Resources
Starting a Swiftwater Rescue Team
The pelting rain is so strong that windshield wipers can’t keep up. The painful, terrified scream of a youthful voice echoes from what was once a road, but is now a raging river. Perched atop a brown Suburban sits little Emily, clutching the roof rack and calling for help while deafening water pounds past the semi-submerged car.
What has happened here? Did a dam break? Is it the freak storm of the century? Or is this only one in a string of flooding events that have besieged Emily’s community?
The real question is how prepared are you to deal with a situation such as the one described above?
With the exception of fires, swiftwater and flood events are the most common and widespread of natural disasters and threaten communities in virtually every corner of the planet. Unfortunately, it is routine for those of us in the rescue profession to hear from unprepared agencies immediately following a swiftwater rescue or flood that caught them off-guard. It might have been a major event, but more often it was a simple rescue that went bad because the rescuers lacked the knowledge, skill and equipment to deal with it. Frequently the story will include a close call that almost cost the life of a rescuer.
The good news is that in recent years many more agencies are beginning to realize the need to plan ahead for swiftwater and flood events. Whether you work for a large metropolitan department or a small volunteer organization, if you are thinking about starting a swiftwater rescue program for your agency, this article will outline some important considerations that will enhance your success.
1.Community Needs Assessment
2.Program Design
3.Training
4.Management Systems
5.Sufficient Personnel
6.Equipment
Once you have addressed these six topics, you should have a good idea what kind of a swiftwater rescue program is needed in your area as well as the steps required to make it a reality.
Community Needs Assessment
The first question that must be asked is how much of a need exists in your area for a swiftwater rescue program. While most of us would like to train and equip a fully-staffed specialty team for every hazard from HAZMAT to confined space rescue, this goal is simply not in the budget for most departments. Therefore, prioritizing your department’s rescue needs is vital. Creating a realistic needs assessment for swiftwater rescue can really help to focus your efforts, as well as answering a number of questions from the number of personnel, to the level of training and type of equipment that will be needed.
It is necessary to both research past occurrences and anticipate future needs. In order to do this you will probably have to do a little sleuthing. Start out by looking for information on past incidents. One great resource is Environment Canada or your provincial environment ministry, which will have historical records of flood events. Your local newspaper and other media archives may also hold a wealth of information. While it is helpful to document information about the big events, it is also vital to start a database of any documented rescues. You may find that a single feature in your community as innocuous as a popular jumping spot or short stretch of river has been responsible for numerous deaths or near misses over a period of several decades.
In addition to official records, there may be one or more organizations that have institutionalized knowledge relevant to your research. Seek interviews with those involved. The most obvious organization to research is your own, but include all standard first response agencies; local police, fire, search and rescue, etc. There could also be other less obvious sources of information such as local, provincial or national parks services, Coast Guard, provincial emergency management, recreational clubs and private guides. Your research should also include statutory roles and responsibilities of the various agencies, as well as their response capabilities and guidelines. What you are attempting to do is establish a realistic picture of the frequency and severity of swiftwater rescues and flood events in your community, as well as assess current rescue capabilities at the local level.
Designing Your Swiftwater Rescue Program
Armed with the information in your needs assessment, it is time to determine where your department fits into the whole scenario and how prepared you are at present to fill any identified needs.
If you find that flooding and swiftwater rescues are virtually unheard of, or that another department or agency already has swiftwater rescue adequately covered, then why create a redundant system? In this case, be willing to accept that your energies might be better spent on other priorities. However, for the rest of you, once a need is identified and you have made a conscious decision to fill it, the real work is just starting.
Before we start talking about the fun stuff (training and toys) it’s important to note that there are a number of ways that we can address the issues identified in a needs assessment. While creating a service delivery model is important, it is equally important to remember that preventing the need for rescue is one of the best rescue tools. Although arguably not as sexy as starting a specialty rescue team, public education is a very effective place to invest your time and money. One related example is in the area of pool drowning. One community took note that backyard pools were the leading cause of drowning and wisely chose to invest in programs aimed at increasing public awareness of pool safety. Had this community chosen to address drowning solely by improving response capabilities, there is little doubt the outcome would have been less impressive.
Another avenue is the creation of new laws and regulations. The State of Arizona has had such a problem with motorist attempting to cross flooded streets that it passed what is universally referred to as the “stupid motorist law”. Under this law municipalities and rescue agencies can charge people for the cost of being rescued if they fail to observe posted warning signs. Such approaches have proven to be very successful.
Unfortunately, even with community education and regulations, emergency response capabilities are a necessity. However, the level of service can vary, based on the results of your needs assessment, as well as the amount of time, energy and budget you’re able to commit (see “Training” below)
While public education, laws and effective emergency response can be used alone, the combination of the three works extremely well. The trick is identifying the problems through your needs assessment and creating an appropriate response model utilizing a combination of the three that maximizes program effectiveness to create the best results.
Training
Once you have designed your program, it’s time to start thinking about training. The first step is selecting an operating level, kind of like determining your scope of practice. The National Fire Protect Association (NFPA) 1670 Standard on Technical Rescue suggests that each agency should select from one of three operational levels: Awareness, Operations or Technician.
The Awareness level is the most basic of the three operational levels. Agencies choosing this level are focussed more on training their members what not to do in a rescue situation. Awareness training introduces them to many of the hazards associated with swiftwater rescue, and the knowledge they receive is more theoretical in nature (delivered in a lecture setting as opposed to through in-water practice). Thus personnel trained to this level are not classified as rescuers, but the training does help insure that they are not added to the list of casualties. This is an excellent approach for those communities with very infrequent swiftwater rescue occurrences.
So what can an Awareness level organization do for the victims? Awareness personnel have the knowledge to call in the appropriate resources, as identified in your needs assessment. In the event that absolutely no swiftwater rescue resources are available, then you may want to consider training up to the Operations level. Short of that, Awareness level training is more vital than ever. Without training, would-be rescuers are far more likely to improvise if they know no other help is on the way, which can lead to disastrous results. Awareness level training is intended to help the non-rescuer fight the natural urge to do something, if it is dangerous.
The next step up is the Operations level. This level is designed for those organizations that want to allow their members to perform low-risk rescues – a compromise between the extremes of no rescue and a high-risk capable team. In short, Operations level rescuers are trained for shore- and boat-based rescues. These capabilities are comparatively inexpensive to train for and offer a good level of success for the investment.
The third and most complex level is Technician. Technician level organizations offer the most capability. It encompasses all of the Operations skills, as well as a full range of in-water contact rescue capabilities and full knowledge of technical rope systems. The ability to utilize ropes in the swiftwater environment involves training beyond that required for standard Rope Technicians. Not surprisingly, the Technician level involves far more training and specialized equipment then the Operations level. However, the payoff is that the Technical level offers top-notch capability.
Keep in mind that there is a world of difference between open water and swiftwater. Resources such as a boat or a dive component require additional training for a swiftwater environment. For example, a Public Safety Diver Certification is required for swiftwater divers, as standard divers have no business in swiftwater, much less floodwater.
When deciding on which of the three levels to choose, it is important to be realistic in your expectations. Because of the expense of training someone to the Technician level, it is common for agencies to want to focus on a small number of personnel and form a specialty team. While there is no question that having Technician level team can save lives, most successful swiftwater rescues occur immediately or not at all. If you anticipate other resources arriving ahead of your swiftwater team, you may want to consider including them in your formula. Many agencies have found that providing all first responders with some level of training is the most effective solution
Does that mean that if you decide that your goal is Technician level capabilities that everyone must be trained to the Technician level? The answer is a resounding no. Most experts agree that more Operations level personnel are needed to assist a fewer number of Technician level personnel. Generally, a ratio of three Operations people to one Technician has proven adequate. Further, Awareness level personnel can provide many non-Operational support and logistical functions. This formula is not much different than the one used by most fire departments for staffing ALS engine companies. One paramedic per engine is plenty.
Most agencies choose not to form a centralized swiftwater specialty team, rather they spread knowledge and skill levels throughout the organization. The term “team member” then becomes a reference to any personnel trained above the awareness level. Also keep in mind that the operating level (Awareness, Operations, or Technician) is a target for the organization as a whole, not a description of the minimum training for each and every member of the organization.
One final point on training, remember not to leave management out of the training loop. Having department management trained to at least the Awareness level is vital to having a good team. This will provide a baseline understanding of the challenges facing the field rescuers, and when managers show up to “help”, they need to know enough to stay out of harm’s way. Further, anyone filling the Incident Safety Officer role must be trained to the level of the rescuers.
Management System
After you’ve decided on the level of training, it is time to start thinking about how you plan to manage a swiftwater rescue emergency. Hopefully you already utilize a Management System on emergency scenes, but regardless of whether you do or not, here is something you might want to think about.
To start with you may want to consider adopting an Incident Command System (ICS) if you haven’t already done so. The United States is quickly moving toward a single, comprehensive national incident management system at the state, territorial, tribal and local levels. Given that there could soon come a day when such a national approach is adopted in Canada and given that the NFPA 1670 standard has emerged as the de-facto global standard for technical rescue incidents, it makes sense to get ahead of the curve by using NPFA standards as the basis for all management decisions today.
Sufficient Personnel
No matter how you go about it, insuring the response of an adequate number of rescuers is a major commitment. Vacations, illness and injuries can render a program useless if there is not an ongoing commitment to keeping the number of trained personnel up to par. Make sure you have enough trained and equipped personnel to handle a swiftwater rescue incident on every shift every day of the year. As we all know rescue incidents don’t wait for 9 to 5 Monday through Saturday. The rescuers selected also need to be willing to take the time and effort to remain current and practiced on the demanding skills and techniques that will be required of them. Many agencies have turned to incentive pay in order to recruit sufficient numbers.
Equipment
Now it’s time to give our rescuers the tools they need. It is suggested that you hold off on purchasing equipment (other than the personal protective equipment needed for training) until after your team has completed their initial training. Time and again well meaning purchasing agents have ordered equipment only to receive a brand new wish list of equipment from freshly trained personnel. Worse yet, the equipment bought before the training may even be unsuitable or even unsafe for the intended use. During training, personnel will get a chance to use many types and brands of equipment and will acquire the knowledge to make educated decisions about the equipment that will best meet their specific needs.
While an initial investment in equipment will be necessary, do not go overboard. Allow the team to gain some experience and plan to reinvest on a regular basis. This will give them the ability to identify those items truly useful to their specific needs, and will serve them better than a one-time investment. Further, the one-time investment does not take equipment turnover into account.
The next question that needs to be asked is: does your team need a boat? In most swiftwater and flood environments a boat will improve your capabilities ten-fold. One of the biggest decisions that may face your new team is whether or not to purchase one, and one of the most common questions asked is what type of boat is best. Sorry, but there is no “best”. Each community is different and you will need to research this yourself as it is a complex decision beyond the scope of this article. There are an infinite number of watercraft (and not all of them are even classified as boats) that could best fit your needs, so do your research carefully.
Conclusion
After fighting to start your team, it will still be the ongoing struggle to keep the team viable over time that will ultimately prove to be your greatest challenge. Ongoing operational costs, recruitment and skill retention are all very real challenges that can render all your efforts useless within a few short years.
Be honest with yourself about your ability to keep up with the ongoing demands of running a successful swiftwater rescue program. But if you do and the rain falls, or the waters rise, and your team makes what would have been an extremely dangerous rescue look easy, you’ll know that it has all been worth it.
Phil Turnbull has 32 years experience in the field of fire rescue, 23 of which he has served as a Chief Officer. Phil is also a swiftwater rescue Instructor Trainer for Rescue 3 International.
