BELAYING FOR ROPE RESCUE
“Fire Alarm to Truck One and Rescue Two: Start in on a reported person out on the ledge of the fifth floor of the Plaza building.”
On arrival, you find an injured window washer out on the ledge. Overhead wires prohibit aerial access. A rescuer will have to go out on the ledge to evaluate the situation and the victim’s injuries. To protect the rescuer, techniques and equipment for a belaying evolution must be employed in a safe and rapid manner.
WHAT IS BELAYING?
Belaying simply means securing a rescuer to a substantial anchor with a rope. Belaying protects the rescuer from a fall, since the rope and anchor are designed to catch the rescuer before falling to the ground or water below. The rope is controlled by a belayer, who lets out or takes in rope as needed. Any rescuer who needs to climb up, out, or down or who may have poor hand-/foothokls is a candidate for a fall; thus, a belay system should be set up ahead of most other protective measures.
It is important to use belaying when rappelling, particularly in training situations. In such a case, the anchor and jump point would be equal to or slightly above the rappeller. However, different situations require different strategies and tactics. The discussion in this article applies to belaying a single rescuer —not belaying several people or backing up hauling systems.
BELAYING EQUIPMENT
The following equipment is necessary to set up a belay system:
- class-two harnesses for the rescuer, belayer, and anyone else who will be operating in the danger zone;
- several kernmantle rescue ropes, numerous pretied one-inch tubular webbing slings (tied with a water
- knot and backed up is sufficient);
- appropriate hardware, including brake plates, figures of eight, locking carabiners, etc.; and
- personal protective equipment — helmets, gloves, radios, etc.
FALL PROTECTION FACTORS
When creating a belay system, one of the most important elements is the selection of the correct rope (see the discussion of rope selection in “Running Protection,” Fire Engineering, February 1993). Kernmantle rope is the rope of choice for use with modern heights rescue equipment. There are two types of kernmantle rope: static and dynamic. To know which type to use, you must understand the principle of fall factors.
Fall factors are scaled numerically from less than one to the number two. Consider the following scenario: A rescuer is anchored to a substantial anchor above his/her head. The rope is pulled taut. Should the rope become shock-loaded as the result of a fall, the fall factor would be about zero. On the other hand, in a situation where a substantial anchor is above the rescuer’s head, 100 feet of rope is out, and the rescuer is SO feet below the anchor point, the fall factor would be 0.5 (or half a fall factor) should the rope become shock-loaded.
Let’s assume a different scenario: A rescuer is at the same level as the substantial anchor, with 25 feet of slack rope. Should the rescuer fall and shock-load the rope, the fall factor would be one. If a rescuer with a substantial anchor below climbs (vertically from the anchor point ) to the full length of the rope, the fall factor would be fractions of one for (theoretically) falls arrested before the rescuer reaches the anchor point, one for a fall to the anchor point, one and a fraction for any fall beyond the anchor point, and finally, two (twice the length of the rope for a full fall).
CHOOSING ROPE
The bottom line in choosing rope is that if your fall factor is greater than one, you should use a dynamic kernmantle rope, which has high energyabsorbing qualities. Vertical climbing and performing a bottom side belay automatically will put you in this situation. A static kernmantle rope may be used in situations with fall factors of less than one. However, it is highly recommended that, regardless of distance, a fall situation be protected with a dynamic rope.
This goes contrary to the increasing myth that static rope is the rope of choice for the fire service. The vast majority of rescue work is done with static ropes. The problem is that when you fall any distance, the ultimate shock of arresting the force is transferred to the rope, anchor, harness, equipment, and the human body. You have to worry about not only system failure but also the stress on the human body that can seriously injure or even kill. One way to further reduce problems is to maintain a taut but flexible belay and utilize running protection as needed.
SIZE-UP AND SAFETY
Setting up a basic belay system starts with scene size-up. Assessing scene safety involves first determining the safest route to your destination and accessing the start point with a substantial anchor. Keep the start point as close to the victim as possible, to make rope run-outs short and systems uncomplicated. Substantial anchors are structures or topography that can hold the weight of the rescuer, the victim, and equipment. For the purpose of simplicity, this discussion is limited to single substantial anchors—for example, bulkhead and superstructure on rooftops and industrial structures; structural members on bridges or towers; and, in the outdoors, trees and large rocks. Choose your anchor with care.
The next concern is ensuring that everyone operating in the immediate danger zone is wearing a harness and is tethered to a substantial anchor. You do not want the operation to be impeded by a personal injury before it even starts.
After selecting the anchor, wrap at least one web sling around it and connect to a common point with a locking carabiner. Fad any rough edges as necessary. This first attachment will be for the belay line and must be strongly reinforced. Do the same wrap with a single web sling for the belayer, creating two independent anchor points on a single substantial anchor. The top sling, for the belayer, should be the longer of the two, and the bottom one, for the belay device, should be the shorter of the two.
With both rescuer and belayer in their harnesses, attach the rope first to the rescuer, using an appropriate knot. The belayer then is attached to the anchor so as to be independent of the rope. This is where people sometimes become confused; a belayer doesn’t take a fall by wrapping the rope around himselfTherself. The belayer simply pulls the rope through the friction device as the rescuer moves away, keeping the rope as taut as possible to eliminate rope run-out, to lesson the fall distance should a fall occur. The purpose of securing the belayers to an anchor is to prevent them from falling, since they usually are operating in dangerous areas; injured belayers will shut down the rescue.
(Photo by D. Tito.)
(Photo by D. Tito.)
(Photo by author.)
(Photo by author.)
The belayer must be independent of the belay rope and must not “body belay” because the stress of arresting a fall can severely injure or kill the belayer. In the event of a problem, the belayer can tie off the belay rope, leave the belay point, and assist as needed.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is essential for efficiency and safety. In general, rope rescue lingo is simple and easy to understand.
Before throwing a rope bag over a roof edge or cliff, shout the word rope. Of course, you first must look to see if the area is clear.
When the rescuer is hooked up to the belay system and ready to move, he or she yells on belay, and the belayer yells back belay on. This ensures that everyone is both ready and alert. When coming off belay for any reason, the rescuer yells off belay, and the belayer yells back belay off. If distance or noise makes voice communication impractical, use portable radios.
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
An ongoing question regarding handling rope is, Should rope rescuers wear gloves? Those who say no back up their position with the argument that operating barehanded provides the rescuer with a constant feel for the rope and thus more control. ITiey also feel it prevents a rappeller from taking the extremely fast descents that may burn and damage the rope. They also argue that standard firefighting gloves are too bulky and dirty from fireground operations to be used on ropes.
Those who advocate gloved operations cite the need to protect the rescuers’ hands, especially when operating on steel structures. They argue that fireground work usually is done in full protective clothing, including gloves, and that rope rescuers should train for and handle incidents in the same way. For true technical nonfireground activity, a thin leather glove usually is sufficient. However, fireground activity and operating in colder climates necessitate greater protection and wearing heavier gloves. On one cold February day, I held a class out on the roof—there wasn’t any question as to whether to wear gloves!
Proper belaying practices ensure safer rescue operations. Using modern heights rope equipment requires in-depth training, exercising, and teamwork. Train at regular intervals to maintain proficiency.
