The Aggie Seat: Development and Use
RESCUE TECHNIQUES
A new rescue knot originated by the author of this article is proving a valuable alternative to the Swiss seat and standard rescue basket.
During a caged ladder rescue drill at the Brayton, TX, firefighters’ training field, the idea for a new knot for rope rescues was developed.
The training exercise involved an unconscious victim who was trapped with his legs entangled in the rungs of a caged ladder, the type of ladder used in industrial plants and on the outside of some city buildings. The objective of the drill is to remove the victim as fast as possible without further complicating the injury.
The old technique used was to tie a life support rope around the chest and lift the victim until the legs could be untangled, then rest the victim on the shoulders of the rescuer and climb down with some of the weight supported by the lifeline. This technique was found to be quite uncomfortable for the victim, especially if the ladder was very long.
Watching the drill, Instructors John Hubacek, George Foshee and myself discussed how we could make it easier for the victim and rescue team. The standard rescue basket was found to be too complicated to put on a victim in the caged ladder, and the chest rope was still needed to support the victim while working the leg loops on. Discussion followed and a new combination of the Swiss seat and standard rescue basket evolved.
Called the “Aggie Seat,” this rescue knot has advantages over both the Swiss seat and standard rescue basket. With the Aggie Seat, the victim’s legs do not have to be untangled from the ladder as with the rescue basket. It also supports the upper body, where the Swiss seat does not, and, like the Swiss seat, the Aggie Seat supports the weight evenly and does not impede blood circulation or breathing by binding.
The Aggie Seat is not as complex to tie as the Swiss seat or rescue basket, and with practice it can be tied on any person regardless of their position. The ideal rope is 25 feet of 7/16-inch or 1/2-inch synthetic kernmantle rope. To tie the Aggie Seat:
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- Fold the rope in half, offsetting the ends about two feet.
- Pass the folded end between the legs with the loop in front.
- The ends of the rope then are passed from behind the legs and through the loop. Be careful not to cross the rope under the pelvic area.
- Secure the ends temporarily by sliding them into a pocket or under a belt or belt loop.
- Take the longer end and make a half hitch around the chest.
- Form two loops on the chest and pass the bottom loop through the top loop.
- Now pass the other free end of the rope through the loop formed.
- Pull upward on the long end and roll a bowline into the rope.
Billy Parker, an instructor with Texas A&M University’s Fire Protection Training Division, and I continued working with the Aggie Seat in confined spaces and found that by tying the seat on the back of the victim, the seat would straighten the person out flat. This makes movement through narrow openings easier.
The tying of the seat on the back of a victim is the same as on the front; however, to start, the loop must be passed from the front and make all the ties on the back.
With continued testing and development, it was found that in most instances where the standard life basket was used, the Aggie Seat was quicker to rig, more comfortable for the user, and allowed more versatility. The uses and situations where the Aggie Seat can be utilized is limited only by the imagination.
