Group photo - Two instructors (left) pose with the twelve North Cedar Firefighters enrolled in the two-day "Low Slope Rescue" course.

Twelve volunteers from North Cedar Fire Department participated in a 2-day, NFPA-1670 approved course, covering Low Slope Rescue. The training consisted of an evening of rescue knots, one day of theory and classroom hands-on sessions, followed by a day of practical application in the field.

The training accompanies equipment purchased by the fire hall, including three 200-foot, 1/2-inch static kern-mantle ropes, three class III safety harnesses, pulleys, carabiners, webbing and related hauling and life-saving equipment. The training and equipment provides North Cedar with the tools and expertise to safely extricate patients in low-slope (less than 50-degrees of incline) situations.

The training was held at North Cedar facilities and conducted by a three instructors from Canada Rescue Techs, based in Shawnigan Lake.

Course instruction included:

• Rescue Ropes & Rope-related equipment
• Rescue knots (16 varieties)
• Anchoring, rigging, belaying and lowering
• Patient packaging & litter rigging
• Hauling systems & mechanical advantage
• Communications & low-slope hands-on training

Follow up: