RUNNING PROTECTION
TRAINING NOTEBOOK
“Fire Alarm to Truck 2 and Rescue 4: Respond for a phone alarm, reporting a female jumper on the upper let el of the Main Street Bridge.”
Once you are assigned the job, the mental size-up process begins: What do we really have? What equipment might we need? What is our rescue operating plan? What techniques might we employ?
The job reminds you of similar situations you have handled in the past: an injured maintenance worker on a radio tower; some kids stuck on a remotely located power transmission tower; an injured worker on a large, movable indoor crane. What do these situations have in common? Using running protection during the rescue is a precaution that will help protect the rescuer against falling a great distance.
Consider the scenario of a rescue from a bridge. In an attempt to reduce the victim’s stress and stabilize the scene, equipment and nonoperating personnel and bystanders may be kept remote from the negotiating point. By keeping your anchoring point far away, however, you increase the distance your rope must play out. As the illustrations on page 17 show’, operating without running protection can result in disaster The rescuer can fall to the water or ground below or slam into the structure and sustain severe or fatal injury.
(Photos by author.)
It is a common misconception that simply weaving the rope in and out around the steel girders and supports in a bridge rescue such as described above is sufficient. This can prove fatal: When you shock load the rope and put the strain of the rescuer and then the victim on it around sharp or rusty steel, the steel can cut the rope like a knife, resulting in the fall of rescuer and victim.
THE SYSTEM
A typical running protection system for a single-rope rescue requires a class 2 rappelling harness for the belayer, lead rescuer, and anyone else operating in the danger zone; numerous slings made of one-inch tubular webbing pretied to varying lengths (two to five feet); a locking carabiner lor each sling; several kernmantle rescue ropes (dynamic and static, discussed later); and appropriate personal protective equipment—helmets, gloves, and radio. {Note-. Webbing tied with water knots and backed up with double fisherman’s knots is sufficient.)
Setting up the system at a rescue starts with tying off to a substantial object. Then you essentially create artificial anchor points at intervals with webbing loops and carabiners. (See illustration at right.)
There is no hard and fast formula for the distance between each running protection point. Consider the distance to be traveled, how much equipment you may have to carry, and the degree of difficulty the situation presents.
Take the example of a 150-foothigh vertical tower. Place the first protection point just above your head after you begin your ascent. Then 3lace another every 10 feet on the lower end of the tower and every 15 feet on the middle and upper levels. In the event of a fall, the distance would be a maximum of 20 feet plus stretch on the lower end and 30 feet plus stretch on the upper end. You must have a well-trained, experienced belay person to keep proper control of the rope.
Be sure to place the webbing and carabiners on substantial points and align and center the carabiners. You would be surprised at how much friction is created when you pull a rope through several carabiners from different angles. That’s the reason varying lengths of webbing are needed. The web sling should be looped around the object and the carabiner clipped in with the gate “down and out” to facilitate proper loading and easy use. (/Vo/e: You can substitute one-inch tubular webbing with sixor seven-millimeter accessory cord if you run short of slings. The cord must be securely tied into a loop with a double fisherman’s knot.)
Additional rescuers also can use the system. Once it is in place and secured, members can pull an additional rope through as well (this can be a static rope, depending on the evolution). The rescuers tether themselves to the system by connecting a short web sling to their class 2 harnesses and then clipping two locking carabiners to the other end.
RESCUE ROPES
A word about rescue ropes is in order. Two types of rescue kernmantle ropes are used today: dynamic and static. {Note: Different areas of the country may prefer different ropes. When purchasing rope, be sure it is NFPA-compliant and you know its handling and operating limits.)
Dynamic. This rope usually is used in situations where severe shock loading can occur—for example, the rescuer falls and the rope and anchor system must absorb this energy. A typical dynamic rope is 7/ir» inch in diameter and has a breaking strength of 5,500 lbs. In accordance with an NFPA 1983 criterion of using a 15:1 breaking-to-work ratio, this general type of rope meets the “One Person Life Safety Rope” requirement because it is designed to have a maximum working load of not less than 300 lbs.
Static. This rope generally is used in situations where low stretch is desired—for example, in hauling systems, tyrolean rigging, and two-man rescue evolutions. It is ½ inch in diameter and has a breaking strength of 9,000 lbs. In accordance with an NFPA 1983 criterion of using a 15:1 breaking-to-work ratio, this general type of rope meets the “Two Person Life Safety Rope” requirement because it is designed to have a maximum strength of not less than 600 lbs. (The methodology of testing essentially looks at fall factors and strength for dynamic ropes and strength only for static ropes.)
The first rescuer who climbs out, up, or down to the victim(s) and has difficulty because of terrain, weather, or lack of hand/foot holds is a candidate for a fall. This is a good time to use a dynamic rope because of its energy-absorbing qualities. If you do not have a dynamic rope, a static rope will do, but a taut, yet flexible, belay and closely placed running protection are necessary.
Should a rescuer sustain a fall during a single-rope rescue, having a running protection system in place will make the falling distance as short as possible. It is an added and useful safety precaution. Include it in your department’s inventory of rescue equipment and train continuously in its use.
