Artificial High Directional Anchor Preflight Checklist
If you rig Artificial High Directional Anchors (AHDs)…And you Value Safety for You and Your Team…
YOU NEED THIS FREE GUIDE
We are the Weak Link in the Rescue Chain
Marcel Rodriguez
RLA Instructor
“While attending an International Technical Rescue Symposium (ITRS) (http://itrsonline.org/), I heard an interesting statement by Richard Delaney, of Rope Lab fame. n all of his research on Tripod/AHD failures, he had not encountered any verifiable incidents where the failure was caused by a failure of the equipment. His statement echoed several other findings at the conference that essentially point to us, the users, as the weak link in the rescue chain. After we recover from the initial blow to our collective egos, I think we can generally agree that we are the wildcard in our systems.”
You need a 10 Point Safety Check before loading an elevated anchor system
Facilitate safe transition of rescuers and victims over difficult edges
When dealing with tricky edges I have been a long time fan of artificial high directional anchors (AHDs),having used both the Arizona Vortex and the SMC Terradaptor.
Beyond the obvious benefits of having a focal point above a tricky edge, the reduction of mechanical disadvantage(through friction) is a strong argument for raising the rope off of the deck and reducing contact.
Rigging Lab Academy Instructor Bio
Marcel Rodriguez is a volunteer Search & Rescue Team Member and Rope Team Leader with Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue in Portland, Oregon. Marcel currently holds qualifications as an EMT/WEMT, Advanced Swiftwater Rescue Technician and Technical Rope Rescue-Technician Level Instructor for Rescue3 and is a trainer for Skedco, Inc. He teaches both nationally and internationally and is a frequent traveler to Iceland to participate in Search and Rescue.
