Rope Training

Section 1 - ADMINISTRATIVE

PURPOSE:

Maitland Fire/Rescue will not operate as a high angle rescue team. This policy is in place for Maitland Fire/Rescue Department to use for training and the safety of Maitland Fire/Rescue personnel. The fire department recognizes the dangers to its personnel during any rope-assisted rescue/operation, which takes members to extreme heights or into confined spaces. These operating procedures are designed to ensure the safety of each rescuer during such operations. In the event that a rescue is deemed necessary an alarm will be activated immediately and a high angle rescue team will be requested from Orange County Dispatch.

ANCHOR CLASSES

• Class “A” anchor: is generally thought of as being an integral part of the structure and is sometimes referred to as “Bomb Proof”. Examples would be a concrete column, the iron I beam framework of a metal building or a large mature tree rooted into the ground.
• Class “B” anchor: are attachment points that have been placed through the structure after construction. Examples of these would be a large iron pipe run through chase holes in floors, an I-bolt through a reinforced wall or a secure large heavy boulder.
• Class “C” anchor: are items attached to the structure with minimal hardware and don’t possess the strength/integrity to withstand a significant amount of force. Examples of this type of anchor are stair rails attached to the wall by screws or Lag bolts, door and door hinges, and smaller trees or exposed roots.

PERSONNEL REQUIRED

• The following personnel will be required for all rope operations. All personnel are responsible for the safety of all other personnel. Any team member observing an unsafe practice shall correct the situation immediately. All persons may stop any operation at any time for safety purposes by yelling “FREEZE!” After a safety issue has been recognized all operations will cease to continue until the safety issue has been corrected. The operation shall only continue upon the team leader and safety leaders joint decision. No member of the team goes on a rope or starts an operation until he/she is checked by another member. The team member must ensure all carabineer gates are locked, all safety lines are attached, and all equipment, harnesses, and anchors are properly secured. You are responsible for checking your own anchor prior to starting an evolution.
• Team Leader – shall have a strong working knowledge of rope rescue operations and personal escape systems, as well as the associated techniques, methods, skills, rigging principles, and coinciding safe practices. The team leader shall have a minimum qualification of rope rescue: operations level. The team leader is overall responsible for the safety of all persons during training. The team leader will oversee all operations and ensure procedures are strictly adhered to. All changes in operations, techniques, and plans shall only happen at the discretion of the team leader. The team leader shall remain “hands off” unless checking rigging, equipment, or correcting an issue. The team leader should be positioned to visualize the rescuer/trainee, rigging system, belay tenders, and safety officer at all times. If for any reason the team leader cannot remain in visual contact then a means of communications should be established prior to any operation. If deemed necessary then an edge man may be utilized to communicate between the rescuer/trainee and the team leader.
• Safety Leader– shall have a strong working knowledge of rope rescue operations and personal escape systems, as well as the associated techniques, methods, skills, rigging principles, and coinciding safe practices. The safety leader shall have a minimum qualification of rope rescue: operations level. The safety leader shall be “hands off” unless checking rigging, equipment, or correcting an issue. The safety leader should be positioned to visualize the rescuer/trainee, rigging system, belay tenders, and safety officer at all times. If for any reason the safety leader cannot remain in visual contact then a means of communications should be established prior to any operation. If deemed necessary then an edge man may be utilized to communicate between the rescuer/trainee and the safety leader.
• Belay Tender – shall be utilized anytime a member is performing a rope operation or escape. The belay tender will be responsible for tending the belay line that is attached to the rescuer/trainee. The belay tender will always communicate to the rescuer/trainee when they are ready to tend the line. The rescuer/trainee shall not proceed with any evolution until the belay tender is in place and has communicated that they are ready to tend the line. There shall be a belay tender assigned to each belay line that is in use. The belay tender is required to have a strong working knowledge of rope rescue operations, personal escape operations, and various belaying techniques. The belay tender should remain in constant visual contact with the rescuer/trainee. If they cannot because of rigging locations then an edge man will be assigned.
  • """When utilizing the Deus 7300 as a back up belay, a belay tender is not required. The Deus 7300 is the preferred method of belay when performing personal escape and ladder bailout training."""
• Edge Man – may not always be necessary. The use of an edge man will be determined by the team leader. The edge man is responsible for communicating between the rescuer/trainee and all other team members. The edge man shall always have visual contact with the rescuer/trainee. The edge man is responsible for communicating to the belay tender the needs, status, and position of the rescuer/trainee. The edge man is also responsible for ensuring that edge protection is in place for any ropes that are transitioning over a sharp edge.
• Rescuer/Trainee – is any individual that will be operating on a rope or system. The rescuer/trainee may be operating as a rescuer, performing a personal escape, and/or repelling. Any rescuer/trainee should have a strong working knowledge of rope rescue operations, techniques, and skills. They shall have a strong working knowledge of personal escape systems, methods, skills, and techniques.
• Deus Certified Trainer – shall be present for all Deus training evolutions. The Deus trainer is responsible for ensuring the proper deployment, operation, and uses for the Deus systems.

ROPES AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT

• Only ½" or greater static kern mantle rope will be used for rescue and belay lines. This rope must meet or exceed the criteria established in NFPA 1983(2012 ed.) for Life Support Rope.
• Personal escape rope used with the Deus system shall only Deus approved rope NFPA 1983(2012 ed.)
• Security lines, tag lines, and guide lines must be a minimum of static kern mantle rope with a minimum diameter of 7mm or a minimum of 1” tubular webbing. They do not have to be lifeline.
• Personal safety edge lines may be either static kern mantle rope with a minimum diameter of 7mm or a minimum of 1” flat or tubular webbing.
• All persons operating on a rope shall have on a harness that is a Class II seat harness, which meets NFPA 1983(2006 ed.). If an individual is wearing a Class II seat harness then they shall have a full body hasty harness made of 1” tubular or flat webbing, to which the belay line will be attached. If an individual is wearing a Class III full body harness they do not need any additional harnesses. The belay line will also be attached to the Class III harness.
• All persons using a personal escape system with an improvised Swiss seat or seated hasty harness shall also have a full body hasty harness, to which a belay line will be attached. All improvised Swiss seats and hasty harnesses shall consist of webbing which will be a minimum of 1” tubular/flat webbing. A person may wear a Class II seat harness that meets NFPA 1983(2006 ed.) in place of an improvised Swiss seat or seated hasty harness. A full body hasty harness will still be required, to which a safety line will be attached.
• Each safety/belay line shall have a belay tender. The rescuer/trainee that is operating shall always get the attention of the belay tender before they start their operation. The rescuer/trainee shall not start any operation until the belay tender has acknowledged that the rescuer/trainee is about to begin an operation and then given the rescuer/trainee a verbal “safety on” or “belay on” command.
• Rope shall not be deployed or hung over any height without being anchored off first.
• If a roof has a parapet, personnel shall hook-up to the rescue/descent line prior to mounting the parapet wall. The slide gate on station 45 shall not be opened until all persons on the roof are made aware that it is being opened and all persons within 3 ft. are already attached to a safety line.
• All ropes transitioning over a sharp, hard surface shall have either hard or soft edge protection in place. If a rope is transitioning over an edge but stationary then a soft, fabric edge protection may be used. If a rope will be moving over an edge then a hard, plastic or metal edge protection shall be used. All edge protection shall be secured to the structure with rope/webbing.
• All personnel shall utilize personal protective gear that consists of helmet, gloves, long pants, and rubber soled safety shoes.
• The area below any evolution shall be secured prior to starting. This may be achieved by roping off/taping off the area and marking it as an unsafe area to ensure it remains secured to pedestrians and personnel not involved with the evolution.
• During training sessions, an unmanned belay system shall be utilized at all times.

OPERATIONS

• All persons operating from an elevation of greater than 10’, within 3’ of a roof edge shall have a safety line, self-belay, and/or fall restriction/prevention line attached to them. Unless a parapet wall or safety rail at least 3’ high is present.
• All persons going over a handrail or parapet wall shall be tied off and secured prior to climbing on to either.
• Whenever a rescue line is secured to an anchor point, a second anchor should be established if possible.

INSPECTION AND LOGS

• All ropes and equipment shall be inspected before and after each training session and/or rescue operation as per the manufacturer’s guidelines. Any piece of equipment that does not meet the manufacturer’s standard shall be taken out of service, marked as such, and reported through the chain of command. An incident report shall then be completed with a description of the damage, how the damage occurred, and who was involved.
• All equipment taken out of service will be first inspected by a certified rope rescue: operations level individual. If it is deemed unusable then it shall be sent off to the appropriate manufacturer for repair. If the manufacturer deems the item unusable and damaged beyond repair, then it shall be destroyed so as to never be used for life safety operations.
• After use of all rope and equipment, all items will be inspected and the appropriate equipment log shall be filled out and updated with the current condition and status of the equipment by the team leader. Any deficiencies shall be noted in the log and reported through the chain of command to the Deus Program Manager.
• Any piece of hardware equipment dropped onto a hard surface from a height five feet or greater shall be taken out of service.
• All equipment lists, equipment logs, manufacturer’s specifications, instruction manuals, and inspection notes are maintained at Station 47. They are located in a binder labeled escape system logbook in the file cabinet marked Deus.