Member content Archive
My good friend, Pat Rhodes, has long been asking big questions about the differences in tension between the two strands of mirrored rope rescue lowering systems. Pat’s classes often include practical demonstrations showing just how easy it
Pendulums present an interesting study of physics for rope technicians. A simple pendulum is made up of a point mass suspended by a string or rod of negligible mass. In rope systems, the mass of the swinging body
Rigging with the ability to lower a load on the main access lines gives rope technicians the ability to deal with some incidents quickly and efficiently. This is known as ‘Rig for Lower’ (RFL) and has been
We have done many drop tests at RopeLab over the last few years. For each test, we must make a decision whether to use rigid steel test masses, semi-anthropomorphic test manikins (like Rescue Randy), or human subjects. Often, we
Technicians regularly use toothed-cam ascenders such as the Petzl Croll. For climbing ropes, the chest-mounted Croll is normally used in conjunction with another handled ascender and foot loop. Technicians are generally taught to ensure they are also attached to this