On November 18, 2000, members of several Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Teams participated in a 2-day Advanced Rope System class. The class was led by Montrose Search and Rescue Team members John McKently and Bruce Parker, who also work for CMC Rescue, Inc.

The class was comprised of members from the Altadena Mountain Rescue Team, Malibu Mountain Rescue Team, Montrose Search and Rescue Team, San Dimas Mountain Rescue Team, Santa Clarita Valley Search and Rescue Team, and the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team


Everyone had a great time and agreed that the information and techniques learned in the class were extremely valuable.		  
After a half day of classroom instruction, the teams headed up to Eaton Saddle, near Mount Wilson, to practice using the Arizona Vortex. The Vortex is a very strong easel A-frame designed to provide a high point of attachment in situations where no natural or man-made attachment point is available.

 

Here, the Vortex is set up on the edge of a steep cliff. This allows a rescuer to be easily lowered over the side.

 

Instructor Bruce Parker of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team demonstrates a high point litter tending technique.

 

On Day 2, the teams met at Buckhorn Campground in the Angeles Forest and used the Vortex to build a Norwegian Reeving Highline system. The first trick was getting the highlines strung across the 400' valley span. Fortunately, we had a "line thrower"....and no, it is not a rope gun.

 

Once the messenger line was fired across the valley, it was attached to a pilot line which was used to pull the two 1/2" highlines across.

 

The ropes are barely visible laying across the valley floor.


GOT ROPE?


Some rarely seen North American Spotted Rock Geckos soaking up the afternoon sun. (Left to Right: Jeff Moran - Altadena, Art Fortini - Sierra Madre, Jess - Altadena, and John Levin - Montrose.



This is the gondola which takes the rescuer across the highline. The rescuer is attached to the lower blue pulley. The yellow line is used to raise and lower, or "reeve", the rescuer as necessary.






Here Jess, from the Altadena team, takes a ride across the highline after having to do battle with several rather stubborn dead tree branches.



Co-Instructor John McKently takes a well deserved break.

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