Introducing Roco Quick Drills...     
NEVER MISS A PRACTICE OPPORTUNITY!
We want you to make the most of every rescue practice session, so our Roco instructors have created "Quick Drills" that can be used any time you have a few minutes to practice with your team. In order to have a well-rounded rescue team, it is so important to maximize your training time and rotate the skills practiced to keep everyone interested and involved. Make sure you cover the basics as well as any techniques or special needs that may be unique to your response area. As always, practice, practice, practice! And, make sure you have the proper training and equipment to safely and effectively do your job.

First 10 Minutes on the Scene

During a rescue, there are opportunities when a team may be able to increase their efficiency and reduce their times significantly. One of those times is “arrival at the scene” to “hands on the patient.” This is the critical time when a plan is developed, equipment is set-up, and a rescuer is safely inserted to reach the patient.

1. Pick a number of locations to perform confined space or high angle rescue scenarios. Keep the scenarios simple at first! 
2. Have your team work with their equipment as it is currently stored and set-up for response.
3. Give team members the scenario and have them start. At the 10-minute mark, stop the scenario. Document how much of the scenario the team was able to complete in 10 minutes.
4. Debrief the team, and then ask questions such as, “What could you have done differently in your particular assignment to advance the team’s progress in this scenario in a shorter period of time?”    
5. Evaluate the type of rigging used and the sequence in which it was performed. For example, were systems rigged in the order that they will be needed? Or, was time wasted on rigging that would not be needed until extraction of the patient? Was the team waiting for a high-point or tripod to be set-up before rescuers were inserted?
6. Could equipment have been staged differently? For example, was equipment for the main and safety lines pre-rigged in an accessible layout and in sufficient quantities - or did the team have to search for more gear?
7. Use this information to rearrange the team's equipment as needed. Could you pre-rig more items like packaging and hauling systems?
8. Make the changes and repeat the scenario to see what works and what doesn't. Document how much was accomplished each time the scenario is repeated. After two or three repetitions, you should be able to hone the team's equipment requirements and reduce times.
9. Next, move to a new scenario and repeat the process. Each time documenting the progress made and what was changed to improve performance.
10. Be sure to document all input and changes agreed upon. Make sure these changes and improvements are incorporated in your team's operational planning.
    
    

Remember, the overall goal is to get a rescuer to the patient in a timelier manner while maintaining safety and efficiency. After streamlining the basic scenarios, you can incorporate more complex operations, such as adding SAR or other PPE requirements. With continued practice, you will see an improvement in how your team operates in the all-important first 10 minutes on scene!

Next in this series: QUICK DRILL #2 - SCBA/SAR Proficiency

Sign up now for Roco's first ProBoard course, Fast-Track 80™ . The course will be held on February 20-22 & 24-28, 2014 at the Roco Training Facility (RTC) in Baton Rouge, LA. There is an additional charge of $100.00 per student, and advance registration is required. Call us at (800) 647-7626 to register and reserve spaces or get more information.

This year Roco has a ProBoard/IFSAC option for select Roco courses conducted by the Carrol L. Herring Fire & Emergency Training Institute at the RTC in Baton Rouge. Students choosing the ProBoard option will complete both a written and skills exam. Upon successful completion of this certification process, they are then eligible to be entered into the ProBoard’s certification registry.

The ProBoard is an internationally recognized professional organization that represents the fire service and related emergency response fields. The ProBoard accredits organizations, such as Carrol L. Herring Fire & Emergency Training Institute, that provide certification testing to the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) professional qualification standards. The International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC) is a peer driven, self-governing system that accredits both public fire service certification programs and higher education fire-related degree programs.

It is with great sadness that we report the death of PMI President Steve Hudson. As a founding member of PMI, Steve was well known throughout the rescue industry for his vast contributions to the advancement of rope and rescue-related products. Truly a pioneer in the rescue field, Steve dedicated his life to creating better and safer products for rescuers. He also worked tirelessly to develop national standards to maintain this quality and excellence. His company and his family can be very proud. A special thanks to Steve and his co-founders at PMI Rope for giving Roco Rescue the opportunity to represent his innovative and lifesaving products for more than 30 years. For this and his many other contributions, we are grateful.

Roco Rescue is proud to announce that we have once again been awarded the privilege to provide Combat Technical Rescue Training and Specialized Equipment Kits to USAF Pararescue as part of the Guardian Angel Technical Recovery Program.  Their dedication is reflected in their creed:

“It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save lives and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things I do, that others may live.” 

The Guardian Angel contract includes four Pararescue mission-specific rescue kits to include Confined Space, Structural Collapse and two Extrication Systems. In addition, Roco will provide a new sustainment program for Guardian Angel that will provide operator and maintenance training courses, replacement parts, and logistics support as part of the contract that runs through September 2018.

For those who may not be familiar with this special group of USAF personnel, here’s more… Pararescuemen, also known as PJs, are United States Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and Air Combat Command (ACC) operatives tasked with recovery and medical treatment of personnel in humanitarian and combat environments. These special operations units are also used to support NASA missions and have been used to recover astronauts after water landings. They are attached to other SOF teams from all branches to conduct other operations as appropriate. They wear the maroon beret as a symbol of their elite status, and to symbolize the blood shed by past PJs, as well as the blood current PJs are willing to shed to save lives.

It is our honor to be of service to this elite group.

Visit Roco Tactical for more information.

 Deadline: January 3, 2014. There's only about 30 days left to submit your input on the proposed NFPA 350 Best Practices Guide for Safe Confined Space Entry and Work. If you are involved in any kind of confined space work or rescue (municipal or industrial), now is the time to offer your comments. While it is currently listed as a “Best Practices Guide,” that does not mean that at some point in the future it won’t possibly become an NFPA Standard. So, whether you agree or disagree, the time to offer your input is NOW!

Public comment will be accepted online until January 3, 2014. Go to www.nfpa.org/350. In order to comment you must log in with your email and password - or you can quickly create an account.

Click here to download the PDF version. (Note: Download may take up to 3 minutes depending on your computer.)