Tuesday evening was part 1 of the Basic Ropes & Rigging class taught by Norm Auvil. In his career, Norm has conducted/overseen many rope rescues while a fire chief, EMS chief, and rescue paramedic in a major city. This session focused on basic knots, tools, and laying the groundwork for the next session.

We are fortunate to have Norm as a special firefighter member of our department with his vast experiences and knowledge that he openly shares with our personnel.

Course Goal: Participants in this course will be introduced to rope, rope hardware, patient packaging, and basic haul systems, which can be used in various aspects of rescue. The intent of this course is to provide rope and basic rigging experience for anyone interested in rope rescue, but particularly those who do not want to, or are unable to rappel.

Description of Course: Participants in this course will be introduced to characteristics of rope, rope hardware and various knots and hitches. Students will participate in patient packaging and stokes basket handling exercises. Students will be introduced to basic haul and lowering systems and their practical uses. Most of the program is hands on and time is allotted for practice to build proficiency.

For further information on this post, or any fire department activity, you may reach out to our Public Information Officer via medical@holidayparkvfd.org or the Chief of the Department via chief@holidayparkvfd.org.