December TCIA Magazine

[Fivepoints]

Steve,

Do you have any info on nfpa approved courses?

I find it kinda odd that the cave and bluff rescue classes I've taken put on by the fire department as training wouldn't be nfpa approved. Seems like that in itself would be a liability.

Thanks for bringing this discussion to us. I always like to learn something.

 

[Steve Connally]

Im not saying its not NFPA Approved but to meet the standard to check the boxes for Rope Awareness, Rope Operations, and Rope Technician, thus allowing to you get on rope and repel or ascend and not just be lowered, Those classes arent on the matrix depending on the content an approval of whoever oversees the program for your state. Each discipline has a minimum knowledge and skills for each level in the tech rescue world. Rope?Trench?Confined Space/Auto Extrication. Each has an awareness, operations, and technician level. You have to meet certain core knowledge and skills to be able to function at that level. For instance rope ops level cannot repel, they can be lowered but cannot repel and are limited on their devices they can use, set up, right with. Technician level can do all the things ops cant. Thats all broadly dictated but the NFPA Standard for tech rescue. Proboard certification across the country also has a say in what you have to have in your curriculum to make it pro board eligible, reciprocal between states, and credentialed. Then it trickles down to the state department of fire programs who actually writes and publishes the courses for the states, grades the tests, signs the certificates. So your class may be NFPA approved, or contain NFPA approved material but still not put you any closer to certification. FD attends and teaches classes all the time that aren't NFPA classes. Take vehicle extrication. If the NFPA broke down the extrication curriculum to the point it would need to be to cover everything- you'd be in school for a year every year your entire life. SO I've taken a bunch of Heavy Vehicle classes, not NFPA and no continuing ed hours. Why, because its imperative we know this information and it isn't taught anywhere else.

New Tools, new techniques new classes NFPA or not. As it should be! Hope that explains why the FD would teach a class not NFPA approved.

 

[Steve Connally]

Oh and just because it's not NFPA doesn't add any liability to anything. You have to fully understand what NFPA actually does and how they govern. You also have to know how broad and non specific the NFPA is on certain subjects. Rescue is so broad and so detailed, there's no way for them to capture every scenario and make a standard for it. That would be ridiculously impossible undertaking. Check out the tech rescue standards for yourself. You'll find them to be extremely bark because they know all scenarios could never be covered. Having a standard like cave is not practical for all departments. We don't all have caves but the fundamentals of rope are the same no matter where the rescue is.

 

[Fivepoints]

Thanks for the explanation. It was my understanding from a discussion with a local fire chief that all rope rescue of any sort had to be done with nfpa gear and guidelines if the fire department was involved at all. Basically saying they would kick me out of a tree rescue because my gear isn't nfpa approved even if I was already mid rescue when they showed up. That kinda rubbed me the wrong way. We're all volunteer in this area unless inside the city limits.

 

[Steve Connally]

That is correct. NFPA approves gear and for it to be used by the FD it has to meet the various standards. NFPA does not dictate exactly how the work is done specifically. It's loosely referenced and mostly rests on manufacturers guidelines. They anchor to bushes out west. NFPA doesn't dictate how that's done. There industry wide accepted scope of practice that should be followed. They cant kick you out of the tree if they can't get to you. As long as you are trainined and proficient then continue the rescue and do no harm. Screw up and they'll have your ass. Be successful and see how that turns out in the media that they stopped you from saving someones life! It goes without saying that you better know exactly what you're doing and know medically how to do it without making it worse. Manipulate a spinal cord injury and make it worse and you'll likely find yourself in court or worse. But largely he's correct!! Look up the standards and educate yourself as much as possible. They're easily accessible.

 

[Fivepoints]

That is correct. NFPA approves gear and for it to be used by the FD it has to meet the various standards. NFPA does not dictate exactly how the work is done specifically. It's loosely referenced and mostly rests on manufacturers guidelines. They anchor to bushes out west. NFPA doesn't dictate how that's done. There industry wide accepted scope of practice that should be followed. They cant kick you out of the tree if they can't get to you. As long as you are trainined and proficient then continue the rescue and do no harm. Screw up and they'll have your ass. Be successful and see how that turns out in the media that they stopped you from saving someones life! It goes without saying that you better know exactly what you're doing and know medically how to do it without making it worse. Manipulate a spinal cord injury and make it worse and you'll likely find yourself in court or worse. But largely he's correct!! Look up the standards and educate yourself as much as possible. They're easily accessible.

I have also gone through EMR. I don't run medical calls so I haven't taken the state registery. Some of the problem with doing aerial rescue or cave is you can't do some of the required immobile stuff due to how you may have to get a victim out or down.

Definitely good info. Thanks again for sharing this with us.

 

[Steve Connally]

I have also gone through EMR. I don't run medical calls so I haven't taken the state registery. Some of the problem with doing aerial rescue or cave is you can't do some of the required immobile stuff due to how you may have to get a victim out or down.

Definitely good info. Thanks again for sharing this with us.

Plenty of gear on the market designed for that kind of immobilization. We've taken many people out of confined machinery spaces with hardly enough space to get a mobile body through. Its there. Just have to know where to source the gear.