Water
Swiftwater Rescue Technician - Advanced
SRT A will prepare participants to participate in swiftwater rescues regardless of when or where they occur, including extreme whitewater environments and night searches. Content includes low and high angle rope work, low visibility communication and operational considerations, and basic non-motorized boat handling skills.
Highly-recommended for professional rescue personnel including fire, police and search & rescue. Also valuable skills for outdoor guides who regularly venture into extreme backcountry situations. This course fulfills the requirements of the NFPA 1670 Standard for swiftwater rescue incidents.
Details
Duration: 3 1/2 days
Format: 1 day classroom, 2 1/2 days on the river, including a night exercise
Cost: $549
Pre-requisites
- SRT 1
- 18+ years of age (16-17 with parental permission)
- Basic swimming ability
- In good physical condition
Note: While not a pre-requisite, we recommend that in order to get the most out of this high-level course, you already possess strong swimming skills in moving water, as well as a good grasp of basic rope skills. (See our Know the Knots.) Alternatively, it is a good idea to have taken (or audited) an SRT 1 course within the past six months.
Required Equipment
- Drysuit or wetsuit*
- Personal flotation device (Type III or IV)*
- Water-sports helmet*
- Class III climbing harness (or separate chest and sit harnesses)*
- Neoprene gloves (optional)
- Neoprene footwear with a good walking sole, wading boots, or running shoes
- Flashlight or headlamp
- 3-4 cyalume “light sticks”
- Layers of wool or fleece clothing for under the drysuit/wetsuit including sweater, pants, gloves, socks
(* Rentals available - Click here for a list of rental prices and course equipment requirements.)
FAQ
More details about swiftwater courses including what to expect and how to prepare. Click here for our Swiftwater FAQ.
General Objectives
- To expand the expertise of students who have taken Swiftwater Rescue Technician - Level 1 into the area of extreme swiftwater situations.
- To move beyond the emphasis on self-rescue to focus on victim rescue.
- To prepare students for a team role in heavy rescue and disaster organization.
- To define standardization of team structure and response to swiftwater problems (i.e. river searches) regardless of where they occur.
Behavioural Objectives
- Be able to handle lines and pike poles, either from the bank, midstream, or on-line systems in Class III-IV water.
- Be able to determine if a particular rapid or river situation is feasible for on-water rescue.
- Be able to conduct a basic river search.
- Be able to understand the role and utilization of SCUBA in combination with various line systems, to search Class I-III swiftwater, and in some instances, Class III-IV hydraulics and waterfalls.
- Be able to set up and manage four separate cross-river systems, the raising and lowering of Stokes litters, the basic belaying of rescuers, basic rappelling and the “piggyback” method of rescuing a victim using ropes.
- Be able to manage and conduct a night, or low visibility river rescue.
- Be able to assess and manage Class III-IV swiftwater rescues, beyond the capability of boat-based or swimming rescues.
- Be able to organize for basic flood disaster management.
- Have a thorough knowledge of local resource organization and equipment availability.
Take Aways
- Rescue 3’s Swiftwater Rescue Technican - Advanced Manual
- Personalized skill sheet (training record) signed by the instructor (valuable document for risk management)
- Registration of training record in Rescue 3’s international database
- Wallet card with personal Rescue 3 registration number and date of certification
- Certificate of Completion
