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Cave rescue planning and analysis

Marko Erker, September 2012

Rescue operation planning • Before you leave for the cave obtain:

– Rough details on type of casualty’s injuries – Type and map of the cave – Estimate of the necessary equipment and number of

needed rescuers – Food – Permissions?

• At the cave – Necessary maneuvers – Team formation – Movement control, timesheet

Injury details • According to type of injuries plan:

– Doctor and his equipment

– Stretcher (may not need it at all)

– Bivouacs

– Intervention duration

Type and map of cave • Contact cave registry team and/or cavers who

know the cave well

• Obtain a detailed cave map and possibly description of the tunnels

• Make scaled-down copies for team leaders

• Make assessment of narrow passages that will have to be enlarged (obstruction team)

Necessary equipment and number of cave rescuers

• Make a very rough estimate of the needed rigging and rescue equipment based on map, description and discussion with cavers (maybe some more will have to be brought from warehouse): – Ropes – Anchors – Rings and other hangers, all types of karabiners – Pulleys, blockers, descenders

• If technical cave plan is available, this is much smoother • Estimate number of rescuers to activate according to

number of the necessary maneuvers (min. 2 for counterweights and double pulley systems, 2-3 for Tyrolean traverses, 7 to carry the stretcher)

Food

• If you expect a prolonged rescue and no shop is nearby, think of the food for rescuers and the injured

• Of course you can always organize it later…

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Permissions

• Before exercising in a cave you might need to fill out a lot of paperwork and obtain a formal permission from the state

• Permissions might be necessary for rescue operations as well

After arrival “at the cave”

• Pick a (temporary) rescue operation leader according to hierarchy of available rescuers

• Establish command post and start recording movement control

• Begin with rescue maneuvers preparations: – Check and post cave map; plan maneuvers; mark the

restricted area

– Task the teams and team leaders

– Leave for the cave; re-rig it; rig maneuvers

– Treat and transport the casualty

Maneuvers (and equipment, again)

• Plan quantity and places of: – Counterweights, counterbalances

– Double pulley systems (Z-rigs)

– Tyrolean traverses

– Deviations

– Traversals to next hauling system

– Horizontal stretchering

• At this point equipment quantity and number of teams are known

• Now it is also known whether wired (VOX etc.) or radio (UKV, Cave link, etc.) links will be used in the cave

Teams 1/6

Teams are formed according to tasks that must be performed. Often one team performs multiple functions and some teams are not formed at all. Bold teams are always formed in one form or another. Each team has a team leader and operates on a specific section of the cave.

• Command post • Cave entrance • Equipment store • Communications team • Medical assistance team • Work team • Phone team

• Transport team • Camp • Surface team • Logistics team • Scout team • Helicopter team • Technical team • Underwater team • Explosives team • Standby team

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Teams 2/6

Command post • Leads the whole operation • Coordinates all teams and other services • Comprises representatives of all involved services (police, medics, mountain resc.) • Public relations • Close to a road • Communicates with:

– Cave entrance – Regional / national rescue coordinator – Helicopter – (Underground teams – through Cave entrance)

Cave entrance • Marks and secures cave entrance and surrounding area • Controls cave entries and exits • Communicates with:

– Underground teams – Command post

Teams 3/6 Equipment store • Stores all unused equipment, food and other gear • Near Command post or Cave entrance • Communicates with Command post Communications team • Takes care of surface communication • Regulates wireless transmissions Phone team (VOX) • Equips the cave with telephone wire from entrance to

casualty • Rigs and marks the agreed report places • During rigging keeps in contact with Cave entrance

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Teams 4/6 Medical assistance team • Takes care of the casualty • At least one of the members should have a working carbide lamp • Communicates with Cave entrance and teams along the way

Work team • Rigs maneuvers and hauls casualty toward surface • Takes care of casualty’s good spirit • Communicates with Cave entrance and neighboring teams

Transport team • Transports additional equipment into the cave, takes out leftover equipment • Communicates with Cave entrance

Surface team • Marks the path to the cave • Takes care of equipment transport to the cave • Communicates with Command post

Teams 5/6 Logistics team • Provides all surface teams with necessary equipment, etc. • Communicates with Command post Camp • A place for unoccupied rescuers to rest • From its members Transport, Surface and Logistics teams are formed • Communicates with Command post Scout team • First underground team if no one reported from the cave • Radio communication with Cave entrance while that’s still possible Helicopter team • Team, that helicopter transported to its post • Can form into any other team • Communicates with every other team

Teams 6/6 Technical team • Removal of obstacles in the cave (manual passage widening, siphon pumping,

chimney climbing, etc.) • Sets underground bivouac(s) • Communicates with Cave entrance Underwater team • Performs rescue and tasks of all other teams across siphons • Communicates with Cave entrance Explosives team • Passage widening • Tunnel digging • Communicates with Cave entrance Standby team • Helps other teams • Generally members are located in the camp • Communicates with Command post

Team leader • Usually the most experienced rescuer in the team • Tasks:

– Picks team equipment – Decides and orders maneuvers to be performed by team

members – Oversees and is responsible for all team maneuvers – Communicates with:

• Other team leaders • Leader of transport / stretcher attendant • Communicates with Cave entrance / Command post

– Writes team report after the operation (activity leader produces a more comprehensive report that includes all team reports)

• Attention: Leader may take a moment to decide a maneuver, the consequences of a wrong decision are there for a lifetime.

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Communication with Cave entrance and Command post

• Team leader is responsible for communication • Transmits all important events of the team:

– Arrival to the agreed communication points – Arrival to the assigned work place – Beginning of work – (Changes in) team maneuvers – Requests for additional equipment, superfluous equipment – Team readiness for transport – Medical team reports accurate state of the casualty

• Recurring reporting is also performed (e.g. each hour) • The message should be short and clear, intended for the right

person • Don’t chat – that only hogs the line * More on this topic in a special lecture

Movement control

• Recorded at Cave entrance during operation

• Established by the first rescuer that arrives at the entrance

• Contains:

– Rescuer’s name and surname

– Team

– Arrival, entry and exit times

– Comments

Timesheet

• Recorded in Command post during operation (by rescue leader; all communication is usually recorded at Cave entrance as well)

• Contains:

– Time

– Received information

– Dispatched reports or instructions

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Analysis

Its purpose is to record lessons learned and eventual problems and start process of thinking about how to do things even better. • Each rescuer tells:

– Positive experiences – Negative experiences and how to avoid them / improvement suggestions

• Team leaders – Additionally comment work of the whole team

• Exercise assessor – Comments on work of individuals and teams, team work, communication, etc.

• Cave entrance – Is everyone out of the cave?

• Equipment store – List of missing / lost / destroyed equipment (if any)

• Activity leader – Activity summary

Sources

• SSF, JZS: Priročnik jamarskega reševanja / Cave rescuer’s manual

• JRS: Gradivo - Pripravniki in reševalci

• Photo: Marko Erker, Aleš Stražar