Rescue Training

M – SPAR (Mountain – Small Party Assisted Rescue) Lightweight Mountain Rescue

Every technical rescue team and mountain rescue team has its go-to, pre-planned rescue system. But what happens if part of your planned system is missing? What if you have to rescue one of your own rescuers / teammates?

M-SPAR is idealized for remote venues such as high alpine, glacier, canyon, cave, etc.? Many teams will carry heavy systems to these venues out of fear of losing redundancy or safety factors. This course teaches how to utilize Mountain – Small Party Assisted Rescue advanced techniques for M – SPAR teams consisting of two to four members responding to high urgency alpine rescues using lightweight minimal gear. The training focuses on rapid extrications and responder self-rescue in the alpine environment.

SPAR rigging techniques and philosophies enable a team to perform high-urgency rescues without the need for a large number of personnel or gear, WITHOUT sacrificing safety.

SRT – Single Rope Technique

Single Rope Techniques are used extensively all over the world for many rope operations. This is a 2-4 day course with optional certification, designed to teach multiple rope skills using a single rope.

SRT can significantly enhance the capabilities of technicians of other rope disciplines, including rope access, tactical operations, and technical rescues.

Skills include vertical rope movement, horizontal movement, passing obstacles, and navigating re-belays, deviations, line transfers, and edge transitions.

Arborist – Tree Operations

Trees present a unique challenge to workers, rescuers, and tactical operators. More and more, police, fire, military, and rescue units are called to conduct rescue (people, planes, parachutes) or intervention operations (protestors / suicide) in tree canopies… a high-consequence environment almost exclusively traveled by arborists using special techniques and gear. Unlike conventional rescue, they require bottom-up approaches almost by default, without the benefit of directly inspecting your anchors or suspended tie-in’s. Bucket trucks are frequently not available. The skills of remote rigging with a throw line, and managing multiple types of vertical mobility systems in a tree, are critical for safe rescue operations or work.

Our courses focus on tree specific mobility and intervention with other subjects. We do NOT cover tree care or chainsaw operations. (Contact ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) for more sources on this.

Small Party Assisted Rescue

This more advanced course is about using SRT techniques to perform interventions and rescues utilizing only lightweight and personal gear. Originally developed for deep cave expedition rescue, this philosophy is being integrated into more and more back rescue operations.

• SPAR requires some SRT proficiency, and an understanding of several rescue topics such as mechanical advantage, closed loop rigging, and counterweight techniques. To gain entry into the course, you will have to demonstrate you can climb and rappel a single and pass a knot in both directions.
• SPAR rescue tactics can be integrated into virtually every rope operation and rope rescue industry, i.e. Mountain Rescue, Tactical Operations, Arborist, Rope Access, Cave, and Fire Rescue.