Done This Before?

For low-frequency/high-risk events, realistic training pays off

The following story is an example of the benefits that can come from getting out of the firehouse and training under realistic conditions. Approximately 4 weeks prior to this incident, the same companies got together and trained in water and rope rescue techniques in the exact area the incident took place. This wasn’t a formal class. This was various companies deciding to get together and train as if it were an actual incident. We carried our homemade hose-dummy into the wooded area and tossed him into the water. Little did we know we would be faced with a similar and difficult rescue in a few short weeks.

The Incident
On Aug. 23, 2008, at 1557 hrs, the Lackawanna County Communications Center received a 911 call for an injured 20-year-old female who jumped from a ledge approximately 60 feet high into a section of the Roaring Brook which runs through Scranton, Pa. The patient had jumped from a rock outcropping named “killer” in the city’s Nay Aug Park Gorge area and reportedly was unable to move. This particular ledge earned its name due to the many injuries and fatalities it has claimed over many years. Due to the remote location of this swimming hole, it’s difficult for city police to enforce the “no swimming” ordinance.

The patient reportedly struck a shallow, rocky section of the creek with a great amount of force due to the height of the jump. She was complaining of severe lower back pain. The Communications Center initially dispatched Truck 2 and Engine 15, due to the city’s rescue company (Rescue 1) operating at another incident. Upon hearing the dispatch, Rescue 1 was able to clear from the prior incident and respond along with Truck 2 and Engine 15. The on-duty assistant chief also responded to the scene.

At 1604 hrs, the chief arrived on scene and assumed command for the duration of the incident. The captain of Truck 2 arrived on scene and made his way approximately ¼-mile through a wooded area to size up the situation. He found the victim in the water approximately 20 feet down a vertical rock face. The victim was lying face down on a slippery rock outcropping; her male friend was in the water attempting to keep her from sliding into the water, which was approximately 20 feet deep.

The captain radioed the rescue company that our water and rope rescue equipment would be needed. We loaded the Stokes basket with life safety rope, water rescue rope, rope hardware packs and personal floatation devices (PFDs). The truck officer and I met face-to-face to form a quick incident action plan while the assistant chief staged in an area above the incident to run overall command.

The Rescue
Due to the technical nature of the rescue, we decided to split the incident into two separate operations. One team would access, immobilize and package the patient into the litter. The other team would build and operate a haul system to raise the patient up the vertical rock face. Command was notified of the plan and two additional engine companies were requested for manpower.

While members built the haul system up top, we would need to quickly access the patient. Fortunately, the majority of personnel on scene had participated in this exact scenario a few weeks earlier. A team of firefighters went to an elevated ledge to use the large trees in the area as “bombproof” anchors. This team was directed build a 4:1 haul system and “piggy-back” it onto a main line that would attach to the litter.

To access the patient as quickly as possible and secure her in a PFD, we tied a life safety rope to a tree, and another firefighter and I donned our PFDs and rappelled into the water. We each brought with us a PFD for the victim and her friend. Once in the water, we discovered that the victim was positioned next to a waterfall and the noise it created made communications with members above very difficult. The current was also swift, further complicating the rescue.

The victim’s mechanism of injury and extreme pain in the lower lumbar area of her back made proper spinal immobilization a must. Keeping the victim face down, we secured on her a PFD and a cervical collar, trying to cause the least amount of movement possible.

While we worked on the victim, the team on top rigged the litter for a vertical raise in the horizontal position. This would require three separate ropes; one rope for the main haul line, one safety belay line run through tandem Prusiks and another as a tag line.

First, we placed the uninjured male in a harness and raised him up the rock face with the haul system. Equipped with flotation devices and a spinal backboard, the litter was then lowered down into the water. We explained the process that was about to take place to the very frightened victim, then carefully placed her on the backboard and into the litter. While treading water and doing our best to stay out of the main current, we lashed her into the litter.

With the victim secure in the litter, the haul team prepared to execute the raise. The tag line was attached to the litter and a team pulled from above on the opposing side of the gorge to keep the litter away from the jagged rock face. This is where the recent training really came into play: During the training, the use of the tag line had proven quicker and easier than using a litter attendant.

Once the patient reached the top, EMS crews provided treatment and an additional team of firefighters carried her over the difficult terrain and into an ambulance. At 1725 hrs, all members were reported out of the water.

Lessons Learned/Lessons Reinforced
The main lesson learned during this incident: Scenario-based training is a must. Many of us have taken numerous rope rescue classes that teach the techniques needed to function as a member of a rescue team. These classes often take place at a drill tower in a very controlled environment, as they should. But sometimes we need to get together and train under the real-world circumstances we will face on the street.

This is easier said than done. It sometimes requires companies and manpower that are out-of-service to respond to emergencies for extended periods of time. It is a cost-vs.-benefit decision to engage in such training. In our case, the members on scene having have “done this” before made for a very efficient and safe operation.

Is every situation going to be the same? No, but that core set of skills learned in the field is what guides us through an incident.

The military has a theory on battle plans. It says that the plan will usually change when the first shot is fired. The same stands true for us. What happens under stressful circumstances? We fall back on our training and experience to solve the problem. A rope rescue is a high-risk/low-frequency event. Training under realistic and difficult conditions proved to be an invaluable tool that made for a safe and successful rescue.  

Brian Scott is a lieutenant assigned to Rescue 1 with the Scranton (Pa.) Fire Department. He also serves as aRescue Specialist Officer with Pennsylvania USAR Company 3 and is a Pennsylvania State Fire Instructor.