UKRO success!

Congratulations to all participants and the organisers for the recent competition held in Strirling.
Held in superb surroundings the competition was entered into with good spirit amongst all competitors, old and new rivalries were entered into and after 2 days of competition i was very pleased that Leicestershire won! well i would be i was the team Captain!
All teams competed initially over 2 runs, each team having a variation of a rescue theme, we had a fully suspended casaulty requiring a strop rescue to ground and then a casualty with leg injuries which required a stretcher raise back to the original platform.
The top placed 3 teams then competed on the 2nd day in a final run, each team entering isolation prior to their respective runs.

Swift water Rescue Training video

Short video of a Swift Water Rescue training scenario involving a person falling from a bridge into fast flowing water near Anglessey.

  • By sparky at 05/07/2009 - 15:04

Rope Rescue Operators Course

Basic Rope Rescue Operators Course at Blackbrook Dam in Leicestershire

Created with flickr shildshow.

  • By sparky at 05/06/2009 - 14:15

Trench Rescue Considerations

Excert
"A vast number of trench’s are constructed every day throughout the country with a low percentage of failures occurring. It is however important due to the complex nature of the potential rescues that we are correctly informed and prepared.
So what is a trench? The definition given by The Trenching Practice carried out on behalf of CIRIA is “an excavation forming a structure as a result of digging, lifting and removing earth, fill or other materials from the ground. The purpose of which may be to form foundations, install services, drainage etc”
A trench by law need not be supported as long as the depth does not exceed 1.2m, the ground is self supporting and a safe working method can be employed. Over 1.2m alternatives to trenching should be considered and a suitable support system designed by an experienced person should be
employed.

In a study of fatal accidents in trench’s in the period 1973 – 1980 it showed that:

63% of deaths were due to unsupported excavations
20% of deaths were due to working ahead of the support system
14% of deaths were due to inadequate support systems

Fall Arrest Lanyards

A hot discussion point for some considerable time has been the use of fall arrest lanyards with regard to their effectiveness relative to the size of the wearer.
If rated at 100 Kg in a dynamic fall will the device operate for people over 100kg? will in fact someone who weighs less than 100kg be at greater risk?
There has been talk that these devices will become personnel issue, rated for each individual. But there is scant indication from manufacturers that this very close to becoming reality. So where does this leave the user?
Under the En 355 the maximum impact force allowable is 6kN, therefore the only options for the user to control this ar as follows:
a)Reduce the mass, this can be done by selecting personnel to carry certain tasks on the basis of physical size. Not carrying as much equipment.
b) Reduce the distance by good practise and or by reducing the lanyard leg length at time of purchase.

An example of this can seen in the table below:

  • sparky