Technical Learning Archives | Rigging Lab Academy

Why Studying Iconic Coaches is Essential for Advancing Rope Rescue Excellence

By Lance Piatt / Blog, How-To Concepts, Industry, Safe Practices, Scene Management, Search and Rescue Training, Team Competencies, Technical Learning

In recent weeks, I’ve immersed myself in the realm of NFL coaching. While the names of Vince Lombardi, John Madden, Hank Stram, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, and Don Shula are widely recognized, it’s become increasingly apparent that coaching in the NFL from the 1960s through the early 1980s represented a unique era, starkly contrasting with …

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Balancing Act: Navigating Highlines in Rope Rescue and Life

By Lance Piatt / Blog, Designing Your Processes, Equipment, Fall Safety, General Rigging, Safe Practices, Team Competencies, Technical Learning

I love the parallels between highline systems in rope rescue and the challenges of everyday life. “In the world of rope rescue, the concept of ‘highlines’ holds a profound parallel to the challenges we encounter in life. Picture this: a highline system, suspended across a perilous gap, serving as a lifeline for those in need. …

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Striking the Balance: Navigating the Triangle of Education, Equipment Buying, and Training for Effective Operations

By Lance Piatt / Blog, Principles of Learning, Professional Standards, Team Competencies, Technical Learning

There is a “sweet spot” – a triangle – that could represent the optimal balance between education, purchasing, and training in a specific context, such as acquiring and using equipment for a fire department or another specialized field. Here’s how this triangle might look: Education: This corner of the triangle emphasizes the importance of knowledge …

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How Recessions Impact Fire Departments and Search & Rescue in the US – Part 3: Staffing Reductions

By Lance Piatt / Blog, Leadership, Safe Practices, Team Competencies, Technical Learning

Fire departments and search and rescue teams rely heavily on the training and skills of their personnel to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. Unfortunately, during economic downturns, these organizations may need to reduce staffing to stay within their budget. This can lead to longer response times and an increased risk of injury or death. …

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How Recessions Impact Fire Departments and Search & Rescue in the US – Part 2: Budgets

By Lance Piatt / Blog, Team Competencies, Technical Learning

During a recession, budget cuts are often necessary for local governments. Fire departments are particularly affected, which can lead to fewer resources for training and equipment. This means that response times may become slower, and fire personnel might not be as effective in emergency situations than they could otherwise be. One way to help mitigate …

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Rope Rescue Gear and Everything Between! Part 2 – Creating Your Rope Rescue Equipment SOP

By Lance Piatt / Blog, Equipment, Leadership, Principles of Learning, Technical Learning

A systematic approach to rescue equipment selection, care and maintenance can help rescue teams be more effective in their work. By understanding the capabilities and limitations of different types of rescue equipment, rescue teams can choose the right tools for the job at hand. Additionally, proper care and maintenance of rescue equipment can prolong its …

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Capacity Planning For Rescue Rigging: “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”

By Lance Piatt / Blog, Lance Piatt, Team Competencies, Technical Learning / 7 Comments

“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry” or better said “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men” is a poem about “life, death, planning and strategy”… not always going as planned. According to legend, Robert Burns was ploughing in the fields and accidentally destroyed a mouse’s nest, which it needed to survive the winter. Oops! No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it. The …

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Using Pareto’s 80/20 Principle within Technical Rope Rescue

By Lance Piatt / Blog, How-To Concepts, Industry, Leadership, Technical Learning

**This content is background and referential ONLY** The strategy of the 80/20 Pareto Principle can be applied to rope rescue teams and systems. This strategy can help build a team and system that is efficient, effective, and able to respond quickly during an emergency situation. The strategy consists of two dimensions: identifying what matters most …

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Want to Increase Your Learning Capacity? Match Your Metacognition with Your Cognition…

By Lance Piatt / Blog, Lance Piatt, Team Competencies, Technical Learning, Two (Twin) Tension Rope Systems / 33 Comments

The learning process is fascinating to me. We are created unique in every area of our lives. Is it any wonder why every few years there are new break-throughs in slowing the aging process, fitness, health, mental capacity, technology and learning. Ever heard of “metacognition”? I hadn’t until more recently. What you are about to …

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What’s the #1 leadership and team building mistake rope rescue technician’s make?

By Lance Piatt / Arizona Vortex, Artificial High Directional AHD, Dynamic Directional, Elevated Anchor Systems, Horizontal Rigging, Leadership, Portable Anchors, Principles of Learning, Professional Standards, Safe Practices, Team Competencies, Technical Learning, Twin Tension Rope System, Twin Tension Rope System Clutch, Two (Twin) Tension Rope Systems, Two Rope Offsets, Two Tensioned Rope Rescue Systems / 229 Comments

The year was 2003… almost 5 years post my bellwether event in Sedona. These “leaders” had shown me not just an existence of something new, but of a direction of a trend of things to come. During these years, I had taken other courses and had become much more familiar with “the vertical terrain”. Mind …

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