S P E C I A L O P E R A T I O N S : S W I F T W A T E R B O A T O P E R A T I O N S ( 1. 1 ) T A S K S K I L L D E S C R I P T I O N A N D D E T A I L

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1 S P E C I A L O P E R A T I O N S : S W I F T W A T E R B O A T O P E R A T I O N S ( 1. 1 ) Developed by: Jason Tanner October 2015 T A S K S K I L L D E S C R I P T I O N A N D D E T A I L Swiftwater boat operations is the culmination of all swiftwater skills. It is 3 rd in the progression known as Reach, Throw, Row, Go However in the swiftwater environment it is treated with high regard as it more closely resembles the Go. We are essentially introducing ropes, equipment and people into an environment that is extremely dangerous and should be treated with extreme caution. At Loveland Fire Rescue Authority our primary swiftwater watercraft or boat is the Rapid Deployment Craft (RDC). This manual page will go over the basic rigging and operation of the RDC and the basic techniques used in this Go method. Swiftwater boat operations is used when there is no other safer method to retrieve or shuttle people across swiftwater. Only Technicians will be in the water or the RDC, operations level members should be familiar with the rigging and the setup of the boat operation. This page does not address the training to be a swiftwater technician or the details of anchor systems. Those issues are addressed in other areas of the training manual. PPE: Personnel working at or near any scene involving swiftwater shall always wear a PFD. Personnel working on the shore should also have a helmet in addition to PFD. Anyone handling equipment and/or ropes should have the prior with the addition of hand protection. (Recommend a cutting tool also) Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 1

2 Equipment: The equipment for a swiftwater boat operation is primarily located on the Dive Rescue (DR2). PFD s and some throw ropes are also located on each apparatus. RDC is located on exterior compartment passenger side on Dive Truck. Contents of the RDC Bag Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 2

3 There are 3 inflation ports on the RDC that can be inflated simultaneously. There is a spring loaded valve with a yellow cap inside each one, push in turn to lock open to deflate and turn and allow valve to spring out to inflate. Attach 4500 psi SCBA tank to inflation hoses. Insert hoses and turn clockwise to lock onto valve. Open cylinder slowly at first but RDC can inflate quickly. It should take about 1 min to fully inflate. 1 Cylinder should complete the inflation, it is overinflated if the relief valves begin to burp air. Boat operation systems: There are basically 4 different boat operation systems: 2 line, 3 line, 4 line and High line. Similar to the Reach, Throw, Row, Go, breakdown a 2 line is the most basic. Working up in complexity, Depending on scene demands, from the 2 line to High line. Terminology: Near shore typically means the side the rescue is initiated from. It is usually the side all the apparatus and rescuers will arrive on scene. If this is Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 3

4 not clear it should be stated which side is near shore. Far shore is the opposite side of the river that the rescue initiates from, the other side of the river from the apparatus and personnel. 2 line system: A 2 line system is used when river flows are light to moderate where stability and control of the boat are relatively easy. The river is generally flowing at lower Cubic feet per second (CFS) and lacks significant current. This system can be used to ferry people from one side of the river to the other. It generally does not afford the stability for strategic placement in the middle of the river for stranded individuals or vehicles. A 2 line system (all systems really) requires personnel on far shore to handle one of the 2 lines in use. The lines are attached to the steel ring on the black rigging bridle at either end of the boat. (Boat is same in either direction so Bow or Stern are identical) By pulling one side and giving slack on the other the boat is able to ferry across the river on its own without assistance. The RDC is simply pulled back and Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 4

5 forth across the river. This needs to be coordinated between each shore so the tension/slack condition is managed accordingly. 3 line system: A 3 line system is a 2 line system with 1 extra rope tied to the stern rigging bridle. This extra line is typically on near shore used for increased control when ferrying across to far shore or holding boat stationary at some sort of obstacle or feature. This system adds stability but also requires more people, it is employed when swiftwater is flowing at higher velocities and manpower limits ability to use 4 line system. 1 Note: the single line would be at the stern/rear of the boat indicated by which end is downstream Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 5

6 4 line system: The 4 line system is a 2 line system with an additional 2 lines attached to the stern of the RDC. The attachment is identical to the image showing the 2 line attachment. The 4 line system is the most stable system for hand line operation without moving to a highline. This is a simple and effective method for deploying the RDC in most swiftwater situations. Communication and coordination are paramount in an effective 4 line operation. There are many personnel involved in the use of this system and all need to coordinate and move as one to be effective. Minimum personnel is dictated by the intensity of the swiftwater and the ability to keep the boat stable. Typically a minimum of 2 on each rope would be required. If more are given, generally it is better to add Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 6

7 additional personnel to the 2 upstream lines first, then the rear lines. The front 2 lines are the primary dictators of boat positioning and movement. High lines: High lines are typically the next step in the progression from simple to more complex swiftwater rescue scenarios. They have a variety of uses from victim pickoff in very turbulent water to simple ferrying of personnel across the river. The highline can add an element of efficiency coupled with the best stability possible. There are numerous ways to set up a highline, this manual will discuss 2 methods. The Highline Box. Located in DR2 The contents of the highline box. Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 7

8 Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 8

9 This is the basic concept of how a highline is designed. A highline composed of a static 1/2 rope that must be kept dry, tied between two anchors with a 3:1 mechanical advantage on nearshore to tension the highline. The far shore anchor is generally a tensionless anchor wrapped a minimum of 4 times around a bomber tree anchor. The nearshore anchor that the tensioning system is secured to is typically a wrap 3 pull 2 anchor on another bomber tree anchor. The Tag lines at the stern are not always required, water turbulence and scene dynamics would dictate if additional tag lines are needed. When tensioning the highline, it is only necessary to tension tight enough to avoid a Deep V from forming in the line when the boat is at its loaded point. It is possible to tension the rope too tight nearing the capacity of the rope breaking strength. For this reason follow the following guidelines: Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 9

10 A typical highline setup: Photo of the above graphic representation. Note: All carabiners are locked and in a default downward position. This ensures that vibration won t unscrew locking mechanism, gravity will keep gate closed. Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 10

11 Boat rigged with 2:1 Shoreline controls boat movement The above illustration of a typical 3:1 mechanical advantage. Also known as a Z rig. (Source DRI) Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 11

12 An example of a tensionless anchor using the highline. NOTE: The flow in this photo would be coming from right to left. The idea that the tension would pull the rope tighter around the tree as opposed to pulling it away from the wraps. (more friction added instead of less friction as the boat is loaded) Minimum size of tree is 10 times the diameter of the rope Trees: Ensure that any tree used has sufficient girth to hold the expected load. Study soil type and root systems to determine if tree is on stable solid footing. (Water soaked ground, sand, shallow roots etc.) If a single bombproof tree is not available, multiple trees can be used with multipoint anchor or a backup anchor in line with primary anchor. Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 12

13 Ensure that the critical angle is less than 120 degrees. The reason for this is that each anchor will see more that the actual load if this angle is exceeded. Note that if the angle is less than 45 degrees each anchor only sees half the load. Communications: Hand signals used in swiftwater should be consistent with standard hand signals used throughout all the water rescue disciplines. There are 7 basic hand signals: Far shore, Near shore, Upstream, Downstream, Stop, Tension and Slack. Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 13

14 Upstream Downstream River Left River Right Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 14

15 Stop Stop (arms crossed) There should only be one person in charge of the operation. That could be either the team leader or the person in the boat. Whomever is giving commands should use a single loud whistle blast to signify a direction or command. I.e.: whistle blast far shore hand signal whistle blast stop hand signal whistle blast near shore signal. And so on. At any time 3 whistle blasts indicates an emergency that needs immediate attention. It is an all stop to locate the emergency and act accordingly. Knots Required: Figure 8 on a bight Water knot (overhand followthrough) Prusik knot T A S K S K I L L I N S T R U C T I O N A L R E Q U I R E M E N T S A N D I M P L E M E N T A T I O N This heading includes information about the following: Associated power point presentation and lesson plan for instructing on the task (locations on the V drive within Training Materials of the Fire Training Division Folder Associated PPE required for instructing the task Primary progression steps for the development of the task Evaluation criteria for observing knowledge, skills and abilities Safety criteria when instructing on this task Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 15

16 R E F E R E N C E I N F O R M A T I O N NFPA 1006 Ch. 12 NFPA Operations level o Technician level (5.4 rope rescue tech) Dive Rescue International Curriculum (Swiftwater Specialist I & II) Anchor Systems Training Manual (LFRA) Anchor Systems 1.0 Page 16