pushing" force against the vehicle. In this photo, it was used to push the dash off of an imaginary patient.
Auto Crib-It
A new technology, Auto Crib-it is one of many ways to stabilize a vehicle. It prevents the vehicle from moving while we are operating on it. If for some reason the vehicle does lift, Auto Crib-it automatically adjusts and restabilizaes the vehicle.
confined space rescue
18inch pipes, sewer systems, tight fits, oxygen deprived areas, and tanks with dangerous gases are all areas people can land themselves in trouble with, and are therefore places a rescue can take place. Maneuvering through tight and dangerous spaces to rescue someone requires special techniques and equipment, such as Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA), often referred to as an air-pack in fire departments, tripods, and extensive rope rescue systems.
SCBA
The Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) is an air-tight system that keeps the rescuer breathing on clean, safe air. This is critical when a rescuer may have to enter a space that is low on oxygen or is filled with a hazardous material.
SKED Stretcher
This specialized patient-movement device allows us to safely and effectively package and extricate patent's from confined spaces. It engulfs the pt, provides spinal support, and is slick, allowing it to be slid easliy.
S.A.R. (search and rescue)/ wilderness rescue
The location of our patient isn't always cut-and-dry. Hunting accidents, ATV accidents, and falls often occur deep in the woods and mountains where rescue trucks and ambulances can't reach. Special training for Search and Rescue operations and patient management are required for these kinds of rescues. In fact, Wilderness Rescue is MPRS's designated specialty!
All-Terrain Vehicle
83-ATV1 is our fourwheeler. We have a specialized stokes basket trailer to assist with extricating the pt over long distances where a carry-out or ambulance may not be viable.
GPS
We utilized Garmin GPSMAP 66is, which integrate with our SAR software (SARTOPO) and provide accurate locations of our rescuers. Being able to report our location is vital for both the mission itself, and our safety.
water rescue
Rescue extends beyond land. Water rescue is another specialty that involves working rescuers in a way that gets people who are at risk of harm or death out of the water, both still and moving, and getting to shore alive. Boat operations are a very small part of water rescue, most of it involves being hands on with ropes and rafts to get patients to safety,
Throw Bags
Throw bags are exactly that: bags that you throw. Rescuers are trained to precisely throw the bags to victims moving downstream, allowing the victim to grab ahold of the rope and be pulled safely to shore.
Flat-Bottom Boats
Commonly referred to as "John Boats", these simple watercraft don't have any motors. They are made of solid aluminum, and are designed to navigate narrow and shallow waterways using paddles. Not all rescues require our large and well-equipped Rescue One Connector Boat.
machine and agriculture rescue
Tractors and agricultural equipment are built with far stronger and more industrial materials and grades of metals than vehicles are. As an agricultural area, it is vital to know what to do when a tractor flips over on a farmer or when someone falls into a combine. Cutting and lifting these pieces of machinery are far different due to their material strength.
High-Lift Jack
The high-life jack (the red and black piece of equipment in the photo) is high-strength, and serves as an excellent piece of lifting equipment. It is relativiley easy to carry out into difficulty to access areas, and can be easily stabilized in muddy or uneven terrain.
Wood Cribbing
Also used in vehicle rescue and other stabilization, wood cribbing can be positioned and used to rapidly fill the awkward voids and holes found in farming equipment that typically makes it difficult to stabilize.
