Rescue Climbing

[Mark Chisholm]

Had a rescue training day on Tuesday. The site was 6 Flags Great Adventure. One ride that concerns the staff there is the Parachute ride. If it gets stuck, the top two baskets would not be accessible with their crane or lift truck. Here's the ride.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Here's our victim.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

If the power is available, we will access through this elevator. If you don't do well with confined spaces, it's not for you!

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Here's where we go after the long, slow elevator ride that has a capacity of 440 lbs.! Two men shoulders touching and your face almost touches the gate. No room for gear unless you go alone. Then you have to climb another shaft to the top.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

And our exit to the outter limits.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

A view down from the catwalk.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Team member Ted going over the edge.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Ted on the way.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

My head, and some rides. /forum/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Here's a view of the new "Kingda Ka" ride- the tallest and fastest in the world. It's 456' tall and goes 128 mph on the way up and down! /forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[tophopper]

Sweet work Mark!

you were hired to train the park rescuers to do that rescue? or what?

A nice change from the daily grind eh?

 

[RGus]

How tall is the parachute ride? Definatly a unique experience.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Actually John, it was volunteer work. I was asked to be the team leader for the rescue team. It was a training exercise for all of us so that we would be able to be more efficient if there was a real problem with that ride.

Ryan, I heard that it was 250' tall.

 

[theXman]

Those were some cool pictures! Thanks.

Wow, I might have to go there once for that kingda-ka (sp?) ride. /forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[glens]

I used to like to go up the smoke stacks at the power plants I worked at. One had three of them 600 feet tall and one hand one at 500 feet (to the upper catwalk for access to the lights). The little elevator car would hold 3 men shoulder to shoulder to shoulder. I loved walking on the grating and being able to see all the way down. It was a good place to watch the sunrise from. Too bad I don't have a scanner for some cool pics...

What happens if the power's out? Would you get to climb the ladder with your gear?

Glen

 

[frans]

Can you tell us what the procedure was Mark?
I am guessing you would lower yourselves to the Parachute that was stuck. Then get everyone into a harness and then lower them to the ground.
If this is true then you would need at least a 300' rope just for yourself, but do/will you lower the people from the parachute itself? I would think everyone would have to be lowered from the same tie-in points that you yourself would use in order to bypass the parachute hardware....
Frans

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Mark,

Are you doing raps on eights, racks or other tools? It looked like there was a belay line on the guy that went over the edge to back up his rap.

Denny Moorhouse gave me a rap tool made for Ural Alps that would work really well for long drops. The friction can be adjusted to take into account the weight of the load and the load of the down rope. The handle is held full on and a wingnut adjusts one of the internal bobbins. Quite a clever unit.

It would be a heck of a climb if the rescue team had to hike up with all of their gear.

A few years ago one of the spinny rides at the Sprawl of America in Minneapolis got stuck with some of the riders upside down. The fire rescue team found that it was really hard for them to access the ride. Even though the ride is inside and there is all kinds of overhead structural steel. It took them a long time to get all of the people off the ride.

 

[flying_kiwiman]

that would be Madusa in the back ground! what a wicked ride, i've been there a few years ago!

great park!

nice pics mark!

jelte

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Glen, we would indeed have to climb the ladder all the way up if there was no power. There is a cable that runs to the top, so we could use a grab and be protected very easily.


Frans, the initial rescue plan we formed was:
- Setup a main line from the top for the rescuer and victim.
- Setup a belay line (orange in pic) for the rescuer
- Have the resuer self belay from the main and we lower from the belay. He used his favorite, an 8 w/ prusik. We used a rack for the belay. I prefer an ID over the 8 at that height.
- Access the basket and secure both (vicitms usually two per ride)to the ride since we would need to unlock the safety bar. Then hook the belay line to a victim from above and add 1 line from the basket to lower from there.
- Hoist both lines back for the second rescue.
- Then the team unfolds.

Tom, I guess I answered your question too? I would love to try Denny's device. Sounds perfect.

I am thinking of another solution. Maybe you all could suggest some ideas? My concern for our first style is that the victims would not want to be lowered by themselves. This would mean two rescuers per basket. Each would do a pick-off. Problem is, if there were four victims, we would need at least 8 rescuers to hike to the top. That's asking for a lot if the elevator is down.

There are more rides to work on too. They have problems with the ferris wheel (top two cars out of reach), the sky ride where it travel over water.....

 

[R_Schra]

I suggest a way for resque.

Make a external reserve powerline from ground to top that can be connected to a generator or other powersupply.

Have a resque winch stored at the top. (ive seen these in industry work)

When things fail just go to the top, install the resque winch.

Lower a man to the bucket and strap a victum in a harnass.

Then lower resquer and victum to the ground.

Hoist the winchline back up with resquer.

Fix the next victum and lower again.

Repeat till all are down.

if a bucket is above water just use a pullrope to get them in when lowered. (or have a boat ready)

With helicopter savings its about one man beeing saved at the time to!

Ronald