Clearwater Fire & Rescue Basic Rope Procedures PDF 05/29/09

CLEARWATER FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE S.O.P. 613 SUBJECT: Basic Rope Procedures PAGE 1 OF 7 CATEGORY:...

CLEARWATER FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE S.O.P. 613 SUBJECT: Basic Rope Procedures PAGE 1 OF 7 CATEGORY: SUBCATEGORY: Operations Special Operations APPROVED BY: EFFECTIVE DATE: 05/29/09 REVISION DATE: 03/08/22 REVIEWED DATE: SIGNATURE ON FILE, APPROVED TO FORM THIS DATE BY SCOTT EHLERS, FIRE CHIEF, FIRE & RESCUE DEPARTMENT FORMS REQUIRED: CFR-042 NOTE: Current forms are located on the Department’s SharePoint. PURPOSE: The overall purpose of this SOP is to provide uniform guidelines and procedures for the use and care of Utility Rope, Life Safety Rope, and its components. Its specific objectives are: To establish standards for Basic Life Safety Rope and Utility Rope. To establish standard procedures for inspections of Life Safety Ropes. To maintain Life Safety Rope at a ready state. To establish procedures for the care and maintenance of all ropes. It shall be the policy of Clearwater Fire & Rescue to maintain Life Safety Rope in a safe condition in compliance with NFPA 1983, 2017 edition, “Standard on Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services”. 613.1 Scope These guidelines are designed to provide the basic minimum mandatory safe practices and procedures with which all Fire Rescue personnel should be familiar regarding Utility and Life Safety Rope use, care, and inspection. 613.2 Definitions For the purpose of this procedure, the following definitions will apply: Carabiner – A load bearing connector with a self-closing gate used to join other components to Life Safety rope. Cleaned - For the purpose of this procedure, cleaned means use of tepid (Lukewarm) water with a mild non-chlorinated soap (i.e., Ivory liquid) and rinsed thoroughly, allowed to air dry completely, away from sunlight, prior to storage and/or reuse. Destroyed - Shall mean the rope is taken out of service and cut up into random lengths. This rope should only be used for non-emergency response related purposes such as knot tying practice.  SUBJECT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 05/29/09 S.O.P. 613 Basic Rope Procedures REVISION DATE: 03/08/22 CATEGORY: SUBCATEGORY: PAGE 2 OF 7 Operations Special Operations Life Safety Rope - Rope dedicated solely to the purpose of constructing lines for supporting persons during fire rescue, firefighting, or other emergency operations or during training evolutions. It shall be new, unused rope, or rope that has passed a complete safety inspection and shall be of Static Kernmantle construction, 1/2 inch in diameter red in color 200 feet in length with a NFPA 1983, 2017 edition approval rating. Utility Rope - Rope that used for securing objects, hoisting equipment, or other related tasks that is of three-braided nylon construction white in color 100 feet in length. It is NEVER to be used to support people. Impact Load - A dynamic load that would cause the rope to be momentarily stressed beyond the given static load. A sudden application of force. Falls of five feet or more with a one- person load (300 lbs.) constitute an impact load. Rescue Eight - An auxiliary equipment system component; a friction mechanical device utilized with rope to control descent. Shall - Indicates a mandatory requirement. Should - This term indicates a recommendation or that which is advised but not required. Visual Damage - Shall mean damage or alteration to the rope structure that is visible to the naked eye. This shall include such things as damage to the mantle of the rope that exposes core fibers and shall also include uneven circumference of the rope. Webbing – Woven nylon in the form of a long strip. Tubular in construction 613.3 Rope Storage A. Life Safety Rope shall be stored in a red rope bag and care shall be taken to ensure that the rope is not subjected to wear, damage, or contamination during storage. This bag will be marked as Lifeline and the unit identification in black two-inch tall letters and numbers on the outside of the bag. (i.e., LIFELINE-T45) B. Life Safety Rope may be stored in different colored bags on Technical Rescue Units. This will be determined by County TRT policy. C. Utility rope shall be stored in green rope bags and care shall be taken to ensure that the rope is not subjected to wear, damage, or contamination during storage. This bag will be marked with the unit identification in black two-inch tall letters and numbers on the outside of the bag. (i.e., E45) D. Stored rope shall be protected from exposure to sunlight (ultraviolet radiation), acids, dirt and grit, high temperatures and hydrocarbons such as fuels and fumes. E. Shall not be stored in same compartment where gasoline-powered rescue tools or spare fuel is present.  SUBJECT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 05/29/09 S.O.P. 613 Basic Rope Procedures REVISION DATE: 03/08/22 CATEGORY: SUBCATEGORY: PAGE 3 OF 7 Operations Special Operations 613.4 Rope Inspection It is important that ropes be inspected for signs of wear after each use. If indications of wear or damage are noted, or if the rope has been stressed in excess of the manufacturers' recommendations or has been impact loaded, it should be destroyed. A. Each Life Safety Rope shall be inspected and recorded as follows: 1. All life safety ropes will be inspected after every use 2. On the first day of every month 3. If used for a training, after completion of the exercise B. The following procedure shall be followed for inspecting rope: 1. Inspect rope by sight and touch. Run every inch of rope through your bare hands. 2. Feel for deformities that may result in the following: o Changes in the rope’s diameter o Bulging in the core o Soft or hard spots in the core and outer sheathing 3. Visually inspect for damage for/from the following: o By the exposure to heat or direct flame contact o Chemical exposure o Abrasion of the mantle that exposes the core fibers o Broken or cut strands o Melted or fused fibers o Oil or dirt stains 4. Determine if the rope has been exposed to chemical liquids, solids, gases, mists, or vapors of any materials known to deteriorate rope. 5. Determine if the rope has been subject to a severe impact load. Falls of five feet or more with a one-person load (300 lbs.) constitute a severe impact load. 6. Check labeling on ends of the rope for accuracy and legibility. Re-label as needed. 7. If the rope is excessively soiled the rope shall be cleaned and dried before being returned to service. 8. Life Safety rope may be placed back in service providing that no discrepancies were found during inspection. This shall be noted in the rope log. 9. Rope failing visual inspection shall be destroyed. 10. During inspection, if there is any doubt as to the suitability of the Life Safety rope for use, it shall be destroyed immediately and replaced. C. Additional Considerations 1. If the rope is excessively soiled the rope shall be cleaned and dried after use. 2. Life Safety rope can be significantly weakened by abrasion, misuse, contamination, wear, and stresses approaching its breaking strength, particularly impact loading. Because there is no approved method to service test a rope without compromising its strength, rope rescue and training operations should be carefully observed and monitored for conditions that could cause immediate failure or result in undetectable damage to the rope. If a rope has been used in a situation that could not be supervised or where potential damage could have occurred, it should be removed from service and destroyed.  SUBJECT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 05/29/09 S.O.P. 613 Basic Rope Procedures REVISION DATE: 03/08/22 CATEGORY: SUBCATEGORY: PAGE 4 OF 7 Operations Special Operations 3. If the rope was used for rescue at fires or other emergency incidents and does not meet the acceptable inspection criteria set above, it shall be destroyed 4. If there are any questions regarding the condition of a Life Safety rope, immediately place the rope out of service and contact the TRT Team leader or Special Operations Chief for a determination of possible reuse capabilities. 5. Life safety rope that fails any of the above inspection criteria shall be altered in such a manner that it could not be mistakenly used as a Life Safety rope. This shall involve disposal or cutting into short lengths for utility purposes (destroying). 6. All life safety rope shall be removed from service at the end of the manufacturer’s specified shelf life or eight (8) years whichever comes first. D. Record Keeping 1. It shall be the responsibility of each officer in charge of a vehicle or his/her designee to record the results of the rope utilization inspection information on the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Rope Log (CFR-042). Each rope on that vehicle will have a separate log sheet. These rope logs are to be kept in each vehicle’s logbook. 2. At the end of each calendar year, the CFR-042 form for each vehicle with life safety rope shall be turned in to the Special Operations Chief or their designee for proper filling and a new CFR-042 will replace it on the vehicle. 3. It shall be the responsibility of the Technical Rescue Team Leader to ensure that all TRT Life Safety ropes will be inspected after every use and on the first day of every month and that adequate records are maintained for all Technical Rescue Rope. 4. Truck officers will be responsible for monthly life safety rope inspections on their respective vehicles. Monthly life safety rope inspections will be recorded in PSTrax for the appropriate unit. 5. Each time a Life Safety rope is utilized during an incident or training evolution the activity shall be recorded on the appropriate rope log (CFR-042). This form should be located on the unit in which the life safety rope was used. 6. The record shall require the following information: o Date of activity o Location of activity o How was the rope utilized and number of evolutions performed? o Make comments on severity, adverse, destructive, or unusual situations the rope was subjected to o List the results of the inspection, any damage, or unusual characteristics of the rope 613.5 Maintenance of Rope A. All rope shall be cleaned according to the following guidelines: 1. Use cold water only 2. Mild soap such as Ivory may be used  SUBJECT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 05/29/09 S.O.P. 613 Basic Rope Procedures REVISION DATE: 03/08/22 CATEGORY: SUBCATEGORY: PAGE 5 OF 7 Operations Special Operations 3. Use front loading washing machine only (No agitator) gentle cycle if available 4. Use rope washers if available 5. Rinse rope thoroughly using cold water 6. Dry the rope thoroughly by hanging loosely out of direct sunlight 7. DO NOT use clothes dryer 8. After drying thoroughly, inspect the rope and document in rope log 613.6 Labeling of Rope A. All manufacturers’ product labels and information shall remain on ropes purchased and stored prior to putting in service. B. Minimum information on label shall include: o Name of manufacturer o Date of manufacture o Lot number o Manufacture Identification number o Diameter and length o Whom we purchased it from C. When a life safety rope is placed in service, this information shall be duly noted on that individual rope log. D. All ropes shall have markings on both ends to include the following: o Unit and Rope Identifier (LSR #1-T48) o Length of the rope o Date in service o Rope identification number: this number will be unit specific E. This information will be placed on a rope ID Tag on the ends of the rope and sealed with clear heat shrink tubing. 613.7 Training Rope A. Training ropes will be available at the Training Center for training use only. They are not to be used as Lifeline ropes on apparatus. They will be stored in blue bags and marked in two-inch letters as TRAINING ONLY and the corresponding rope number. B. Each training rope will have a rope log also and will be kept with the Training Chief. The record keeping, maintenance, and inspection requirements of the training ropes will be the same as all Life Safety ropes. C. All training ropes shall have markings on both ends to include the following: o Training and Rope Identifier (Training #1) o Length of the rope o Date in service D. This information will be placed on a rope ID Tag on the ends of the rope and sealed with clear heat shrink tubing.  SUBJECT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 05/29/09 S.O.P. 613 Basic Rope Procedures REVISION DATE: 03/08/22 CATEGORY: SUBCATEGORY: PAGE 6 OF 7 Operations Special Operations 613.8 Rope Failure Procedures A. If a Life Safety Rope fails for any reason either during fire ground use or training, the following procedure shall be followed: 1. The rope, rope record, and all components of the rope system shall be secured by the Incident Commander. 2. The on-duty District Commander shall report to the scene and begin the investigative process immediately. He shall notify the Chief on Call who will make the following notifications: Deputy Chief, Special Operations Chief, and Division Chief of Health and Safety. 3. A strict chain of custody of the rope and its components shall be maintained for investigative purposes. 613.9 Additional Components used with Life Safety Rope A. WEBBING o Uses: Anchor slings, gear slings, harness, and lashing o Construction: Nylon, spiral weave, tubular o Specifications: One inch wide; Strength of 4,000 pounds o Maintenance: Same as rope o Care: Same as rope o Cautions: Same as rope o Marking: Unit designator and length of webbing shall be inscribed near the end of the webbing with a black “magic marker” B. CARABINERS o Uses: To link various pieces of gear together or to add friction to a system. o Construction: Locking, steel, screw gate type, locking, aluminum self-locking or screw gate type, specifications. Steel: minimum breaking strength > 10,000 pounds. Aluminum: minimum breaking strength > 8,000 pounds. o Precautions:  Keep clean  Do not drop or throw  Load only in the long axis, no side loading  Do not forget to lock the gate  Inspect for cracks, worn spots, and smooth operation C. EIGHT PLATE WITH EARS (Rescue Eight) o Uses: As a friction decent device, or friction lowering device. o Construction: Steel, minimum breaking strength > 4,000. Aluminum minimum breaking strength > 3,500 o Precautions:  Keep clean  Do not drop or throw  Inspect for cracks and worn spots These items are to be carried in a separate smaller red bag attached to or stored inside the lifeline bag.  SUBJECT: EFFECTIVE DATE: 05/29/09 S.O.P. 613 Basic Rope Procedures REVISION DATE: 03/08/22 CATEGORY: SUBCATEGORY: PAGE 7 OF 7 Operations Special Operations 613.10 Department Approved Knots A. ROPE o Figure Eight o Figure Eight on a bight o Figure Eight follow through B. Overhand Knot (Safety) o Half Hitch o Clove Hitch o Becket Bend o Bowline C. WEBBING o Water Knot 613.11 General Rope Precautions A. Make sure all knots are tied and dressed correctly. B. Safety check all components of any system before loading system. C. Belay loads. D. Rescuers shall not operate within five (5) feet of the edge of an elevated height without being secured. E. Rescuers shall wear appropriate protective gear. F. Redundancy in rope systems will be utilized whenever rescue operations are underway or during training. Redundancy will be defined as the practice of having at least two means of safety and support (2 points of attachment) when operating in adverse terrain, and/or elevation. 1. When one rescuer with a load line has an additional belay line on its own anchor system, that rescuer is ready for operation. 2. All training on ropes with a live load (person), shall be supervised by at least two Technical Rescue Team Members and a designated Safety Officer. 613.12 Warning A. Serious injury or death could result from the misuse of this equipment. B. Do not attempt to use this equipment without proper training. C. Failure to follow these instructions could result in serious injury or death. REFERENCES: NFPA 1983, 2017 edition Standard on Fire Service Life Safety Rope, Harnesses, and Hardware. NFPA 1500, 2018 edition Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety and Health Program.