FDIC H.O.T. Session

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Schoolbus Extrication
Truck Company Operations: Ground Ladders
High Angle Emergencies: Scaffolds and Elevated Structures
Indy Metro FOOLS Brotherhood Bash
Exhibits and Miscellaneous Photos
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I enjoyed the High Angle Emergencies H.O.T. session so much in 2005 that I took it again this year. I figured there was no way I could be so unlucky as to have rainy weather for this class TWO years in a row. Boy was I wrong. And this year, it didn't just drizzle - it POURED down rain steadily with air temps falling into the 40's by afternoon.

The evolutions were similar to last year - a pick-off, a window rescue, a high line, and an actual scaffold scenario - but as always with these sessions there were new things too, including new equipment that isn't even on the market yet, and some more innovative techniques.

I didn't write down all of the instructors' names at this class so of course I forgot some of them - if anyone can fill in the blanks on some of the pictures below, please email me!

Instructor Mike Mellilo	Taking a ride on the zip line!	At this station, the rescuer is lowered from the third story window to a victim at the second story window. He first secures the victim to the lowering system.
Once the victim is secure, the rescuer pushes off from the window. Instructor Steve Gillespie (yellow helmet) watches from the window.	And both victim and rescuer are lowered to the ground	Instructor Jim Kiesling (center) supervises the lowering operation at the pick-off station
The rescuer's main line is run through a brake bar rack, and the belay line through the 540 device. He is lowered until he is just within reach of Big Dummy.	After attaching the safety line to the victim, he then attaches one end of a mechanical advantage system to raise the victim so that he can be disconnected from his line. Once Big Dummy is secure, both are lowered to the ground.	Instructor (Todd Smith, I think???) hauls Big Dummy back up into position for the next drill
The next student goes over the edge at the pick-off station	Instructors get a little shelter from the rain at first, until it starts falling sideways! (Can someone email me the names of the two guys in black jackets?)
There goes another one down the zip line!	Up on the roof at the scaffold scenario, everyone rotated positions and got hands-on with manning the belay and the main lines and working the haul system. Instructor Richard Wright (far left) explains how to operate the Petzl I'D-G, a prototype at the time of this training.	The next rescuer gets hooked up
This was our scenario - poor Dummy's scaffold has dropped out beneath him, thankfully he was wearing his harness but he is in need of some assistance	Getting over the edge is the hardest part for the rescuer. This is where you need to have faith in the equipment, and in the lowering crew!	Walking the wall down to the victim (can we say, "Batman"?)
Instructors Mike Nugent (left) and Mike Mellilo	Once at the victim, the rescuer attaches the safety line, then the pick-off strap. After raising the victim slightly and disconnecting him from his line, both rescuer and victim are hauled back up to the roof using a mechanical advantage system.	With the rain getting heavier and the temperatures dropping fast, we were trying anything to keep somewhat dry and warm
Instructor Greg Hellerud eventually gave up on the keeping dry part	Some of the operations kept going through the rain, but the roof stations were quickly abandoned despite the instructors' offers to continue training	Lead instructor Mike Davis (center) chats with students
There was a LOT to clean up after this session!	Instructor Mike (at least the instructors' names were easy to remember at this session, half of them were "Mike"!)	Instructor Mike McCreary (left)
Instructors Greg Hellerud (left) and Richard Wright (right)

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Copyright 2006 NCFirewolf