Ropes and Rope Rescue

[caregiver222]

When you need a rescue rope, any rope is better than no rope, but the longer the rope the better. In a disaster ropes mean the difference between life and death. The good news is that there are many modern certified ropes that are designed for every purpose. The bad news is they ten to be expensive.

For standby use (when you are not humping the mountains) I olike a 10-11 mm rope.  Ropes come in 50, 60 and 70 meter lengths. A suitable 70 meter (230 feet) rope will cost between $150 and $300. Double ouch!

Rescue ropes come in all colors.

You'll need a rope bag to store the rope. Keep them out of sunlight. Storage life is very controversial. The manufacturers often suggest five years, but tests have been performed on rope stores for ten years that show no degradation in strength.

Rescue ropes are not to be used for pulling cars out of ditches or hauling trees off the road. They are meant solely for use in rescue. Once used and stressed, there is a school of thought that the rope should not be used again. On the other hand, in Fire Departments nationwide used ropes are used again and again for training puirposes.

There is a LOT to learn about ropes, and most of the information is beyond the scope of a paragraph.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) established standards for rescue rope in the United States that are very helpful.

A very helpful book that tells you all you need to know about rescue ropes is:

TECHNICAL RESCUE, ROPE RESCUE LEVELS I AND II

Author: Jeffrey M. Mathews
Copyright: 2010
ISBN 13: 9781428320567
ISBN 10: 1428320563
Price: $62.95 U.S. (ouch!)

This is a practical, thorough guide to rope rescue based on the NFPA standard 1006 and 2009 NFPA Standard 1670.

Knots, rigging, incident scene management...all the good stuff.

[caregiver222]

The importance of learning to make suitable knots cannot be overemphazized. I would make "knot making" a part of the curriculum of every elementary school. The ability to make a good knot can mean the difference between life and death. Fortunately, there are numerous knot-making sites on the internet, which include videos and detailed instructions. Learning knots is easy, fun, and something you can do with the kids.

As a minimum you should know how to make:

Square or Reef Knot
Sheet-Bend
Slipped Sheet-Bend
Sheepshank
Pile-Hitch
Buntline-Hitch
Timber-Hitch
Bowline
Prusik

There are many other useful knots, of course, but these are the absolute minimum you should know. Learn them and teach them to every one of your children.

[caregiver222]

There is an awful lot of information on the internet available on ropes. I have only skimmed the surface.

Bear in mind that there are two categories of rescue ropes. Floating ropes and non-floating ropes.

Floating ropes are preferred for water rescue and flood duty.

11mm Floating New England water rescue rope (one of many varieties) can be obtained in virtually any length. It should always be stored in a special rope bag. Breaking strength is around 4,900 pounds.

100 foot length is around $90   U.S.
150 foot length is around $130 U.S.
200 foot length is around $175 U.S.