Colorado Cave Rescue Seminar

[madratdan]

Colorado Cave Rescue Network (CCRN) will be putting on another rescue seminar on April 22nd and 23rd of 2006. This year it will be held in Colorado Springs in cooperation with the Colorado Springs Fire Dept. (CSFD). This two-day course is designed as a basic orientation to Cave Rescue. The class is geared to both cave explorers who desire to learn the basics of rescue, and rescue personnel who wish to expand their knowledge and experience into the specialty of cave rescue. Our seminars usually have a 50-50 mix of cavers and SAR. No previous experience in caving or search and rescue is required.

Schedule - Saturday, April 22nd
8:00-8:30 Registration and Check In
8:30-5:30 Lectures, slide shows, hands-on patient packaging and communications.
Sunday, April 23rd
8:30-5:00 Mock rescue held in William’s Canyon.

Cost - The charge for the seminar is $35.00 per person. If you register before April 1st, the fee is only $30.00. This includes all course materials, handouts, as well as coffee and doughnuts at the classroom session.

Location - Saturday sessions will be held at 375 Printers Parkway, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80910. The Sunday mock rescue will be held in William’s Canyon, in one of the caves on Cave of the Winds property.

Personal Equipment - Participants should wear durable, warm clothing and footwear for the Saturday hands-on session. Gloves and knee pads are recommended. We will be outside. For the mock rescue on Sunday, each participant must have the following: a helmet with a mounted light and two back up sources of light, warm clothing (the cave is 54 degrees F with 99% humidity), sturdy ankle-high lace up leather boots or hiking shoes with slip resistant/lug soles and gloves. Flexible knee and elbow pads are highly recommended. Be sure to include personal identification marks on all equipment.

Meals and Lodging - Meals and lodging are the responsibility of each participant. On Saturday bring a lunch. On Sunday bring a sack lunch for the mock rescue exercise.

The seminar will be limited to 75 people, so sign up early if you plan to attend. We have a lot of interest generated by outside, non caving rescue groups. As soon as the web site is up and running, I'll post the link.

For more information about about the upcoming seminar, contact one of the ladies listed below. All checks are to be made out to "Colorado Grotto" and sent to Marty as she is in charge of registration this time:

Marty Morey
7979 Canvasback Ct.
Littleton CO 80125
Email: skiandcave-at-ureach-dot-com
or
L.P. Lawrence
Email GDC4LP-at-MSN-dot-Com

[madratdan]

We have a new, easy to remember url, for our web site.

coloradocaverescue2006.org/

[madratdan]

Looks like the class is full at 75 students, all of them made the preregistration deadline!! There may be some last minute cancellations, so you can still contact Marty and get on a list. I'll put out a little follow up report after the seminar is over. With the possibility of multiple victims in multiple caves, this could turn into quite an interesting mock rescue on Sunday!!

[Tim White]

madratdan said:

...75 students, ...

WOW! what a great turnout! Let us know how the event goes.

[madratdan]

Will do Tim. Steve Rheams and crew do an awesome job of putting these local seminars together. We have another instructor training session this Sunday and a list of preparations still to go.

Here is an interesting side note. While visiting the fire station last Sunday, one of the men showed us a new emergency locating transmitter (ELT) system they want to try out. The units were initially built for the ski industry as avalanche beacons. They transmit an ultra low frequency signal that is picked up by other units. When in receive mode they will tell you distance and direction to the other units to aid in finding the person. They also have a little unit they called a cookie that can be turned on and set down as a trail marker. Each persons unit can identify the different cookies from each others ELT so they can find the route and each other. One of our "patiences" will be equipped with one of these beacons for the ERT team to locate as a lost and injured caver.

[NZcaver]

madratdan said:

Will do Tim. Steve Rheams and crew do an awesome job of putting these local seminars together. We have another instructor training session this Sunday and a list of preparations still to go.

Here is an interesting side note. While visiting the fire station last Sunday, one of the men showed us a new emergency locating transmitter (ELT) system they want to try out. The units were initially built for the ski industry as avalanche beacons. They transmit an ultra low frequency signal that is picked up by other units. When in receive mode they will tell you distance and direction to the other units to aid in finding the person. They also have a little unit they called a cookie that can be turned on and set down as a trail marker. Each persons unit can identify the different cookies from each others ELT so they can find the route and each other. One of our "patiences" will be equipped with one of these beacons for the ERT team to locate as a lost and injured caver.

Dan - can you (or someone else involved with this) post or PM me the results of the ELT testing after the seminar? I'm very interested to hear how well they work in caves.

Thanks, and I hope the training goes well! ;D

[madratdan]

Will do NZcaver. I'm anxious to see how they perform and work. If they had voice transmission capabilities, they would sell like hot cakes to the rescue and caving communities. CSFD has been given these as a test bed for future development of the unit, by the manufacturer, which is out of Boulder Colorado.

[Sharon Faulkner]

Hey Dan,

When you have time to get caught up, fill us in on how the Colorado rescue seminar went this past weekend.

[itabot]

As a participant in the Cave Rescue Seminar last weekend, I must say, it was very informative for everyone! I'll let Dan give all the specific details. It was my first rescue seminar and I learned a lot!! The mock rescue was awesome. We kicked butt! We got two patients out in about five hours. I was on the communications team, but I was one of the "small" people there, so I got to pull one of the patients through "The Stovepipe". I think all of the participants leaned a lot and I'm sure the instructors learned some things as well. I hope I'll never have to participate in a real rescue someday, but if I do, I'll be prepared. As far as the (ELT) thingy... I was on the communications and I didn't see it used. I don't know if the Fire Department was using it or not. Dan Knows!

[Sharon Faulkner]

Thanks for the update Matt

Sounds like it was a great success. Sometimes it pays off being smaller than others present at the time. ;D Yes, I was interested in hearing how well the ELT thing worked out. Maybe Dan will give the particulars on that.

[L Roebuck]

I am also anxiously awaiting the details.

[Vader]

itabot said:

I was on the communications team, but I was one of the "small" people there, so I got to pull one of the patients through "The Stovepipe".

I thought I heard you say that you helped pull Eric through the Stove pipe when I was talking to you in the parking lot after the mock rescue. In addition to being small, you're quick. How did you get through the stove pipe with out me seeing you. Good job. I was really impressed. Were you able to get him through with just 2 cavers?

The rescue of Eric went really well. We had a second patient and I guess there were a few concerns about safety when it came to her extraction from the cave.

All in all it was a great succes and personally so much was learned.

I want to thank everydoby that helped set the weekend up

[L Roebuck]

Thanks Matt and Vader for posting.

It must have been a great success and I can hardly wait to hear all about it!

[guanonoggin]

vader said:

itabot said:

I was on the communications team, but I was one of the "small" people there, so I got to pull one of the patients through "The Stovepipe".

I thought I heard you say that you helped pull Eric through the Stove pipe when I was talking to you in the parking lot after the mock rescue. In addition to being small, you're quick. How did you get through the stove pipe with out me seeing you. Good job. I was really impressed. Were you able to get him through with just 2 cavers?

The rescue of Eric went really well. We had a second patient and I guess there were a few concerns about safety when it came to her extraction from the cave.

All in all it was a great succes and personally so much was learned.

I want to thank everydoby that helped set the weekend up

Awesome dudes!

100 Karma points each for all the dudes and dudettes involved! ;D

[itabot]

vader said:

Were you able to get him through with just 2 cavers?

There were two girls who laid down to make the passage level. I think it was just me and one of the medics moving Eric through. There was one other caver who stayed in the Z-bend to help us through there. After we got him through the bend, I let someone else take over. At one point I said to the medic, " I don't think we are going to get him through this" Eric was un-conscious at the time. Otherwise I wouldn't have said that. After that, it was back to communications and I fixed a break at the entrance when they took Carla out.

[madratdan]

I felt the seminar was a big success. I'm not one of the instructors, but I do help Skip Withrow with the hands on portion of the communications class that he teaches. My duties for this seminar consisted of set up and tear down of splinter canyon and the obstacle course, finding a good place to do a vertical demonstration, etc. I also helped out as one of the contacts between CCRN and the CSFD. We had several meeting to go over the facility before the event. On day two (the mock rescue) I acted as quartermaster of the CCRN gear along with creature comforts, such as setting up the command tent with chairs and such. In short, until all the rescue gear is cleaned, inventoried and put back in the rescue cache locker, I'm still not off the hook.

I can't say enough nice things about the local fire departments and SAR people I met during the weekend. The guys at fire station 9 went out of their way to help us put this thing together. They were our sponsors for the training facility and sent two guys off of each shift to the class. Unfortunately, 5 of them were called away on Saturday due to an accident at a local lake. They didn't get back to their station till 1:00am, so only two of them made the mock rescue on Sunday. They never did get to play with the ELT beacon system. They were put on (and lead) the haul team due to there vertical training and experience. Both patients were hauled up angel falls in record speed and comfort.

It's great to see so many different agencies working this close together. Their levels of training and discipline became very appearant during the Mock rescue. The feedback we are getting is very positive so far. I was left with a warm fuzzy feeling inside and can sleep a little better at night now.

Here is a link to some pictures from the seminar.
tinyurl.com/jr75o

We also had two guys filming it all. If it shows up on the web, I'll post a link to it too.

[NZcaver]

Nice photos!

Glad the training went well. Sorry to hear you didn't get to try the ELT/ELBs. Any chance of you borrowing a couple to take on a caving trip some time..? ;D

[madratdan]

Next time I can get them to go caving with us, I will make sure they take them along. Things just didn't work out during the rescue. As soon as I hear something I'll post more about it. We also had a gentleman bring his cave radio set up to the Saturday class. It was built using Ian Drummond (sp?) (from Canada), design. I've seen it in action before in Williams Canyon, and at Fairy Cave. It will penetrate about 800' of rock and can be used as a directional antenna to pinpoint in cave locations on the surface. I believe it's the only voice activated unit in the state. The fire dept. had ordered some hard wired field phones from the military, but they didn't arrive in time for the class. I can already see a play trip coming soon with CSFD station 9 and us cavers.

[L Roebuck]

Glad the seminar went so well! Thanks for sharing the report and the great photo's!

[NZcaver]

madratdan said:

Next time I can get them to go caving with us, I will make sure they take them along. Things just didn't work out during the rescue. As soon as I hear something I'll post more about it. We also had a gentleman bring his cave radio set up to the Saturday class. It was built using Ian Drummond (sp?) (from Canada), design. I've seen it in action before in Williams Canyon, and at Fairy Cave. It will penetrate about 800' of rock and can be used as a directional antenna to pinpoint in cave locations on the surface. I believe it's the only voice activated unit in the state. The fire dept. had ordered some hard wired field phones from the military, but they didn't arrive in time for the class. I can already see a play trip coming soon with CSFD station 9 and us cavers.

Yeah, I see the Drummond radio and the VLF loop antenna in the photos - along with the CCRN field phones. But if that's the only cave radio in the region, unfortunately it's not much use. You really need to pick up another one so you're not just talking to yourself...

Again, please post/PM if and when you get around to trying the ELT/ELBs. I have a vested interest in the subject. Thanks! ;D

[Sharon Faulkner]

madratdan said:

Here is a link to some pictures from the seminar.
tinyurl.com/jr75o

We also had two guys filming it all. If it shows up on the web, I'll post a link to it too.

Hey Dan,

You or your group might consider submitting some of the photos from the seminar to Bill Putnam for use in American Caving Accidents or on the ACA web site. Just a thought.... I don't know what his criteria is for photos. Here is Bill's contact info:

Bill Putnam
Editor, American Caving Accidents
[e-mail]

[madratdan]

Yeah, I see the Drummond radio and the VLF loop antenna in the photos - along with the CCRN field phones. But if that's the only cave radio in the region, unfortunately it's not much use. You really need to pick up another one so you're not just talking to yourself...

Mike did build a pair of them............... Your correct...........one would be rather useless without the other. ;D

You or your group might consider submitting some of the photos from the seminar to Bill Putnam for use in American Caving Accidents

That's a great idea Sharon. I'l pass your suggestion along.