Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prepare for a rope course?
Q. How is the course organized?
Day 1 is a classroom session. The remaining days are outdoors at various sites. You must attend the entire course in order to receive your certification. TRR-Operations is 3 days in total. TRR-Technician is five days in total.
Q. How long does the course run each day?
The course runs approximately 8 hours/day with a break for lunch. We usually start at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. and finish up around 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. Anyone more than 30 minutes late (without prior approval from the instructor) will not be permitted to continue the course.
Q. Where and when?
Approximately 10 days before the course, we will contact you by email to provide details such as start time and classroom location.
Q. Are there any pre-requisites?
Other than the general pre-requisites listed on the course description (age, physical fitness etc.) no prior rope experience is required. However, our TRR-Technician course proceeds fairly quickly from basic to more advanced skills and therefore, some basic rope knowledge is an asset. Our SRT 1 and SRT A courses provide a good introduction to rope skills for those interested in TRR, but again, are not mandatory.
Q. Do I get a manual in advance for pre-reading?
Pre-reading is not required. You will receive your manual on Day 1 during the classroom session.
Q. What do I need for Day 1 (the classroom session)?
- Come prepared for note-taking.
- Dress for the weather as you may go outside in the afternoon for basic rope practice.
Q. What do I need for the outdoor training sessions?
- Climbing or fire helmet
- Full-body harness (or both a sit harness & a chest harness)
- Pants made of durable material
- Boots (hiking boots are fine)
- Leather-palmed gloves (work gloves are fine)
- Appropriate outdoor gear including sunscreen
- Lots of drinking water
- A good lunch
- A hot drink in a thermos if the weather is wet/cold
Q. I don’t own a harness or climbing helmet. Can I rent them?
- With advance notice, we can provide both. Helmets are free, harnesses are $25/day.
- We need your height and weight for sizing
- Charges will apply if equipment is lost or damaged
Q. What if I’m scared of heights?
In order to receive a certification you are not required to do anything you are uncomfortable with. Raven Rescue recognizes that caution is a sign of a good rescuer and believes in “challenge by choice”. Please note that if you cannot complete enough skills to your instructor’s satisfaction, your certification could be downgraded to a lower level which could limit the type of activities you can perform. However, if you wish to observe a specific activity only, please advise the instructor immediately. This will be noted on your skill sheet, which you should review with your supervisor after the course, to determine the activities for which you are suited. Your supervisor should keep a copy of your skill sheet on file to demonstrate due diligence in training and record keeping.
Q. What kind of paperwork do I receive?
Upon the conclusion of the course (no waiting to get it in the mail), the instructor will provide:
- A personalized Skill Sheet (training record) documenting the skills & knowledge performed or observed. This is a valuable training record. Please share it with your supervisor and keep it in a safe place.
- A Certificate of Completion
- A wallet card with your personal Rescue 3 registration number & date of expiration
- You also take home your illustrated manual
Q. How long is my certification valid?
TRR certification is valid for 3 years from date of issue. We offer discounted rates for recerts.
Q. What if I lose my paperwork?
Your certification is granted by Rescue 3 International - the global leader in technical rescue training. Part of what sets us apart is the attention we pay to record-keeping. Every student is entered into the Rescue 3 database, and in the future, if you ever need to verify your credentials for employment or legal reasons, all it takes is a phone call or email to Rescue 3 to obtain a copy of your training record.
Q. What prior knowledge do I need before I take a TRR-Technician level course?
The course proceeds in small steps that build logically on each other, so you don’t need any prior rope knowledge. However, the Technician-level course proceeds quickly from low angle to high angle skills and covers a lot of material in five days, so some basic rope knowledge makes it a lot easier to keep up. If you have some familiarity with the following knots, hitches, bends etc. you will be able to focus on the more advanced skills:
- the “Family of 8’s”
- water knot (for tubular webbing)
- double fisherman’s
- mutner
If you’re really keen, it helps to have some familiarity with the following concepts and systems:
- tensile strengths of rope and webbing
- anchors (simple to complex)
- mechanical advantage (3 to 1, 4 to 1, pig rig)
- high line tyrolean (some idea of how these are built is nice)
Again, our instructors all agree: don’t get caught up in the fancy stuff. Practice your knots so that you can recognize them and tie them quickly, and you’ll be in a good position to maximize your learning in a TRR course.
