Transcript SWIFTWATER RESCUE

Swift Water
Swiftwater
• One of the most dynamic and
dangerous areas of Special Operations
• Difficult to train for the real thing
• Our goal
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Come home safe
Rescue Philosophy
• We Will Do Our Best to Save Savable
Lives
• Remember We Did Not Put That Person
at Risk
• We Owe It to Ourselves and Our
Families to Come Home Safe
Rule Of Three
1 Self Rescue First
2 Teammate Second
3 Victim Third
Hydrology
Friend or…
Or FOE !!!
Hydrology
• WATER MOVING DOWN A GRADIENT
• RESPONDS TO THE CONFIGURATION OF THE
STREAM CHANNEL IN PREDICTABLE WAYS
Swift Water
•
•
•
•
Rivers
Creeks
Washes
Flood Control Channels
Slow water
• Most Canals
Still Water
• Lakes
• Ponds
• Retention Basins
Characteristics of
Swiftwater
• Powerful
• Relentless
• Predictable
Powerful
• Water Weights 62 Pounds Per Cubic
Foot
• That Mass Obeys the Laws of Physics
• Moving Water Has Tremendous Energy
62
Relentless
• Unlike the Surf, the Force of Swift
Water Does Not Let up
• We Have Very Little Control Over the
River
• If You Are Trapped or Pinned You Have
a Very Poor Chance of Survival
Predictable
• A Knowledgeable Rescuer Will Be Able
to Read the River and Predict With
Certainty Where Both Safety and
Danger Lie
FORCE = mass X
VELOCITY
SQUARED!!!
FORCE ~ VELOCITY
VELOCITY
FT/S M.P.H
5ft/S=3.4 M.P.H
POUNDS
ON LEGS
16.8
POUNDS
ON BODY
33.6
10ft/S=6.8 M.P.H.
67.2
134
20ft/S=13.6 M.P.H.
269
538
Rule of thumb: Stay out of
current over your knees
Determine Velocity
100 FT
MEASURE THE TIME IT TAKES
AN OBJECT TO FLOAT 100 FT
Note: with a 10mph current an
object will travel one mile in six
minutes
Velocity influenced
By…
•
•
•
•
Gradient (steepness)
Friction
Volume (CFS)
Channel Configuration
bends
constrictions
obstructions
Bank Erosion
Volume - CFS
DXWXV=CFS
5 FT/SEC
5
100
2500 CFS
Flash Flood
River Terminology
• Our reference point will always be
facing down river
• River Left or River Right
• Up River or Down River
L
R
Laminar Flow
FASTEST
SLOWEST
Helical Flow
River Features
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Down Stream V
Eddy
Eddy Line
Hydraulic
Up Stream V
Standing Waves
Bends
AKA “The Tongue”
usually indicates the main
channel, deepest water
Eddy – a horizontal
Reversal of current
Eddy's
Eddy Line
Hydraulic –
a vertical
reversal of water
Hydraulic
Up Stream V
Usually indicates the
presence of an obstruction
Standing Waves
How Standing waves are formed
Hazards
• Low Head Dams
• Strainers
• Trees & Logs
• Fences
• Vehicles
• Bends
• Undercut Rocks
• Foot Entrapment
•
•
•
•
Stationary Objects
Panicked Swimmer
Hypothermia
Debris / Loads
Low Head Dams
Escape Route
Strainers
• The Most Dangerous Hazard on the
River
• Anything That Water Flows Through but
a Person Wont
• Avoid It or Climb Over It or You Will
Drown
Climb over Strainers
Foot Entrapment
Undercut Rocks
Stationary Objects
Bridge abutments
Unlike natural rocks, which usually cause an
upstream pillow, bridge abutments offer little
hydraulic cushion, making pinning more likely
Flood Debris
Loads
• Top Loads – things that float
• Suspended load – heavy objects that
can’t float but move with the current;
more dangerous because they can’t be
seen
• Bottom Loads – stationary and nonstationary objects on bottom; can cause
foot entrapment
Vehicle Behavior
Hypothermia
Rescuer With No Thermal Protection
Temperature Useful Work Unconscious
40 degrees
7.5 minutes 30 minutes
50 degrees
15 minutes 60 minutes
60 degrees
30 minutes 120 minutes
Panicking Victim
• Several rescuers die every year because
they did not recognize the signs of
panic and made contact with the victim,
only to be overpowered by the panicky
victim.
• Never allow a victim that is in a state of
panic make contact with you.
Arizona Watersheds
Pre-Planning
• RECOGNIZE Hazards
• Take steps to PREVENT
• PREPARE for Rescue
Personal Equipment
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
PFD Personal Flotation Device
Helmet, Water Rescue
River Shoes
Whistle
Knife
Thermal Protection
Strobe or chemical light
Typical Scenarios
•
•
•
•
Vehicle Swept Off Roadway
Vehicle In A Canal
Person In The Water
Person Stranded On Mid-stream Object
“What stupid people see”
“What evil lurks in the dark”
Rescue Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Locate
Contact
Assess
Stabilize
Prepare for extrication
Extricate
Transport to medical facility
Effecting a Rescue
Low Risk To High Risk
•
•
•
•
•
REACH
THROW
ROW
GO
HELO
Reach
• Extending an Object From the Shore to
a Person in the Water
•
•
•
•
Paddle
Ladder
Pike Pole
Inflated Fire Hose
• Do Not Get Pulled in
Reach
Fire Hose
Pendulum
Throw
• ROPE – pendulum belay
stabilization line
snag line
• Floatation – PFD
rescue ring
inflated fire hose
Throw Bag
• Approximately 50 Foot Effective Range
• Victim Must Be Physically and Mentally
Capable of Grabbing and Hanging Onto
Line
• Line Must Land “at” or “up River” From
the Victim
Pendulum
Belay
ND
2
Person
Assists
swimmer
to shore
Receiver
Position
Proper
Ferry
Angle
Stabilization Line
Allows victim to maintain head above
water
Snag Line
A line which is used to pull victim free
from entrapment
Stabilization/Snag Line
Requires quick deployment and people
on both sides of river
Row
• Boat Options – raft
• Boat Techniques/operations –
Row or paddle
Highline
2 or 4 point tether
Row
(boat operations)
• Boats Provide a Safe Platform for
Rescuers to Go to the Victim
• Can Be Controlled From Shore With
Tether Lines
• Can Be Used to Access Hazard Areas of
the River
• Can be used to search waterways
GO
WARNING – HIGH RISK !
• Tension diagonal crossing (zip-line)
• Rescue TFD – “live bait” rescue
“V” - lower
• Shallow water crossing
• Strong swimmer/contact rescue
Caution: Rescuers can be swept away
Tethered
Swimmer
Shallow
Water
Crossing
Crossing to Vehicle
Tension Diagonal
Crossing
Helicopter
• Fast Access to Difficult to Reach
Locations
• High Potential for Significant Life
Loss
• Highest risk options
Rescue Organization
•
•
•
•
•
Centralized command
Assign divisions and groups
Develop a plan
Have a back-up plan
No free lancing
Divisions/Groups
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Extrication (Technical Rescue)
Upstream
Downstream
River Right & Left
Resource
Treatment
Transportation
Signals