Rope Rescue Courses

Awareness

This 8-hour classroom seminar introduces personnel to the problems associated with water and rope rescue, as well as the procedures to follow in flash flood, large-scale disaster, and seasonal flooding situations.  The course is designed to develop knowledge in the areas of: scene assessment and incident size up (of both existing & potential conditions), resource ordering, activation procedures for rescue response, site control and scene management, and hazard recognition/mitigation procedures.  In order to accomplish the responsibilities of the awareness level responder, the course also provides students with a conceptual understanding of the principles, applications, and hazards associated with advanced rope rescue techniques.

Operations

This 3 day course provides students with the fundamentals of rope rescue in the low-angel environment. Students learn and practice skills:

  • Preplanning and Size-up
  • Rope Rescue Operations
  • Knots
  • Anchor Systems
  • Belay Operations
  • Ascending and Descending Lines
  • Mechanical Advantage Systems
  • Patient Packaging & Litter attending

Students learn how to safely navigate low-angle or over-the-bank rescue situations and assist rescuers in high-angle environments.

Technician

This course is designed to take students from basic over-the-bank rescues to progressively more vertical scenarios.  Students learn and practice such skills as:

  • Preplanning
  • Size-up
  • Scene Management
  • Ascending and Descending
  • Belaying
  • Mechanical Advantage Systems
  • Lowering and Raising Systems
  • Patient Packaging
  • Litter Attending
  • Tethers
  • Highlines

In addition, Technician level training is mandatory for inclusion on many Federal Emergency Management Agency teams at different team levels.

Instructor Training

Location: 184 Risen Cemetery Rd, Greensburg, KY Green County, KY.

Cost: 2,000.00 per student – this includes lodging at my cabin.  Bring sleeping bag and pillow. Class size is limited to 12 students.

This class is a 10 day 80+ hour class designed to train the trainer.  Students spend the first 5 days refining their knowledge of Technical Rope Rescue, Rigging and System Management.  The next 5 days is spent learning how to teach those skills to unfamiliar students.

Prerequisites:

  • Must be physically capable of handling physical exertion and mentally stressful situations.
  • Candidates should have had some training at the Technician level in Swiftwater Rescue and Rope Rescue.
  • It is strongly suggested that organizations send 2 or more candidates who will co-teach at their respective fire department or organization.  This is necessary due to the hazardous nature of this subject and the extensive amount of technical information needed to teach the subject properly. Special pricing is available for organizations sending 3 or more candidates to this class.

Required Equipment:   Bring with you any and all PPE and technical gear you can.  However, all necessary equipment and PPE will be available for students at no cost.

Class Description:  Students learn to teach others the skills and techniques of technical rope rescue as documented in NFPA standards.  Lessons are based on CMC, Brown, Vines and Segerstrom as well as other training manuals and nationally recognized standards.  This class is designed to produce Instructors who can perform as well as teach the skills and possess the knowledge and experience necessary to instruct a safe and productive class to First Responders.  Instruction techniques for training towers, wilderness environments and construction sites as well as vertical vehicle rescues, the use of ladder trucks, elevating platforms, high lines, telfer systems, Swiftwater rope work as well as over the bank operations will be taught in this class.

Students who fail to acquire the minimum knowledge or skills necessary to teach this course will receive a refund of the tuition.

If you desire a course outline or information that will be covered.  Please read the NFPA Standards dealing with Rope Rescue – (NFPA 1670-1006).

For more information or to enroll in this class call 270-405-4900 or email matney@windstream.net.

This is a serious class for serious and focused students.  You need to attend this class with at least one other person from your department who will be co-teaching this subject.  This class will teach students how to train other First Responders to function at the Awareness, Operations and Technician levels at Rope Rescues.  Students who complete this course will know, understand and be able to impart skills and knowledge necessary to meet and or exceed NFPA 1670 & 1006 as well as all JPR’s related to this discipline.