The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Slide 1 Rope Systems and Rigging Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 2 SYSTEMS Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 3 Rescue Technician Core Rigging, Anchoring, and Mechanical Advantage SUITABLE ANCHOR POINTS Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 4 Rock Formations Check stability Using rocks as an anchor is usually not the first choice For a rock to be a suitable anchor, it would have to be so large that it would be difficult to attach anchors to it Rocks often have extremely sharp edges that require special care when padding Pad rough edges Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 1 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 5 Trees Consider• Diameter • Soil • Type of tree • Tree health Pad rough edges Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 6 Structural Anchor Points Evaluate each anchor separately Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Generally trees should be at least 6” in diameter Anchors should be attached as low as possible A tree in sandy soil won’t have the same solid root structure as a tree in normal soil Hardwood trees tend to be stronger due to the fact that they have deep growing roots and a taproot which grows straight down Unless they are growing on / next to a cliff due to the shallow soil depth Softwood trees have thin roots that grow more toward the surface of the ground They are still very suitable anchors, we just must ensure the tree health and use larger trees Look for dead branches on a tree to help determine its health A smaller live tree is better than a larger dead tree Beams Columns Standpipes Whatever is chosen, it must be evaluated to ensure it is bomproof Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 7 Installed Anchor Points Window washer / maintenance anchors These are installed in places where workers must routinely go over the edge to perform work Window washers, maintainers, etc Bottom left and right show a Davit arm and its mounting base Top center shows a permanently installed anchor and how it’s mounted to the structure of the building Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 2 of 15 Revision: 052316 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 8 Rooftop HVAC Units Attach to exposed structural supports The “curb” provides no structure! Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 9 Radio Towers Attach to the structure of the tower, not antenna mounts The style of tower will determine anchor points Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 10 Guard Rails Attach to the vertical beam Pad rough edges Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 11 Construction Equipment Avoid using as a “high point” anchor Ground the bucket / blade •Don’t forget to lockout / tagout the vehicle Hydraulic cylinders can creep if left elevated Avoid attaching to the hydraulic cylinders Attach to large, structural parts of the equipment Protect webbing / anchor straps Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 3 of 15 Revision: 052316 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 12 Don’t forget to lockout / tagout the vehicle Vehicles / Apparatus Pad edges and protect from grease / oils •Trailer hitch •Axle •Wheel •Bumper •Frame rails Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 13 Tow Eyes Closed Open Open tow hooks should be avoided If the system goes slack, it can fall off of the anchor Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 14 Gen Pole A ground ladder used as a high point anchor A ladder can also be staked to the ground using steel pickets and create the same gen pole effect Limited to a 1 person load Can be mounted to an apparatus tailboard Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 15 Tripods Capacity often determined by height Used in• Confined space • High angle • Trench Tripods are used as both anchors and changes of direction In high angle rescues, it can be beneficial to use a tripod as a change of direction to prevent ropes from dragging over the edge Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 4 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 16 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Pickets Site made ground anchor Capacities• 1- 600lbs • 2- 1,200lbs (1-1) • 3- 1,800lbs (1-1-1) Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 17 1-1-1 Picket Construction 3’ 3’ 1/3 2/3 Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Pickets should be at least 3’ long Spaced 3’ apart and in line with each other Driven 2/3 into the ground Webbing is used to attach each picket together The webbing is then twisted to tighten the pickets Only tighten enough to move the picket slightly Tensioning picket is then driven into the ground Depth is not critical for the tensioning picket System is attached off of the lead picket Loads must be pulled in line with the pickets Slide 18 Rescue Technician Core Rigging, Anchoring, and Mechanical Advantage ATTACHING ANCHORS Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 5 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 19 Tensionless Hitch Number of wraps based on• Diameter of anchor • Anchor smoothness Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging The knot should never be loaded, which is why it’s a full strength anchor Minimum of 3 wraps regardless of diameter or smoothness Considered a “full strength” anchor Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 20 Wrap 3, Pull 2 Made with tubular or flat webbing Knot is lightly loaded if built correctly This picture shows the correct orientation of the knot It should be on the face of the tree, facing the load This prevents the knot from becoming completely loaded If the knot is loaded, the webbing loses strength Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 21 Load Sharing Anchor Each anchor supports 50% of the load The load must remain centered between the anchors or only one will be supporting the load Used to either center the load between tow anchors or when one anchor alone may not support the load If the load shifts, one anchor will be unloaded Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 22 Self Equalizing Anchor Made with rope or webbing Used to center the load between the anchors If the load shifts, the weight will still be distributed between all anchors This is the preferred anchor when using multiple anchors Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 6 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 23 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Critical Angles - Anchoring Anchoring angles should ideally be less than 90° Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 24 Critical Angles – C.O.D. It is a misconception that a COD anchor does not need to be as strong as a system anchor A 180° COD puts 2x the load force on the COD anchor COD anchors must be as strong as system anchors Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 25 Rescue Technician Core Rigging, Anchoring, and Mechanical Advantage LOWERING SYSTEMS Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 26 Lowering Vs. Rappelling Rescuer has both hands free Lowering provides more control over descent from the top In CORE we use lowering systems While rappelling remains a rope technician skill, we seldom use it in rescue because the rescuer needs both hands to be able toClear obstacles Control victim(s) Add / remove rigging Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 7 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 27 Brake Bar Lowering Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Typically 4 bars are used for a 1 person load and 6 bars for a 2 person load Pulling the fall line toward the load slows / stops descent Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 28 8 Plate Lowering Friction not adjustable while loaded Pull the fall line towards the anchor to slow / stop descent Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 29 Rescue Technician Core Rigging, Anchoring, and Mechanical Advantage MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 30 Estimating Force Each rescuer can apply 50lbs of force That force is multiplied by the system Ex- 1 FF pulling on a 2:1 system can move 100lbs Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 8 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 31 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Determining Mechanical Advantage Locate the terminal end of the rope • At the load – Odd • At the anchor - Even Anchored pulleys create COD, moving pulleys create MA Count the ropes travelling in the system Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 32 1:1 With COD Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 33 2:1 With COD Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 34 3:1 With COD Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 9 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 35 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Piggyback Attaches a haul system to a main line Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 36 Rescue Technician Core Rigging, Anchoring, and Mechanical Advantage BELAYS Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 37 Positive Capture All belays should be “positive capture” The device will lock automatically in the event of a failure Positive capture means that if a belayer let go of the rope, and the main line failed, the belay would automatically lock This ensures that the system passes a “whistle test” Belays should be attached to a different anchor point than the main line Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 10 of 15 Revision: 052316 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 38 Prusik Belay Unloaded Locked Should be used with a load releasing hitch During a lowering operation, the belayer must be careful not to allow too much slack in the line, but also not let the prusiks accidentally lock This belay is lacking a load releasing hitch Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 39 540 Belay If the rappeller is going too fast these devices have a tendency to lock inadvertently On a raise, if the belayer is pulling to fast, they can lock the device accidentally Positive capture belay device Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 40 Munter Hitch Seldom used for belay 1 person load Not “positive capture” Munter hitches used to be the mainstay in belay lines It is still acceptable in some situations for a 1 person load Munter hitches are primarily used in building load releasing hitches Also still usable by a first due company to lower an initial rescuer in a low angle environment Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 41 Rescue Technician Core Rigging, Anchoring, and Mechanical Advantage SAFETY CHECK Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 11 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 42 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Whistle Test If somebody blew a whistle and everybody dropped their rope….. • Would the victim / rescuer fall? • Would the system shock load? • Would the rope be subjected to a sharp edge? Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 43 System Pre-Load Systems should be tensioned to ensure- • Carabiners are loaded correctly • Lines load in the correct direction • Edges are protected Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 44 Touch Check All harnesses should be touch checked Systems should be evaluated by somebody other than the builder Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 12 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Slide 45 Rescue Technician Core Rigging, Anchoring, and Mechanical Advantage COMMUNICATION Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 46 Voice Within 200ft voice commands work well Most commonly used Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 47 Hand Signals Used when ambient noise prohibits voice communications Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 13 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Slide 48 Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Radio May be needed when the rescuers are out of sight Use direct radio frequencies Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 49 Wired Comms System Commonly used in confined space rescues Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 50 Whistle SUDOT S - 1 Whistle - Stop U - 2 Whistles - Up D - 3 Whistles - Down O - 4 Whistles - Off Rope T - 5 Whistles - Take up rope Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program Slide 51 OATH System using rope tugs to communicate O - 1 Tug – I’m OK A - 2 Tugs – Advance T - 3 Tugs – Take Up H - 4 Tugs – Help Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 14 of 15 Revision: 052316 The Connecticut Fire Academy Recruit Firefighter Program Presentation Instructor Notes Session 5.1 Rescue Technician CORE Rope Systems and Rigging Slide 52 Connecticut Fire Academy – Recruit Program 15 of 15 Revision: 052316
