Firefighters performing rope rescue know it can take many forms, from high angle to confined space, low angle, swift water, and even self-rescue when bailing out of a building. While techniques differ, the basic equipment load and types of specialized hardware needed to rescue individuals from precarious places are similar across the disciplines.
Matt Hunt, rescue and safety director for Sterling Rope, says that when Sterling talks with fire departments about their rope rescue needs, the main question they ask is what the fire department is using the equipment for. “We want to match the right product for the intended task,” Hunt observes, “whether it be high angle rescue, water rescue, swift water rescue, ice rescue, personal escape, or basic utility work like lifting tools.”
Hunt notes that for high angle rope rescue work, many fire departments have chosen to use Sterling’s half-inch-diameter (12.5-millimeter) SuperStatic2 rescue rope for main and belay lines. SuperStatic™ 2 has a nylon/nylon core/sheath in the half-inch version and a nylon/polyester core/sheath in the 7⁄16-inch (11-mm) version. The rope is available in 150-, 200-, 300-, 600-, and 660-foot lengths, he adds, although most fire departments choose 200- to 300-foot lengths.
1 Sterling Rope makes SuperStatic™ 2 rescue rope in half-inch (12.5 millimeters) and 7⁄16-inch (11 mm) diameters for use as main and belay lines. (Photos 1-4 courtesy of Sterling Rope.)
2 The Sync™ static rope made by Sterling Rope is available in both 12.5-mm and 11-mm versions.
3 Sterling Rope makes GrabLine™, a 3⁄8-inch-diameter water rescue rope with a nylon core and polypropylene sheath.
“We’ve also seen an increase in interest in moving to a smaller-diameter rescue rope, smaller in size but with the same use certifications as the larger-diameter ropes,” Hunt says. “We introduced the Sync™ static rope in both 12.5-mm nylon/nylon and 11-mm nylon/polyester versions. Sync’s 11-mm rescue rope’s hydrophobic high-tenacity polyester sheath and low-elongation nylon core offer a balanced construction for increased strength with a smooth feel, which is ideal for raising and lowering systems.”
For water rescue, Sterling makes GrabLine™, a 3⁄8-inch water rescue rope with a nylon core and polypropylene sheath that has a tread-like pattern to give both rescuer and victim extra gripping power while also providing buoyancy, Hunt points out. “Seventy-five feet is standard length for a fire service throw rope,” he says, “although some departments are moving toward 40-foot lengths to reduce weight and to fit in a bag that slides into the cargo pocket of turnout pants.”
Sterling Rope also makes the FCX personal escape kit, which incorporates another rope application for the fire service. “Our FCX Escape Systems are built around the FCX Descent Device and FireTech2 100 percent Technora® escape rope,” Hunt says, “and are customizable with a choice of Lightning GT hook or Crosby hook as an anchor, a SafeD carabiner, and either a F4-50 or Escape Kit pocket storage bag. In the first quarter of 2022, we expect to introduce a new anchor hook, the Stealth™, a lighter weight aluminum anchor hook with a gated hitching slot on the back and an added steel tip to hold hard surfaces and be more durable.”
John Evans, sales and marketing director for Seattle Manufacturing Corporation (SMC), says that SMC’s TerrAdaptor™ has proven to be a versatile portable anchor system that can be used for rescue in many environments, from industrial to wilderness scenarios. TerrAdaptor Portable Anchor System is the result of years of experience in design, engineering, and manufacturing by SMC, Skedco, and Pigeon Mountain Industries, Evans points out. The system includes a TerrAdaptor tripod head, three leg kits with modular adaptors and rocker feet, a center leg clamp with three load locking pins, two offset leg clamps with three load locking pins, a lash ring, coupling pins, and three rope hobble sections.
4 Sterling Rope’s FCX personal escape kit has a FCX Descent Device, FireTech2 Technora® escape rope, a Lightning GT or Crosby hook as an anchor, and a SafeD carabiner.
5 Seattle Manufacturing Corp. (SMC) makes the TerrAdaptor™ Portable Anchor System that has a tripod head and three legs with modular adaptors and rocker feet. Shown attached to the TerrAdaptor is SMC’s new Apex swivel pulley. (Photos 5-6 courtesy of SMC.)
Rich Siemer, director of product design for SMC, adds that TerrAdaptor is distinguished by the device’s three legs, which can be adjusted to any angle. “There’s a rigid connection from each leg to the head of the unit,” he says. “In testing, we found that loads on the individual legs were transferred to the entire system so that the wide range of adjustability means that the system is more than the sum of its parts. TerrAdaptor works great in elevator shaft rescues and in confined space areas in factories where there’s a narrow footprint, like on a catwalk or other confined area.”
Siemer also pointed out that SMC recently introduced a new swivel pulley called APEX that has a new patented locking system. “We came up with a triple lock system for the side plate that opens up so you can load the rope,” Siemer points out. “APEX has a lock button lever that is rotated 45 degrees and then depressed to rotate the side plate open. Once the rope is loaded, to lock the device, the user snaps the plate closed, which locks automatically.”
Evans says that edge protection is an important consideration in rope rescue scenarios. “SMC makes the Rope Tracker that’s been engineered to secure, capture, protect, and manage multiple ropes when negotiating difficult edge transitions,” he says. “SMC Rope Tracker is made from a high-quality, durable, abrasion-resistant thermoplastic blend to minimize weight and maximize strength. Its channel and rib design gives the user the ability to manage ropes up to 16 mm and flex to accommodate 90-degree edge angles.”
6 This SMC TerrAdaptor Monopod (gin pole) has a Space Station head attachment, swivel pulleys (in background) with SMC double prusik minding pulleys in tandem, and a SMC Grip as the haul system.
CMC makes a number of products used in rope rescue situations by fire departments. For firefighter personal escape, CMC makes the LEVR™ BT Escape System that allows firefighters to lower a victim before bailing out themselves. The system uses a BT Bag for accessing both ends of the escape line, a captive eye carabiner for connecting to the victim, a rapid deployment tether the LEVR Descender reeved with Fire Escape Web™, and the FlashG™ for lowering and anchoring.
CMC also makes the TRISKELION™, an industrial rescue tripod with a working height of 5½ to 10 feet, allowing it to be adapted to fit low clearance areas or extended to haul patients in full size litters. CMC’s CLUTCH™ By Harken Industrial™ is a wearable tool designed for efficient hauling, controlled lowering, smooth personal descent, easy ascending, belaying, and twin tension rope systems. Clutch has an anti-panic brake, and its rope loading and unloading is secured by a double-latched side plate design, independent of the device’s attachment point.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.
