I teach cave rescue courses for the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC), and one of my favorites is the Small Party Assisted Rescue class. The idea behind this class is that if someone in your caving group gets hurt or sick on the cave trip and doesn't need a litter carry out, your group gets the person out with the gear they have.
The class is often structured for three or four days. I've helped teach them in many states and even Canada over the past few years. Recently we held one in Baker, Nevada. After the morning in the classroom, we headed to our rope gym. Students were split up into small groups and rotated to several stations.
Traveling haul is a fantastic small party rescue technique, because you don't need any extra rope. With two small pulleys (you could use carabiners, but lose a lot of efficiency), you make a 2:1 haul system that moves up the rope. When you put the redirected rope into your Croll and sit down, you have great pulling force. Plus the patient can help (if not too injured).
Here's Dr. Tom waiting to get lifted up and over the table at the releasable redirect station. This is a fun technique that allows you to move someone not only vertically, but also a bit horizontally.
Tom was helping rig, but the main reason I had to include this photo is how often do you get to do ropework with a nearby disco ball??
The balcony provided a great place to practice convert to lower. The idea is that a patient (or a couple jugs of foam) are stuck on rope, and the rope is hard tied at the top. With some extra rope or webbing, how can you lower them quickly to the bottom? (Hint: Munter hitches are a great tool here)
Another station is the diminishing loop counterweight, where a rope goes through a pulley, and the rescuer is on one side and the patient on the other, and they are tethered together. As the rescuer climbs, the patient also goes up. You just have to figure out what to do when you get to the pulley! (That comes in day 2.)
The infamous Voodoo, a way to tension the rope. We used it for the guided rappel.
All this work made us hungry! A catered dinner from Salt & Sucre really hit the spot. Yum!
Then it was back to work with demonstrations and practice time.
Day 2 was all about the cliffs. I was so busy with teaching I hardly got any photos. Here's a multi-pitch way up the cliffs. Students learned how to rappel a patient through rebelays, as well as several other rescue techniques.
After another delicious catered dinner, it was time for a little whiteboard exercise of how to choose which method to use under which circumstances.
The final day was scenario day, where students go caving with instructors in small groups. Somehow an instructor in each group manages to have a problem, which must be solved. They all did great!
Thank you to all the instructors who came and shared their knowledge and to all the students willing to take time to learn something that may help them out some day.
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| Fantastic 2019 Nevada SPAR class |
If you're interested in cave rescue, you can see upcoming classes at the NCRC website.
Hint: there's another cave rescue class (not as technical) coming up in Baker, NV soon, but only has a few spots left!
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