Swiftwater Rescue is a subset of technical rescue that involves the use of specially trained personnel, ropes, and mechanical advantage systems often much more robust than those used in rope rescue because of the added pressure of moving water. Technical rescue refers to those aspects of saving life or property that employ the use of tools and skills that exceed those normally reserved for firefighting and rescue. ... In physics and engineering, mechanical advantage (MA) is the factor by which a machine multiplies the force put into it. ... Rope rescue is a subset of technical rescue that involves the use of Nylon kernmantle ropes, anchoring and belay devices, friction rappel devices, various devices to utilize mechanical advantage, and other specialized equipment to reach victims and safely recover them. ...

The main goal is to use or deflect the water’s power to assist in the rescue of the endangered person(s), as in most situations there is no easy way to overcome the power of the water.

Classifications

A mnemonic device is used to rate comparative risk involved in different water rescues is "Reach, Throw, Row, Go, Helo", meaning: it is safest to reach to grab someone; slightly more risky to throw a line to someone; even more risky to rescue using a boat; quite risky to actually enter the water in a rescue attempt, and finally as a last resort, involving a helicopter for water rescue combines many of the hazards of the previous four 'techniques' as well as other risks unique to 'vertical' rescues or to 'live-bait' techniques using helicopeters.

In the USA, rope rescue is covered under National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1670 Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Rescue, which defines 3 levels of capability: Awareness, Operational, Technician. Swiftwater rescue technician is divided into 3 sections: Swiftwater Rescue Technician I; SRT II; and SRT III. It is up to the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to decide what level is required to operate within a technical rescue environment. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a U.S. organization (albeit with some international members) charged with creating and maintaining minimum standards and requirements for fire prevention and suppression activities, training, and equipment, as well as other life-safety codes and standards. ...

External links

• Emergency Management Academy of New Zealand provides Swiftwater rescue training