Crews put steep-angle rescue training into practice in crash

PONDERAY — In preparation for summer, Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS personnel completed a refresher training in steep-angle rescue last month.

This training came into play July 1 when five people — one adult and four juveniles — were injured in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 200. The crash occurred in Northside Fire District jurisdiction, and Bonner County EMS was on scene as well.

By the time Battalion Chief Kevin Amorebieta, Captain Britian Whitley and Engineer Bernie Frechette arrived, three of the injured occupants had been transported by Bonner County EMS to Bonner General Health. The car, a 2010 Chevy Impala driven by Joseph R. Tucker, 53, of Idaho Falls, went over a 50-foot embankment before coming to a rest on its side in shallow water. Selkirk personnel, with assistance from Northside Fire, were tasked with getting two patients up an approximately 50-foot embankment using their steep-angle rescue training.

During drills, crews practice anchoring, lowering systems, raising systems, mechanical advantages, litter rigging, patient packaging and communications. 

During the July 4 incident, Amorebieta said, they were able to use their technical rescue skills to "safely and efficiently mitigate the operation."

In a steep-angle rope rescue, the crew starts out with a main line and belay line. The main line is anchored between two apparatus' and is attached to the litter, which is the basket the patient is strapped to for transport up the slope. The belay line is a backup in case the main line fails for some reason, Amorebieta said.

"We always have two ropes going at the same time for a safety issue," Amorebieta said.

The patient is then secured to the litter so they can't move up, down or side to side. Because of the steepness of the terrain, the litter is attached to the waists of three firefighters.

"We have two points of attachment on the belay and main line for those guys, and we basically use mechanical advantage, which is a 3:1," he said.

Mechanical advantage is a measurement of how much weight the rope and pulley system will leverage the force that is put into them. While their feet are still on the ground for stability, all of the firefighters' weight is on the ropes, and the harnesses take the weight of the litter. A haul team then raises the group slowly up the slope using the mechanical advantage.

One patient during the July 1 rescue was already out of the vehicle when Selkirk personnel arrived, complaining of back pain and he kept falling asleep. He was transported to BGH.

The other patient during the July 1 rescue, a male juvenile, needed extrication out of the vehicle and had a possible fractured femur, Amorebieta said. The vehicle stabilization and extrication was performed by the Northside Fire crew, who cut the door open to get the patient out. When Selkirk got the patient to the top of the slope, he was transported by Life Flight to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. 

Idaho State Police are investigating and have not released any new information on the cause of the crash at this time.

Mutual aid incidents can be challenging, Amorebieta said, due to use of different equipment and techniques. Although some of these challenges occurred during last week's multi-jurisdictional response, he said, Selkirk, Northside and BCEMS crews were able to overcome them and perform the technical rescue in a timely and efficient manner.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.