Developed by Engineers Alex Klinger and Shelby Vrem November 2015

Transcription

1 TRENCH RESCUE (1.1) Developed by Engineers Alex Klinger and Shelby Vrem November 2015 TASK SKILL DESCRIPTION AND DETAILS Task: To safely and effectively rescue a patient out of a trench environment. Mode of Operation: Rescue or Recovery. Risk Profile: LIFE RISK in a rescue mode. Participation: Awareness Level Providing information to the first responder to identify the hazards associated with Trench Rescue and Trench Collapse. Awareness training provides a decision making matrix that allows first response personnel to begin the process of incident stabilization. Awareness level personnel are not intended to be actively involved in the rescue operation. Operations Level These personnel are called support personnel. Placement of sheeting and shoring systems in all trenches that are NO MORE than 8 deep is within the operational scope of these personnel. This responder is capable of hazard recognition, equipment use, and techniques to operate safely and effectively at the collapse or failure of an individual or non-intersecting trench. Technician Level This level represents the additional level of training associated with trench rescue operations of intersecting and deep wall trenches. Personnel at this level are primarily responsible for the overall operations, development of protective systems, access, and disentanglement of victims in trench or excavation collapses. These personnel are capable of hazard recognition, equipment use, and techniques necessary to operate safely and effectively at the collapse or failure of an individual or intersecting trench. Additionally, they will have technical rescue skill packages training including rope rescue, confined space rescue, and structural collapse rescue. PPE The most appropriate PPE for rescuers is ordinary work clothes. I.E. jump suit or BDU s, leather work gloves, steel toed boots, wildland or SOT helmet, and eye protection. TRENCH RESCUE 1.1 1

2 Equipment: Ground pads - ½ to ¾ thick 4 X 8 sheets of plywood to distribute weight around the lip of a trench. These can be found on R-2 and the Collapse Trailer. Strongbacks 2x12 s bolted to arctic white birch sheeting. Used to secure to side walls of trench for safety of patients and rescuers. They are found on R-2 and in the collapse trailer. Shores Made of timber or pneumatic devices like Paratech. A limited amount of timber is found on R-2 and the rest is on the collapse trailer. Timber is made from Mixed Oak and Douglas fir. Timber used in trench rescue include 4 x4, 4 x6 and 6 x6. 2 x4 wedges are also used to secure and tighten certain shoring techniques. For further, see Timber Shoring Principles. Pneumatic shores come in a variety of sizes with different attachments. See Pneumatic Shoring Principles. Screw Jacks used in conjunction with timber shoring to form a tight wall to wall shore. Equipment Cont Misc tools Shovels, E-tool, hammers, chain saw, circular saw, pencils, squares, tool rope, tool belts, nails, tape measures, cones, barricade tape, saw horses, buckets, pickets, wedges, vent fan w/ ducting, power cords, generator, air monitoring, etc. Task Description: Things to consider and questions to ask for that first due officer should include what happened, is the patient buried, how long has the patient been buried, what are the dimensions of the trench, is it a trench collapse or some other medical/traumatic emergency, is the trench commercially supported or unsupported, what soil type are we dealing with, what type of trench collapse is it? Most importantly, does the emergency need to be upgraded to include a SOT response rather than just a pre-alert? TRENCH RESCUE

3 Hazard Control: Broken down into six categories; mechanical, chemical, manmade, electrical, water and weather. From there, there are hazards we can control and some we should leave alone. Cordoning off the trench site is similar to a hazmat emergency. Cold, Warm and Hot Zones should be established to provide access to rescue personnel, keep construction workers and the public out, or personnel not needed out of the way. Initial Operations: Upon arrival of Rescue-2, ground pads need to be set in place around the perimeter of the trench. R-2 carries 6 sheets of ¾ plywood used for such needs. Once ground pads are in place, 2 ladders need to be placed on each end of the trench and a third ladder ready for rescuers to work off of. If the soil pile is around 2 of the trench, planks can be set up between the pile and the lip. Planks consist of 2x12 s butted up next to each other. The two strongbacks on R-2 are intended to be the first two in the trench to set up over the patient for initial protection if possible. TRENCH RESCUE

4 Key Elements: -Any trench more than 4 feet deep needs to be protected. -Soil pile must be set back at least 2 from the lip of the trench to reduce the possibility of a soil pile collapse. -Trenches four feet or greater in depth must have a means of egress every 25. -Trenches four feet or greater in depth must be atmospherically tested before entry. -Trenches are usually no more than 15 feet deep, and OSHA requires a professional engineer to inspect and approve the shoring for trenches greater than 20 feet. -For non-intersecting trenches the minimum number of panels needed to secure trench is six. -A cut station needs to be setup immediately. For more information about the cut station, see Cut Station in the Training Manual. Timber Shoring Principles: For a basic timber shore setup on a straight trench, follow these steps; Step 1: Level the ground between the trench edge and the edge of the spoil pile (minimum of 2 ). Lay down 2 x 12 planks. These will serve as the ground pads along the spoil pile. TRENCH RESCUE

5 Step 2: Lay down 4 x 8 panels to serve as ground pads next to the trench lip on the sides of the trench opposite the spoil pile. These panels should be placed end to end to offer a continuous walkway. The panels should also extend several feet beyond the affected area CGI WITH TUBING Step 3: Conduct air monitoring in the trench TRENCH RESCUE

6 Step 4: Ventilate the trench Step 5: Measure the dimensions of the trench. TRENCH RESCUE

7 Step 6: Once the dimensions of the trench have been determined, rescuers can start prefabricating the strongbacks with scabs. Scabs are used to hold the shores in place so they can be set and secured. Scabs are made from 2 x4 s (as seen in this image) that are attached to the 2 x12 s on the strongback. The maximum distance between shores is 4. Step 7: Once the scabs are built in place, the first two strongbacks can be placed in the trench over or next to the patient. TRENCH RESCUE

8 Step 8: When the strongbacks are in place, a rescuer can enter the trench from a ladder next to the patient. The rescuer can only enter the trench up to his/her waist to gather the measurement on the TOP shore. Once that measurement has been communicated and the shore is cut, the rescuer will then use wedges through the scab to tighten the shore. Step 9: After the top shore is set, subsequent shores below can be set and secured. The sequence for setting wood shores is TOP, MIDDLE, BOTTOM. Once the first set of strong backs are secure over the patient, the rest of the strong backs can be placed on both sides of the initial ones. Pneumatic Shoring Principles: USING SHEETING AND PNUEMATIC SHORING Speed and efficiency can be increased by using pneumatic shoring. Pneumatic shoring can be used safely when the walls of the trench are angled. Measure the width and depth of the trench so that you can determine the size and amount of shores that will be needed. FOLLOW STEPS 1-4 AS STATED ABOVE IN TIMBER SHORES TRENCH RESCUE

9 Step 5: Secure ropes to the panels (if necessary) Step 6: Lower one panel into the trench into the trench with the Strongback facing in. Adjust the panel so that it stands vertically against the trench wall. TRENCH RESCUE

10 Step 7: Attach the air supply hose to the nipple of the appropriate sized shore. It will be necessary to lower the first shore into the trench with ropes. The ropes are stored on Rescue 2 with the shores. Step 8: While one member holds the first panel in place, lower the second panel into the trench with the Strongback facing in. Make sure that both panels are snug against the trench wall, vertical, and opposite each other. Two members should continue to hold the panels in place to prevent the panels from slipping sideways TRENCH RESCUE

11 Step 9: Lower the shore into the trench using two members. Both members will lower the shore utilizing ropes attached to both ends. The base of the shore is positioned against the center of the Strongback so that the piston end can move against the opposite Strongback. In this scenario, the trench is less than 8 feet deep. The first shore is lowered to 4 feet below the trench lip (midpoint). The load bearing capabilities of pneumatic shoring makes this possible. Also, placing the first shore at the top of a pair of panels may cause the bottom of the panels to kick inwards. TRENCH RESCUE

12 Step 10: Instruct the member operating the air valve to pressurize the shore. Terminology is shoot on color of airline example- Shoot on red. Note: Shoring is begun at the midpoint, unlike timber and screw jacks. For pneumatic shores the order should go middle, top, bottom for placement on a square trench. Step 11: Place a ladder in the trench. Adjust the ladder for the member entering the trench. Step 12: Couple the air hose to the second shore, and hand the shore to the rescuer on the ladder. Step 13: A member will climb down the ladder and assist with placing the second shore (remain on the ladder). The second shore will be placed 2 below the trench lip. TRENCH RESCUE

13 Step 14: For safety, drive nails through the end plates of the shore into the Strongbacks. (Note: Do not sink head of nail, bend nail head over for later removal). This will help prevent the shore from falling if it becomes loose as other shores are installed Note: For this scenario, only two shores were required for the depth of the trench. If the trench exceeded 8 in depth, another shore would be placed 2 above the bottom of the trench. Step 15: Check the shores to make sure that none of them have loosened while the others were being installed. Readjust if necessary. Step 16: Place another pair of panels in the trench. TRENCH RESCUE

14 Step 17: Because this trench is > 8, the rest of the panels will continue to use two shores. One shore will be placed at the 2 level below the trench lip and the other shore is placed 6 below the trench lip. Step 18: Install the bottom shore at the 6 level since the rescuer is already in position. Step 19: Install the top shore at the 2 level. Do not forget to place safety nails in the shore Note: Position additional pairs of panels in the same way. Remember to have a rescuer hold the first panel vertically while the second panel is being placed. The rescuer can assist with the placing of panels since he is working in the safe area. The shores will be placed in the same order as the previous panels, bottom first and top second. Step 20: walls. Fill in any voids between the panels and the trench TRENCH RESCUE

15 Step 21: Begin to remove debris and tools from the trench. Keep the ventilation operation in place. Reference Information: LFR SOT Training Manual Heavy Rescue Principles, Air Education and Training Command, June 2011 TRENCH RESCUE