2016 TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT TO THE MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASSOCIATION International Commission for Alpine Rescue Kommission für Bodenrettung/Commission pour le Sauvetage Terrestre/Commission for Terrestrial Rescue Borovets, Bulgaria, 19-22 October, 2016 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT Prepared By: Tom Wood Mountain Rescue Association Alpine Rescue Team [email protected] Dr. Alison Sheets Mountain Rescue Association Rocky Mountain Rescue Group [email protected] “ICAR provides a platform for mountain rescue and related organizations to disseminate knowledge with the prime goal of improving mountain rescue services and their safety. It is an independent, worldwide organization that respects its members and promotes international cooperation.” INTRODUCTION The International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR) met for its annual Congress in Borovets, Bulgaria 19-22 October, 2016. These are some of the highlights of ICAR, with an emphasis on information and presentations that relate to the Terrestrial Rescue Commission. Borovets (Bulgarian: Боровец), known as Chamkoria (Чамкория) until the middle of the 20th century, is a popular Bulgarian mountain resort situated in Sofia Province, on the northern slopes of Rila, at an altitude of 1350 m. Borovets is 10 km from Samokov, 73 km from Sofia and 125 km from Plovdiv. 2 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT Borovets is the oldest Bulgarian winter resort with a history that dates back to 1896. Borovets was originally established at the end of the 19th Century as a hunting place for the Bulgarian Kings. Borovets gradually developed into a modern ski resort with hotels, restaurants, bars and a network of ski runs and lifts along the slopes of the Rila Mountains, providing for a whole range of winter sports. The resort has twice hosted World Cup Alpine Skiing rounds (1981 and 1984), while the Biathlon track is one of the best in the world. (Wikipedia) The host team, Mountain Rescue Service at the Bulgarian Red Cross, was established in 1933 before joining the Bulgarian Red Cross in 1951. Today, more than 500 volunteers on 32 teams make up the Bulgarian MRS. THE ICAR CONGRESS Presenters from around the world were required to submit proposals and papers in advance, with a standard 20 minute presentation period followed by 10 minutes of questions. The theme of this year’s congress was The Search Function: Improving the Search Before the Rescue. This theme was reflected in the avalanche rescue Commission’s stations during the Practical Day workshop on 19 October. This year’s congress drew more than 400 rescuers from nearly 40 countries. Representing the MRA were Dr. Ken Zafren (Medical), Charley Shimanski (Air Rescue), Tom Wood and Dr. Alison Sheets (Terrestrial Rescue), and Marc Beverly and Oyvind Henningson (Avalanche Rescue). Additionally, representing the MRA was ICAR Board Member Dan Hourihan and Rick Lorenz (Olympic Mountain Rescue). Attendance of the U.S. delegates was made possible by support from CMC Rescue, Pigeon Mountain Industries, the MRA and a significant private donor wishing to remain anonymous. The U.S. MRA delegates are grateful to our sponsors for the long term support of this important international exchange. As always, Topograph Media was present to film the conference, and their excellent two-part video summary can be found at https://vimeo.com/topographmedia. ICAR is grateful for the continued support of CMC, Petzl, PMI and Tyromont. It is the financial support of these sponsors that makes the annual ICAR videos a reality. ICAR PRE-CONFERENCE PRACTICAL DAY Held on October 19th, the day preceding the Congress, the 2016 Avalanche Rescue-themed practical day took place on the foggy green slopes of the nearby ski area and challenged the 233 attendees to increase their avalanche rescue skills and knowledge. Mountain rescuers teamed up with several manufacturers to offer a handful of hands-on stations that covered everything from new slalom probing strategies to avalanche transceiver practice with multiple burials. 3 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT Of particular interest was the station that demonstrated helicopter long line quick extraction with high avalanche danger. Using a powered winch (simulating the lift of a helicopter) that lifted two rescuers via a ski lift tower, this recue technique would allow the helicopter to take off in the event of a second avalanche, thereby lifting the rescuers above the avalanche before it hit. Narrated by Doctor Gregoire Zen Ruffinen, with Air Glacier, Switzerland, this technique utilized custom four meter long rope-covered wire cable that could potentially lift two rescuers and one subject. Though risky, a couple teams have utilized this technique to protect the ground searchers from the danger of secondary slides. 4 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT 5 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT Klaus Wagenbichler, with OBRD, Salzburg, Austria, headed up the slalom probing station on the foggy, but green, slopes. Slalom probing, in contrast to left, center and then right probing techniques, is less fatiguing on probers because they only do the center probe, then step left or right before moving forward. When viewed in the diagram above, the slalom probing pattern resembles a zig-zag pattern. Recco hosted a station that instructed rescuers the best way to isolate their Recco units from distracting signals and the best way to perform a self-check before attempted to search a debris field. Instructor Jan Peder Hoggen, an avalanche trainer with the Norwegian Red Cross, 6 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT encouraged Recco searchers to use the Recco unit like they would a flashlight while looking for lost car keys in the dark-pointing it at the ground four meters to the front and making rotating, sweeping arcs approximately 20 meters wide, from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock. The transceiver search station was headed up by Polish Mountain Rescuer Kuba Hornowski, with Tatra Mountain Rescue in Zakopane. Using the newly released ICAR posters for transceiver search techniques as the talking points, Kuba stressed the importance of mastering each phase of the transceiver search process. Also, it’s critical, he said, to remember to focus on the buried person, not just the transceiver. This wider field of focus should better equip the rescuer to find clues on the surface instead of simply following the instructions on the transceiver screen. Tying in closely with the posters used to illustrate transceiver search best practices, the Mountain Safety Knowledge Database, brainchild of Meilen, Switzerland native Manuel Genswen, aims to increase the skill levels of mountain rescuers by making standardized information more readily accessible to those seeking to up their game. Available in 13 languages, and compiled by ICAR sanctioned working groups, the database would be available for a nominal fee. Look to future ICAR bulletins for more information on this newly minted idea. 7 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT 8 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT 9 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT When most of us hear the term Scoop and Run, said Dr. Natalie Holtzl, from the German Association of Mountain & Expedition Medicine, we often downplay the risk assessment phase of the rescue. Using two scenarios where patients were located in precarious or dangerous environments (such as a lightning strike victim suspended from a via ferrata route-above). Dr. Holtzl challenged rescuers to minimize their exposure to risk by preplanning and getting the patients to an area that would allow for a more lengthy and thorough assessment. Dr. Julia Fieler, with the Norwegian Red Cross, also laid out an avalanche rescue scenario which put rescuers in a similar predicament and forced them to use the concept of A,B,C,D,E (Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability and Exposure) to direct their efforts. TERRESTRIAL RESCUE ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES, October 20, 2016 The first official day of the 2016 ICAR Conference began on Thursday, October 20th. The day began on a somber note as ICAR members observed a moment of silence for pioneer Bavarian mountain rescuer Dr. Karl “Bene’” Gotzfried. Also included in that moment of silence was Mountain Rescue Ireland’s own Catriona Lucas, who died in the line of duty in 2016. She was Ireland’s first SAR line of duty fatality. On a lighter note, the members of the Terrestrial Rescue Commission voted to re-elect President Gebhard Barbisch and Vice-President Kirk Mauthner to another four year term. The following previously published Terrestrial Rescue Recommendations were discussed: 10 2016 ICAR TERRESTRIAL RESCUE REPORT TER-REC 0001 Discussion points: It is not the goal to eliminate screw-lock carabiners. It is about central anchoring, which should be included. The wording central anchoring could be wrongly interpreted. At this time one could interpret this to mean that Delta cannot be used. Suggestions for different wording? Add a Q to EN 12275? Not necessary. No changes suggested. Comment Gebhard Barbisch in addition to the minutes: After the meeting open topics came up which require a work group. The recommendation will get a note on the homepage indicating that changes are being worked on. TER-REC 0004 Streibel Herbert objected that certain knots had been excluded; for example two-loop figure eight. Result of the discussion: There is no argument against including certain knots; however, for certain uses certain knots are not useful. The usage has to be the deciding factor. The recommendation will not be removed from the homepage but a comment will be added that the recommendation is being edited. The work group will continue to work on the recommendation. TER-REC 0005 Herbert Streibel asks regarding the two rope system. The last update on the recommendation is from 2005. It is necessary to overhaul the recommendation. Question: What exactly is meant by „three dimensional separation“? Answer: It refers to two anchoring systems which are independent of each other. The anchors have to be separate.