Blog - The Raven Speaks
What basic equipment do I need to be able to perform a safe and effective surface ice rescue?
February 1, 2012
This is one of the questions our instructors get all the time from our students. As such we thought we might write something up to be used as a reference and help point you in the right direction.
We wouldn’t be us if we didn’t remind you that the first step in performing a safe and effective ice rescue is to get some specific training from a reputable provider. Assuming you have made it that far here are a few things to consider when you are preparing to purchase some ice rescue equipment.
Remember the saying “be part of the solution and not part of the problem”? Taking care of our own safety has to come first. This means one of the first things you should consider is getting some appropriate personal protective equipment.
1) PPE- A good PFD is the place to start. Remember drowning is a far more urgent concern when compared to hypothermia. It doesn’t matter how well you think you can swim when suddenly immersed in cold water. Thermal protection for the rescuer will also be important and can be worn in the form of a drysuit, specific ice rescue suit or survival style suit depending on your needs. Depending on the environment and thermal protection you have chosen a helmet might also be a good addition. Anyone working within roughly10 ft from the shoreline should have the appropriate PPE on and know how to self rescue.
The Basics…....
2) The next thing to consider is a throw bag. Tools to perform a reach rescue can be improvised to a certain extent but a good rope is hard to fabricate in the field. A basic throw bag with 20 plus meters of rope in it is a good start.
3) A few 5 meter sections of 1” tubular webbing. This is a highly adaptable tool which can be used as a rescuer or victim harness, anchor strap, to create a friction hitch such as an auto-bloc or to assist in mechanical advantage.
4) Carabiners - about 4 should do the trick. We prefer non locking wire gate carabiners for surface ice rescue applications.
5) One or two ice screws. Depending on the amount of rope you have access to and the size of the bodies of water you may work over or respond to a few ice screws could be a VERY handy addition.
This article focuses on the basics but there are a number of specialized products out there that make performing an ice rescue much more efficient. We use a number of different products from MARSARS in our courses and would highly recommend them as addition.
Of note would be the MARSARS 200ft Ice Rescue Tether Rope Kit. This Kit contains 200ft (comes in various sizes) of hollow braid rope made specifically for ice rescue which resists freezing and the cable like effect that happens over time to most other ropes. The kit also comes with fixed attachment points, an ice screw, carabiner and sling. This all in one style kit with 200ft of specialized rope makes this an outstanding ice rescue tool.
We also really like the MARSARS Cold water rescue sling. This sling not only provides a simple to apply and secure patient attachment but also provides positive buoyancy as well. The ice rescue tether rope kit described above comes with or without the cold water rescue sling. We find this combination creates one of the best ice rescue tether systems available.
MARSARS make a number of other great ice rescue tools including , ice rescue sleds, rope reels, and innovative reach poles.
Emergency responders will likely want to double these recommendations in order to have a back-up or rapid intervention team standing by.
For emergency responders who will have reasonable roadside access or won’t have to carry equipment over long distances we would also recommend adding some sort of rescue platform as well such as Oceanid’s Rapid Deployment Craft or an ice rescue sled such as the one made by MARSARS (or both). Which tool will best suit your department depends on a number of factors and that…..... is for another article.
If you have questions about where to source the right equipment please feel free to give us a call and we could either provide you with a quote or point you in the right direction.
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