Technical Rescue Equipment: The Gear I'm Using
Ranked #169 in Nonprofits, #57,099 overall
Rock Rescue Academy Was Almost Over -- Time To Gear Up
Two years ago, I began training for our Search & Rescue team's technical rescue group in a series of class and field sessions collectively known as the Rock Rescue Academy. Between training sessions, I spent many additional hours practicing those new skills, trying to commit them to memory both mentally and physically. And in September, all new and existing tech team members took the annual proficiency test.
For that test, all of us were required to have purchased certain pieces of equipment for ourselves, rather than use team gear. During an actual mission, there may not be enough team gear to go around, and we always need to have proper equipment for our own personal safety.
So, knowing that, yes, this is something I really wanted to do, it was time to spend some money on tech gear. And this is what I got.....
Our Required Technical Rescue Gear List
You can click to skip to....
Seat Harness
I chose the Metolius Safe Tech Waldo
Now I know there's a significant difference between a recreational climbing harness and a rescue harness. But I wish I'd known that before I took the advice of an employee at a local climbing gym and spent just under $100 for a harness from their store. Not knowing a thing about climbing, tech rescue or the associated gear at the time, I'd just walked in and said, "I need a harness for Search & Rescue" and went with what the girl sold me.That was a mistake. I mean, I suppose it doesn't hurt to have an extra harness around, especially if I decide to take up rock climbing. But my Black Diamond Aura harness, while probably great for sport climbing, just doesn't cut it for rescue work. For one, it gets rather uncomfortable if I have to be on the rope for a long period of time, hanging around so to speak. And it's got too much length between the leg loops and the belay loop. When I hang on the harness, that extra length means that it stretches, and my gear ends up too high on my waist.
At any rate, after checking out some recommendations from teammates, I bought myself a Metolius Safe Tech Waldo Riggers from a company called Rescue Response. The Waldo has thick, 1/2" foam padding around the waist and legs, so it's very comfortable. This harness also has "Safe Tech" features, including four 10kN gear loops, a 16kN haul loop and 6.6kN rear leg loop straps, with no low-strength components. And you can adjust the rise length and leg size to obtain proper fit. The small rear loops can double as hammer holsters, and a second belay loop was added to minimize the problem of "gear cluster."
I started off with the Black Diamond climbing harness shown here (yellow), but it just wasn't cut out for rescue work.
Then I switched to a Metolius rescue seat harness, which I'm using here as I ascend.
Chest Harness
I decided on the Petzl Voltige
So I bought myself a Petzl Voltige Chest Harness from AHS Rescue, a company serving "the serious recreational outdoorsman and ... emergency services and those who make their living working at height."
I'm planning to use two D-rings (or Deltas links) with the chest harness, one 12mm to connect the two sides of the harness in the front, then a piece of Omni strap, cut with a hot knife to the right length, along with a 10mm Delta to attach the chest harness to my seat harness.
At the moment, though, I haven't yet had time to cut the Omni strap and haven't purchased the Deltas, so I've been connecting the seat and chest harness with one carabiner. It's a little uncomfortable when I'm standing around for a while with the two connected like that, because I can't quite stand up straight, but the tight connection does feel good when I'm on the rope, helping to keep me upright.
Here's The Voltige
Also available on Amazon
Petzl Voltige Chest Harness
Amazon Price: $53.95 (as of 06/02/2012)
I found this harness SO much more comfortable than the improved chest harness I'd been using. Especially being a girl, if you know what I mean. Didn't squish as much. And it was easily adjusted to the perfect fit.
Usually ships in 24 hours
The Delta Link aka D-Ring
For attaching chest to seat
Petzl 8mm Delta Link with Bar for Croll Positioning
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 06/02/2012)
I'm going to use Delta links to attach my Voltige Chest Harness to my Safe Tech Waldo seat harness, with a short piece of Omni strap between. At times, I'll leave out the Omni strap and just use one Delta to attach the two harnesses for even more support on the rope, like if attending to a litter over the edge.
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
At first, I improvised a chest harness with orange webbing. But it was uncomfortable and difficult to adjust to the correct fit.
Then I got a much more comfortable Petzl Voltige, which I'm wearing here as I get ready to rappel.
Helmet
A good price for a quality helmet
A few of my teammates and I ordered this helmet, finding it to be a good value. And with all of the money we were spending on gear, we didn't want to spend $100 for a helmet if we could get a quality one for about half the price. (We got a discount off the usual retail price as shown below.)
Black Diamond Half Dome Helmet White
Amazon Price: (as of 06/02/2012)
Sale Price: $49.97
This lightweight, 12.3oz helmet is lined with foam for additional comfort and has a wide brim to keep the rain off your face. There's a dial in the back you can turn to tighten the helmet on your head, and there are clips on the sides and back to hold a headlamp strap in place.
I often use my helmet while on regular SAR missions, especially when in dense forest and/or at night, to protect my head from branches and also to hold my headlamp. It's more comfortable that way as opposed to being right on my head.
I used a team helmet (shown here) until I got my own.
Then I got my own Black Diamond helmet, seen here while I'm rappeling.
Personal Descent (Rappel) Device
The Hyper Extreme Mini Rack
I much preferred the racks to the 8, because it's very difficult--if not nearly impossible--to adjust the amount of friction with the latter. I also found it harder to stop my downward motion and tie off with the 8 while mid-face. So when it came to buying a personal descending device, I went with a Hyper Extreme Mini Rack, as shown below. The Hyper Extreme has two small, vertical hyper bars, which help with both tying off and changing the breaking action from pulling up on the rope to pulling down. Pulling up to brake is more difficult and awkward, not to mention tiring on the arm.
CMI Hyper Rack Extreme NFPA
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 06/03/2012)
I prefer to have the two (vertical) hyper-bars on the rack as opposed to racks without them, because it's not only easier for me to lock off, but the bars also allow me to reverse the direction of pull for braking--down instead of up.
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Gloves
By Metolius
. I'll need a different pair for winter use, but I like having my fingers free to manipulate equipment. They got dirty pretty darn fast but seem to be holding up very well to extensive use and abuse. I'm sure, though, I'll be going through numerous pairs as time goes on, so I'm going to pick up at least another one to have as a backup.
Metolius 3/4 Finger Climbing Gloves
Price: $29.90 - $32.95 depending on size (from x-small to x-large)
This is a summer-weight glove with a polyester/spandex blend for breathable stretch and a leather palm for tough durability. If you're using these for free-climbing, there's a clip-in loop to stash the cloves on your harness when they're not needed.
These 3/4 finger gloves allow me to easily manipulate my gear while protecting me from rope burns.
And Maybe A Pair Like This For The Winter
Metolius Belay Glove Natural Large
Amazon Price: $34.95 (as of 06/02/2012)
This is a full-fingered Metolius glove, with comfortable cowhide outer molds, and split-cowhide reinforcements and triple stitching on the palm. The glove has a webbing clip-in loop and a hook and loop wrist closure.
Usually ships in 24 hours
Locking Carabiners
There are so many to choose from.
, written by Donald C. Cooper: Carabiners.These are some of the locking 'biners that I currently have....
Prusiks
Or "soft safeties"
We use Prusiks in a variety of ways, including for self-belays on a single rope, for tandem Prusik belays on a separate belay line, occasionally for ascending and so forth.The rope used for a Prusik should always be of a smaller diameter than that which it's attached to. We often use 11mil. rope for main and belay lines, so our Prusiks are 8mil for rescue loads and 6 or 8mil for a single person (or personal) load. The difference in diameter between the main line and the Prusik should follow the general rule of a 60-80% ratio.
Prusiks can be made by buying the rope and tying them yourself, or you can buy them pre-sewn, which is what I did so as to avoid having the double fisherman's knots on the Prusiks.
We're required to have at least two sets of 8mil Prusiks, a set being one long (22") and one short (16"). I purchased my Sterling 8 mm Sewn Prusik Sets from Rescue Direct
They ship any order in the contiguous United States for a flat rate of $4.95, so several of my teammates and I placed our orders together. We also took advantage of their 10% discount for rescue personnel.
Rescue or Trauma Shears
Cramer Rescue Shears (EA)
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 06/02/2012)
With the shears on the other hand, they can remain closed until we're ready to cut, so there's less chance of a mistake.
Usually ships in 24 hours
Other gear on my list includes ascenders like those shown here. The team has Petzl ascenders we can use if we don't have our own
Sources For Technical Rescue Gear
I can recommend....
- Rescue Direct
- Offering a "Public Service Personnel Discount" to search and rescue team members, fire departments, tactical teams, high angle rescue teams and EMS squads. I called to place my order and spoke to Dale, who was very helpful.
- Rescue Response
- Rescue equipment for Fire Rescue and Rope Access. The website also features training and climbing videos. A good contact there is Matt if you have any questions. (I asked for a discount by using the "request a quote" contact form, and I got one.)
- AHS Rescue
- Selling technical gear in the categories water, industrial, rescue and sport.
- Inner Mountain Outfitters
- Caving, climbing and rescue equipment
- Yates Gear
- Selling big wall and rock and ice equipment, work and rescue gear and tactical equipment
Read About Technical Rescue
Technical Rescue Riggers Guide, 2nd Edition
List Price: $15.95
This book has lots of clear illustrations and photos, covering basic knots and anchors, to high lines, helicopter rescues and much more. A portion of the sale of this guide goes to support volunteer mountain rescue.
Learning Technical Rescue Skills
The Rock Rescue Academy & A Ropes That Rescue Class
Rock Rescue Academy Part 1: Learning to Rappel
I'm no fan of heights, but somehow I wasn't (too) nervous as I backed up off the edge of a long way down under the watchful eyes of my Search and Rescue...
Rock Rescue Academy Part 2: Learning To Ascend & Rig Anchors
That's what they told us in Search and Rescue training. Our instructors -- my experienced teammates -- told those of us who are new to high-angle rescue...
Rock Rescue Academy Part 3: Raising Systems
Much of the time, technical rescue involves falls, with rescuers descending to the victim and then raising or lowering that person in a litter or harness. In...
Rock Rescue Academy Part 4: Learning To Belay
If something goes wrong after you've gone over the edge, it sure is nice to have a belay to keep you from going down, fast. In this article, as with the...
Ropes That Rescue Rigging Class Photos: Sedona, Arizona
The following are photos from a week-long course I took with Ropes That Rescue in Sedona, Arizona. I took this course because I'm a member of the Coconino County...
My Search & Rescue Blog
"Deb's Search & Rescue Stories"
Comments Or Questions About Technical Rescue Or The Gear?
Share them here.
You don't have to be a member of Squidoo to leave a message.
-
-
adityashinde
Jun 17, 2011 @ 1:00 am | delete
- great lens...thanks for sharing :)
-
-
-
merlyn.seltzer@ieee.org
Apr 29, 2011 @ 9:07 pm | delete
- www.cmcrescue.com is an excellent source for all of your rescue equipment needs. They can also make custom equipment to meet any special needs you may have.
-
-
-
poddys
Sep 17, 2010 @ 1:06 am | delete
- Great detailed lens. I can't imagine any climber wants to cut their rope by accident! Shears are a good thing.
-
-
-
Ramkitten
Sep 17, 2010 @ 1:09 am | delete
- That's a good point. I didn't think about non-techie people wondering about that. Actually, the shears are for cutting a victim's rope once we get them off of it and onto a rescue line or into a rescue litter. Many fall victims are hanging on their own ropes when we get to them. But we don't cut their rope until we have them secured, of course! :)
-
-
-
kiwisoutback Sep 18, 2009 @ 6:57 am | delete
- Great job with this lens. I'm not sure I could swing rock climbing. I've seen a lot of people do it, but I think I need both feet firmly planted in the ground. You look like you've done this quite a few times, so I trust your recommendations! Squid Angel blessed.
-
- Load More
If you would like to rate this lens about technical rescue equipment, then you can do so here (Squidoo members only)
This module only appears with actual data when viewed on a live lens. The favorite and lensroll options will appear on a live lens if the viewer is a member of Squidoo and logged in.
A Little About Me
by Ramkitten
I'm glad you've stopped by! So what's with the Ramkitten thing, you ask? Well, that's my trail name in the long-distance backpacking community (and now... more »
- 196 featured lenses
- Winner of 21 trophies!
- Top lens » Becoming a Search and Rescue Volunteer
Explore related pages
- Rock Rescue Academy Part 1: Learning to Rappel Rock Rescue Academy Part 1: Learning to Rappel
- Rock Rescue Academy Part 4: Learning To Belay Rock Rescue Academy Part 4: Learning To Belay
- Rock Rescue Academy Part 2: Learning To Ascend & Rig Anchors Rock Rescue Academy Part 2: Learning To Ascend & Rig Anchors
- Rock Rescue Academy Part 3: Raising Systems Rock Rescue Academy Part 3: Raising Systems
- Search and Rescue Videos -- Mountain Rescue, Technical Rescue and General SAR Search and Rescue Videos -- Mountain Rescue, Technical Rescue and General SAR
- Ropes That Rescue Rigging Class Photos: Sedona, Arizona Ropes That Rescue Rigging Class Photos: Sedona, Arizona
