Two Tensioned Rope Rescue Systems

Two Rope Tension System A-Frame Resultant Insight, Part 2

Excerpt from “A Guide to Artificial High Directionals & Two Tension Rope Systems” To review, this simplest way to make sure it’s stable is to visualize your resultants and make sure they’re landing within the footprint of your system. Then provide some guying for stability and the insurance that in the event that someone should […]

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Two Rope Tension System A-Frame Resultant Insight, Part 1

Excerpt from “A Guide to Artificial High Directionals & Two Tension Rope Systems” Defining a resultant is what determines if your high directional is going to be stable or not. So when we say resultant, the full term is a resultant vector. A vector is a measure of force and direction. Here, we’re talking about resultants through the

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Two Rope Twin Tension Mini Offset… Backcountry Meets Fire Service

~This is a quick snippet of something we filmed when we first opened up RLA’s studio lab ~ Two Rope Twin Tension Mini Offset… Backcountry Meets Fire Service   So backcountry meets fire service… sounds like a battle of some sort.  So while this “match up” is really neither epic nor epoch, this contest does

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Team Rescue Techniques for Hauling and Lowering with Petzl Maestro

All maneuvers must be done on two independent rope systems. These two systems can work in parallel (two haul lines) or separately (work rope and belay rope). 1. Examples of hauling with work rope and belay rope. All hauling and positioning forces are concentrated on the work rope. The belay rope is set up and

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Trackline and steep angle litter raise gin-pole as bottom AHD

A-Frame and Gin Pole Trackline with Steep Angle Litter Raise: An Overview of a Dual AHD and Steep Angle Litter Work

Vision, training and rehearsing are purposeful events.  Rarely can someone envision future events without understanding the past as there is no understanding or interpretation without history.  Training involves coaching, education, drills, guidance, discipline and a host of other “things”… in short, “training” can be disastrous if done inappropriately. Rehearsing however is something different.  Rehearsing involves

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Technical Rescue: The Importance of 15:1

(This article was originally run in Firehouse October 1, 2019) Russell McCullar clarifies whether 15:1 is still relevant and says that fire departments should select gear and load limits that meet their needs. All Photos by Russell McCullar Not long ago, I was explaining to one of my students that our training agency was undergoing

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Want To Be A Dirtbag?

I’ve had a lot of bad ideas so I get pretty excited when I have a good one.  The Crackerjack Group recently held a “flyer” of a class we dubbed The Dirtbag Clinic..  and it worked. The idea came about because we had some friends in town for the Mountain Rescue Association Conference and they

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Petzl I’D Descender in action for rope access and rescue operations. Features include anti-panic function, auto-locking, and versatility for confined space, high-angle, and industrial rescues.

Two Tension System-Vertical and Horizontal Evacuation Part 1: In-Line 9 Using A Petzl Jag System Is An Easy Solution!

The other day I walked into the studio (Neverland) armed with one goal for the morning… build a system that is Functionality Efficient in Gear Efficient in People Efficient in Physics AHD Based Small Team Based One Person Load Very Reproducible Raise Only Based (but with a margin of error that allows for downward adjustments…

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The 5 Day Advance Workshop Is Almost Here…

From Jason Ilowite… our instructor for this flagship course 5 Day Advance Workshop. So a little bit about the upcoming 5 Day Advance Workshop and why I think it’s important and valuable. I think the five day course addresses a problem that many of us, and I say us, I’m talking about fire service, rescue.

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Litter Hauling Techniques Using Dual Capacity or Twin Tension Rope Systems Part 3: Via A Two Rope Offset

Two Rope Offset Systems or “cross hauling” uses two identical working systems (normally).  Now while some use a main-belay system, we are advocating a “two tension system” as it “halves” the amount of tension on both sides respectively, thus reducing the chances of any load related challenges… I am purposely not using the term “catastrophic

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