Confined Rescue – A Timeline to Rescue

and

Rescue Systems

By Michael Lafreniere

Ohio University-Chillicothe

Environmental Training and Research Center (ETRC)

www.ohiou.edu/chillicothe/etrc/

Defining Response Time

Reaction Time Contact Time Response Time Assessment Time Preparation Time Rescue Time

Reaction Time

Time between the entrant having a problem requiring rescue and the safety attendant’s recognition that the entrant has problem

Contact Time

The time taken by the attendant to contact the rescue team.

Response Time

The time taken by the rescuers to arrive at the scene of the rescue after contact.

Assessment Time

The time taken by a rescue team to size up the problem and determine the strategy to perform a safe, efficient rescue

Preparation Time

The time take by a rescue team to set up for the rescue.

Rescue Time

The time taken for the team to reach, treat, package, and evacuate the victim from the confined space.

Untimely Rescue Response

CPR Emergency – Goal: 4 minutes– OSHA Preamble

Golden Hour– Patient delivery within an hour of the injury– Example

Falls off a ladder Broken Bones

Rescue Response Time Goals

On-Site Team– Almost impossible to respond to a rescue summons

and reach a victim within OSHA’s goal of 4 minutes– Unless using Rescue-Standby (team is already set

up)

Appropriate Goal– Initiate patient transport to the hospital within 30-40

minutes of the incident

Rescue Response Time Goal

0 – 3 minutes– Permit-Required Confined Space incident occurs and rescue

team is called 3 – 13 minutes (10 min. duration)

– Rescue Team Arrives at the Scene 13 – 23 minutes (10 min. duration)

– Rescue Team Sizes up and Prepares to initiate rescue 23 – 38 minutes (15 min. duration)

– Rescue team reaches and rescues patient. 38 – 53 minutes (15 min. duration)

– Patient is transported and arrives at emergency room

Rescue Response Decision-Making Criteria

Rescue Standby (RS)– Requires team to be present and able to enter the space

immediately and reach the patient in 2 to 4 minutes

Rescue Available (RA)– Requires the team to be able to respond to the entry site in

about 10 minutes and reach the patient approximately 5 minutes later.

Can Catergorize PRCS – PrePlan– Best to assign on an entry by entry basis

Rescue Response Categories

Rescue Available– Do not require entrants to wear fresh air breathing

equipment– Do not expose the entrant to any obvious IDLH or

potential IDLH hazard– Do not warrant rescue personnel standing by during

the entry, and– Do not require the entrant to have assistance to exit

the space, under normal circumstances

Rescue Response Categories

Space in which entrants are required to use fresh air breathing equipment

Spaces in which an obvious IDLH hazard exists or potentially exists, and/or

Spaces from which an entrant would be expected to have difficulty exiting without help

Determining Rescue Response

Entry Supervisor must decide for each entry Three questions should be asked

– Is the hazard or potential hazard immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH)?

– Is breathing air required for entry?– Would the entrant have difficulty exiting the space

unassisted?

Any “yes” – then Rescue Standby (RS)

References

Confined Space and Structural Rope Rescue, Michael Roop, Thomas Vines, and Richard Wright, Published by Mosby, Inc., 1998.

Confined Space: Entry and Rescue – A Training Manual, Published by CMC Rescue, Inc., 1996.

Rescue Systems and Equipment

Standards and Regulations

NFPA– Consensus standards – voluntary compliance

ANSI– U.S. & international standards– Consensus standards – voluntary compliance.– Mandatory when referenced by OSHA in regulations

ASTM– Currently writing standards on Search and Rescue– Consensus Standards – voluntary compliance

OSHA– None on rope rescue

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Ropes

Used for– Primary tool in technical

rescue Vary in construction,

material and size Most common in C.S.

– ½ inch, strength 9,000 lbs.– Static kernmantle (low

stretch)– Dynamic kernmantle (high

stretch)

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Webbing

Used for – Tying anchors– Lashing victims into a litter– Tying personal harness

Vary in construction, material and size

Most common in C.S.– 1 inch, spiral weave,

tubular, nylon– Strength 4,500 lbs.

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Prusik Loop

Used for– Tie friction knots around

rescue rope– Ratchets– Point of attachments

Most common in C.S.– 8 mm, nylon

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Anchor Straps

Used for– Quick, strong anchors for

attaching ropes and systems

Most common in C.S.– 1 ¾ inch, flat nylon

webbing– Strength 8,000 lbs.

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Harness

Used for– Fall protection– Confined space rescue

Most common in C.S.– Flat nylon webbing– Full body– Point of attachment in the

center of the back at shoulder level

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Carabiners

Used for– Attach equipment together

in rescue systems

Vary in construction, shape, material and size

Most common in C.S.– Large – Locking

Used for– Rappelling– Lowering– Belay systems

Equipment Description – Figure Eight Descender

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Brake Bar Rack

Used for– Control a rescue load– Add or subtract friction

(Minimum Strength)(Maximum Strength)

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Edge Protection

Used for– Protects rope and anchors– Increases efficiency on

rope hauling systems

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Pulleys

Used for– Change the direction of

moving ropes– Build mechanical

advantage into rope hauling systems

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Pulleys

First Class Lever– R (resistance)– F (fulcrum)– E (effort)– Fixed Pulley

Second Class Lever– F (fulcrum)– R (resistance)– E (effort)– Moving Pulley

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Tripod

Used for– Access to vertical entry

Most common in C.S.– 9-foot height or greater

Equipment Description and Capabilities – Winch

Used for– Assist with tripods

Most common in C.S.– Retractable designated for

non-entry rescue– Certified as a primary

lowering device

Equipment Description –Full Body Splint / Sked Stretcher

Used for– Confined Space Rescue– Protection for victim

Most common in C.S.– Together supply most

support

Static System Safety Factor (SSSF)

Safety factor– Ratio between minimum breaking strength of a piece of

equipment and the greatest force it is expected to experience during a rescue.

Standard– No standard mandating what the SSSF should be.– Mountain rescue teams use 4:1– Rescue organizations use 10:1– Fire service teams use 15:1

(NFPA Standard 1983 specified the strength of a life support line to be 15 times the load.)

Knots

Knot efficiency– Knots rated for strength by the percentage of rope

strength that remain when a knot is tied in the rope.– Knots should always be tied off.

Knot – Figure Eight

Used to tie other knots Used as a stopper knot

(Step 1)(Step 2)(Step 3)

Knot - Figure Eight on a Bight

Used to make a loop in a rope

Knot efficiency = 80%

(Step 1)(Step 2)(Step 3)

Knots – Water Knot

Used to tie webbing together

Knot efficiency = 64%

(Step 1)(Step 2)(Step 3)(Step 4)(Step 5)

Knots – Double Fisherman

(a.k.a.) double overhand bend

Used to tie prusik loops Knot efficiency = 79%

(Step 1)(Step 2)(Step 3)(Step 4)(Step 5)

Front

Back

Knot – Prusik Loop

Friction Knot

(Step 1)(Step 2)(Step 3)(Step 4)(Step 5)

Anchors

Foundations that all rope systems are built on

Experience and Judgment

Backed Up Anchor

Anchor with another anchor of equal strength

Load increases as the interior angle increases

Load Distributing Anchors (Self Equalizing)

Allows the load to be distributed to each anchor point by permitting the point of attachment to shift within the anchor

Solves the problem caused by a load shift

Problem:– One anchor point fails, the shift

to the remaining anchor points will cause a drop in the system

Solution:– Keep the anchor legs as short

as possible

Rescue Systems

Starts with an anchor Next, hardware and rope to complete the

system Be prepared to modify the system during the

rescue

Rescue Systems – Simple Pulley Systems

All moving pulleys moving at the same speed as the load

Rescue Systems – Compound Pulley Systems

Pulley systems pulling on other pulley systems

Rescue Systems – Complex Pulley Systems

Moving Pulleys that move at different speeds

Rescue Systems – Belay Systems

Backup systems for primary rope systems.

OSHA mandates fall protection.

For assistance/more information:

Contact:

Michael LafreniereOhio University-ChillicotheEnvironmental Training and Research Center101 University DriveChillicothe, OH 45601

Phone: (740) 774-7278

Email: lafrenie@ohio.edu

Web: www.ohiou.edu/chillicothe/etrc/