 What to Expect in Rescue
3's Swiftwater Rescue Course Day Two On day two we immediately suited up for the 40-degree water of the Middle Fork of the Willamette. We had a full day's worth of fieldwork ahead of us and Little wasted no time getting us in the water. Participants should dress warmer than they might expect-the amount of time practicing in-river drills will make you shiver. Day two delved into the following: throwbag basics: primary and secondary throw methods; self rescue techniques: eddy catching, passive/active swimming; techniques for rescuing responsive and unresponsive passive victims; foot entrapment and vertical boat pin extrication; "Continuous loop" rope shuttle technique for controlled deepwater crossings; shallow water-crossing techniques: solo, small group, large group; and strainer avoidance and extrication techniques. Realism was the theme for the day's drill work. Passive victims really did act passive to test strength and skill. Foot entrapment and vertical pin drills were mocked-up in fast moving water and were designed for rescue from one bank, since a river narrow enough to work from both sides is rare. We rigged a strainer out of a stout log and floated into it the wrong way first, pinning ourselves to ensure our understanding of how bad it could potentially be. Then we swam it again correctly. Next, we returned to the fire station for indoor practice on rope anchoring, tensioning systems and mechanical advantage principles. I left knowing how to rig a wrapped boat and a zip line without worry, and managed to bump technical rope systems out of the "I just don't get it" category where I still park orienteering and calculus. Before the day was over we covered: anchors for tensioning systems and zip lines, including natural anchors, friction anchors and equalized multiple anchors; and mechanical advantage: Z-Drag (3:1 advantage) and Pig Rig (4:1 advantage), both accomplished with minimal gear--carabiners, prussic loops and webbing.
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