IKAR 2013 MRCofS Delegation Report

Transcription

1 Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland IKAR November 2013 Copyright MRCofS, 2013 The information that is contained in this document is the property of the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland. The contents of the document must not be reproduced or disclosed wholly or in part or used for purposes other than that for which it is supplied without the prior written permission of the MRCofS.

2 Document Details General Detail Abstract Authors Owner The 65th IKAR congress was held on the Island of Brač, Croatia 16th to 19th October The MRCofS was represented at the congress by four ordinary members of Scottish mountain rescue teams. This report is an account of the meetings of the congress and the individual commissions. Ken Marsden, Iain Cornfoot, Jim Sutherland, Ken Weatherstone Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland Document History Ver Date Amendment 10/11/13 Issued Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 2 of 29

3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction Technical Commissions MRCofS Delegation Pre-Conference Workshop - Interface Between Helicopters and Terrestrial Rescue - Ken Marsden Avalanche Commission Ken Marsden Country Reports Europe Scotland North America Airbags Recommendation to People Who Travel, Recreate or Work in Mountainous Areas Risk Management Technical Developments Avalanche Transceivers Airbags Digging Smart Phone Applications Summary and Conclusions Dog Handler Meet Ken Weatherstone Dog Commission Country Reports Sweden Norway Switzerland Croatia Lake District Scotland Croatia Wales Dog Commission Workshop Summary Terrestrial Rescue Commission Jim Sutherland Workshop Introductory Session Led By Gebhard Barbisch Petzl Hoist Interface Device, Le Lizard by Adrian of Petzl & J-B Estachy GSM Recommendation For Joining Conventional Kernmantle Static Ropes For Rescue Airplane Crash in Sweden Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 3 of 29

4 5.6 Cave Rescues in Kita Gacesina Swift Water and Flood Rescue Test von Seilen (Austrian Research into Dyneema Versus Polymid Slings.) Mountain Rescuer Training in Sweden Night Vision Goggles Alpify Outdoor Security Tracking System Workshop on Smartphone Interference with Avalanche Transceivers Summary Air Rescue Commission Iain Cornfoot Manufacture Presentations Switzerland Air Commission President Patrick Fauchere- Entanglement Norway USA France-Securite Civile Austria Summary Medical Commission Ken Marsden Analgesia in Mountain Rescue Avalanche Triage Form Summary References and Bibliography Appendix A - Future Congress Appendix B - Conference Programme Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 4 of 29

5 1 Introduction IKAR-CISA is the International Commission for Alpine Rescue, ICAR. The commission membership is made up from approximately 65 organisations from over 30 countries around the world. The commission is heavily dominated by the main European alpine countries in terms of membership and governance. Over 300 delegates attended this year s congress. The commission is governed by a board made up of the presidents of the four technical commissions within ICAR, elected assessors from the ICAR membership and is headed by an elected president. ICAR functions as a fully constituted, democratic, transparent and neutral organisation. The key principles of ICAR are as follows: Focus must always be on the patient IKAR lays down the basic principles for global mountain rescue Mountain rescuers must be protected against overregulation IKAR improves mountain rescue outcomes by exchanges of experiences and by recommendations The working language of the commission is English with all documents also translated into French and German. During the congress meetings, all presentations are translated to/from English, French and German. The IKAR-CISA website is here. The 65 th annual congress was held at a coastal hotel with full conference facilities at Bol on the island of Brač, Croatia. The overall theme of this year s congress was how better to protect mountain rescuers by minimising the duration of rescue operations and learning the lessons of the many accidents that unfortunately occur. This report highlights the aspects of the conference that were of greatest interest to the individual delegates and of importance to Scottish mountain rescue. For further information on any particular topic please contact one of the individual delegates listed in Table Technical Commissions ICAR is comprised of four individual technical commissions as follows Avalanche Terrestrial Air Medical In addition to the four technical commissions there was a dog handler meeting. Delegates from dog handler meeting attended technical commission meetings and their own separate meetings and exercises MRCofS Delegation The MRCofS was represented in the technical commissions as follows Table 1-1. IKAR-CISA 2013 MRCofS Technical Commission Representatives Technical Commission MRCofS Delegate Rescue Team Contact Avalanche Ken Marsden Glencoe kenmarsden@btinternet.com Terrestrial Jim Sutherland Torridon jimandrach@mac.com Air Iain Cornfoot Cairngorm iaincornfoot@hotmail.com Medical No delegate Dog Handler Meeting Ken Weatherstone Arrochar & SARDA Scotland kenweatherstone@gmail.com Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 5 of 29

6 The technical commissions meet in separate sessions at the beginning of the congress. Technical commission meetings comprise presentations of the latest rescue operations, lessons learnt, new equipment and rescue techniques. The results of these discussions can result in the production of specific IKAR recommendations, e.g. use of avalanche transceivers, knots in ropes, medical guidelines etc. The avalanche and terrestrial commissions also meet jointly as there is much in common between the two. The final day of the congress is a joint meeting of all commissions with presentations and a final congress annual general meeting. The full programme for the 2013 congress can be found in 0. Another subgroup within ICAR is the Prevention Working Group. This group is looking at ways to educate the public about matters regarding mountain safety. Its meetings were not attended by an MRCofS delegate. 2 Pre-Conference Workshop - Interface Between Helicopters and Terrestrial Rescue - Ken Marsden The pre-conference workshop was held at a mountain location above Bol on Wednesday 16 th October. Unfortunately the weather was more Scottish than Mediterranean with heavy rain and thick mist during the morning session. A number of demonstrations tried to show how to evacuate a belayed casualty from a steep cliff using various rope techniques to simulate helicopter evacuation. For the afternoon session the weather cleared and the demonstrations could be completed using helicopters. Three displays showed how to recover a casualty from a belay. The helicopter brings in the rescuer who attaches themselves to the casualty or belay. The rescuer releases form the winch wire. The rescuer then prepares the victim and belay ready for recovery. The helicopter returns with the winch wire and attachment slings. Rescuer and casualty are attached to the winch wire, helicopter and belay. Once tension is put on the winch wire the rescuer releases the belay from the harness karabiner by one of three methods: A mechanical release device Tied off Italian hitch, untied and then released from the harness loop karabiner The belay rope is cut by a knife when it goes slack The overall impression is that this is very impressive flying but a high risk manoeuvre. There is a period when both helicopter and humans are attached to the mountain. However, it is recognised that in big wall mountain terrain this may be the only practical method of rescue. The alternative could be lowering a casualty many thousands of feet to an area suitable for uplift. Another display demonstrated rescuers being carried to a steep slope as human external cargo (HEC) on a very long winch wire with rope extension. Rescuers and casualties were then recovered as a group and transported as HEC to a safe landing site. There have of course been numerous accidents, some tragic, over the years. Thankfully the nature of Scottish mountain rescue is such that none of these practices is necessary. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 6 of 29

7 Figure 2-1. Air Rescue Technique, Human External Cargo (HEC). Photo: Iain Cornfoot, Oct Avalanche Commission Ken Marsden President Vice President Secretary & Translation Dominique Létang (France) Dale Atkins (USA) Manuel Genswein (Switzerland) The Avalanche Commission meeting was made up in two parts. The morning session starts with a minutes silence and then continues with administrative matters and the approval of the minutes of the Avalanche Commission meeting in Krynica October Country reports then follow. The afternoon session comprises more detailed presentations and discussions on specific topics 3.1 Country Reports Representatives present data regarding the number of avalanches, victims and fatalities for the year. Further explanation may be offered regarding snow conditions for the season, impact of education and information campaigns. Worrying trends are identified backed up by data Europe European avalanche incidents tend to occur in the high mountains above the tree line. Generally for the main alpine countries the fatality rates are roughly in line with the long term averages France: 36 deaths, 10 year average 31 Italy: 28 death, annual average 13 Switzerland 22 deaths, in line with average Austria Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 7 of 29

8 # Fatalities IKAR dead, in line with long term average Slovakia 6 dead Many reporters further split down the figures into numbers of ski tourers, off piste skiers, mountaineers and snow shoers. A number of incidents, some tragic, involve under 18 s Italy One 15 year old Two 11 year olds crossing a couloir, I killed Two 11 year olds playing in snow, partial burial, critical injury Czech Republic Two children playing in village, one buried and killed Scotland The figures presented for Scotland were as follows: 18 human triggered avalanches recorded callouts by Scottish rescue teams 4/18 avalanches involved one or more full burial 3/18 avalanches proved fatal 8/15 winter mountaineering deaths were by avalanche Fatalities Linear (Fatalities) Year Figure 3-1. Scottish Avalanche Fatalities 1980 to 2013 Countries with dedicated avalanche institutes, notably ANENA of France and SLF of Switzerland produce very comprehensive reports. The question was asked in private about how sure they are regarding burial depths, time and sizes of avalanches. The honest answer is much of it is best guess. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 8 of 29

9 A worrying trend highlighted around the world is the number of avalanche victims who do not carry the basics, transceiver, shovel and probe or RECCO clothing strips. In particular off piste skiers close to the resort and snow shoers. Data is being gathered demonstrating the increased burial times for victims without electronic means of detection and the consequent increased fatality rate. It is noted that none of the victims of avalanche in Scotland in 2013 were located by electronic means. Also of concern is the number of avalanche victims engaged in mountaineering activities without transceiver, shovel and probe or RECCO during the summer months in snowy terrain. Forecasting is based on the calendar not the conditions. Another concern highlighted was the number of avalanche victims caught when the avalanche hazard was moderate or considerable. For example Switzerland: Low 0% Moderate 46% Considerable 43% High 11% Very High 0% This fits in with the experience in Scotland this winter where all avalanche fatalities occurred when the hazard forecast was moderate or considerable. It was noted that there is a continuing need to educate people regarding the meanings of the avalanche scale. This is especially relevant in Scotland where the avalanche forecasts are continuously referred to as avalanche warnings on TV, radio and in the press. Sheer weight of numbers of multiple ski touring parties on the same route at the same time is leading to a rise in the number of multiple burials North America More off piste and back country skiing in the USA and Canada takes place in the tree line. Hence many avalanche victims suffer trauma as a result of striking trees. Also recreational use of snow mobiles allows rapid access to remote areas. USA 24 dead, long term average 32 Canada Included an 18 and a 13 year old 45% of victims not buried but hit trees 5 dead, long term average 13 Again in the USA it was highlighted the numbers not carrying an avalanche transceiver, sometimes a deliberate decision Group of 13, one transceiver Group of 15, one transceiver The GPS information recovered from one victim recorded a top speed of 97km/h Airbags A number of reporters commented on the successes and failures of airbags Italy USA Canada One airbag ripped from skiers back Problem deploying airbag due to extra-large mitts worn on a very cold day One tree trauma death One failed to deploy death Skier buried in tree well, airbag deployed but crotch strap not engaged, skier asphyxiated as the airbag rose up Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 9 of 29

10 3.2 Recommendation to People Who Travel, Recreate or Work in Mountainous Areas As noted above a worrying number of people still do not carry the correct equipment in winter. It was also highlighted that lack of electronic signalling equipment hampers rescue efforts during the summer months e.g. the Mont Maudit avalanche in July The Avalanche Commission discussed at great length the wording of a recommendation on the use of electronic signalling devices e.g. transceiver, mobile phone apps, RECCO strips as an aid to victim location. The recommendation has two broad aims 1. To reduce the time to locate a casualty 2. To reduce the time rescuers are exposed to hazardous situations The final recommendation is yet to be agreed but it was an interesting process to be involved with. The message needs to have the same meaning in English, French and German. 3.3 Risk Management In line with the overall theme of the congress a presentation was delivered regarding the application of ISO Risk Management standard to a snowboarding event in Canada. While the topic is somewhat dry it does demonstrate that the use of well-established international standards can reduce the safety and commercial risks to an event and increase the likelihood of success. A balance between threats and opportunities rather than risk vs. rewards. The Highlands and Islands Strategic Co-ordinating Group (HSIG) reports on the Chalamain Gap and Bidean avalanche incidents were offered to the speaker. He was impressed that these debrief reports broadly followed the principles of ISO Some discussions also raised the difference between accidents and incidents Accident Incident an event that happens by chance or that is without apparent or deliberate cause liable to happen because of; resulting from A recognition that victims trigger avalanches due to a number of human failures. A comparison was made between the police reporting of road traffic incidents rather than accidents in many countries. A number of other speakers in the joint sessions presented case studies of accidents (incidents) involving rescuers, the procedures and processes in place to report and investigate. As in the wider world there is a great reluctance to admit to mistakes for fear of action against the individual or organisation. There is still a long way to go to move from a culture of blame to an error and risk management culture that can reveal hidden weaknesses and hence prevention. 90% of accidents (incidents) are due to human error. Two useful quotes: A debriefing is not a discussion around a beer The essential is always threatened by the insignificant 3.4 Technical Developments A benefit of attending the congress is to see the latest equipment on offer and talk to the manufacturers face to face. No real new developments in avalanche transceivers this year. Pieps and Black Diamond have joined forces to bring out the Jetforce airbag. Smart phone applications continue to proliferate Avalanche Transceivers Back Country Access (BCA) have brought out the Tracker3. This is a smaller lighter version of the triple antenna Tracker2 but with added multi burial marking functions. The BCA Trackers use two crossed antennas rather than two perpendicular favoured by other manufacturers. Using crossed antennas provides equal receive sensitivity in all directions rather than the elliptical pattern of other transceivers. Pieps have got round this problem by using x and y antennas of equal sensitivity in their latest generation of the DSP transceivers. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 10 of 29

11 Pieps have modified the slide switch of the new DSP transceivers, it is more robust and does not project beyond the body of the receiver so less prone to damage. The Pieps Vector transceiver has been withdrawn from the market due to display screen problems. The marking functions for the Tracker3 are not as sophisticated as the Mammut Pulse Barryvox or the Ortovox S3. The argument put forward by BCA is that sooner or later you have to dig for victims and turn off their transceivers. The problem is signal overlap (Christie, 2011). The best practiced searchers have a number of search techniques to choose from and adopt the method most appropriate to the search. An incident was reported from Canada of a snowmobiler being avalanched. The transceiver malfunctioned due to battery terminal corrosion. A tragic example of why it is necessary for rescue teams to manage and maintain their transceiver stock carefully Airbags Black Diamond have introduce the Jetforce airbag system. Pieps have supplied the electronics. Instead of using compressed gas, the Jetforce uses a rechargeable lithium ion battery powered pump to draw air from the surroundings to inflate the bag. The pump spins at rpm The bag remains inflated for three minutes before deflating. This is controlled by a central processor unit, a simple computer. There are a number of advantages of this idea The bag can inflate more than once from a fully charged battery No gas cylinder, bag use be practiced with at no cost The bag auto deflates so creating a 200 litre air pocket for a buried victim As with everything there are down sides This is very new, there will inevitably be unforeseen problems The pump has a number of moving parts, there is a trade-off between robustness, functionality and weight There is no recommendation for manufacturer inspection and servicing, this has been brought to their attention Digging The ABCs (and D) of Digging (Edgerly, 2010) A = Airway, remember to protect whatever air pocket a victim may have B = Burial Depth which defines the excavation area, typically extending downhill 1.5 times the depth C = Clear snow to the sides, depending on the digging method used D = Dig only once If the approach to digging and casualty follow the same ABCD idea then it keeps the priorities in the correct order. Your delegate likes this Smart Phone Applications Serious applications for the tracking or location of casualties continue to be developed. Applications are always introduced with some tragic story to emphasise the point that had the victim had the app, they would still be alive today. Apps obviously cost money to develop and manage. There are two business models: The user downloads the app for free, the authorities (state, police, rescue service) pay for the web interface The user pays per day/week/year to download the app, the system is centrally managed by the provider who alerts the appropriate authorities There are obvious concerns regarding tracking, privacy and data protection Alpify from Andorra demonstrated a free app download system. Tracking can be turned on or off and there is a red alert button on the phone screen in case of emergency. Positioning is by GPS. The system has to be set up in a particular area e.g. resort or entire country. The data is gathered and Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 11 of 29

12 managed by the authority that pays the fees. The more users on the system, the greater the area, the more it costs. The issue of data protection was raised. This system complies with very strict Spanish law. It is hoped to conduct a small trial in Glencoe. Other systems were reported in last year s IKAR report. 3.5 Summary and Conclusions A number of initiatives are under way to gather data regarding burial times with or without electronic detection means. The aim is produce a suitable recommendation to remind recreationists and workers to carry and know how to use the equipment. The hoped for reduction in rescue and recovery times will benefit both casualties and rescuers. What impact this will have in Scotland remains to be seen. Many countries especially where mountain rescue is professional are looking at safety and risk management more closely. Many of the management methods and language used will be familiar to anyone who works in industry. The shift away from a blame culture is proving hard for all, especially as much health and safety is enforced by strict legislation. It is essential for the good of casualties and rescuers that Mountain rescuers must be protected against overregulation. Rescue organisations must therefore be seen to be managing their risks in line with current best practice. Transceiver manufacturers continue to use clever marketing to sell their products although there were no significant technological advances on display this year. A clear understanding of the underlying principles of transceivers is the best way to get past the hype. And it cannot be stressed enough, whatever you buy, practice, practice and practice. Of that all are agreed. Apps continue to spawn. One concern raised is that a foreigner in Scotland could raise an alarm on a system used in their native country, Scotland fails to receive and respond to the alarm in a prompt manner and is then criticised for being ignorant of one of the many competing systems in use. Use of these apps extends far beyond the mountains. Perhaps there is a case for Europe to adopt a common standard. Airbags continue to excite, especially with the new inflation technology developed by Black Diamond and Pieps. Hopefully this will spur further development to make cheaper, lighter better airbags. However, there are numerous incidents where airbag users have been killed in avalanches. There is ample evidence that airbag use changes behaviour. A troubling comment from a rescuer involved in the Loch Eanaich incident this winter If I had an avalanche airbag I would have worn it. Perhaps they should ve turned round and gone home! It should never be forgotten that the best way to survive an avalanche is not to be in one. 4 Dog Handler Meet Ken Weatherstone The Dog Commission business was carried out over a one day workshop with the Croatian search dogs and a sub commission meeting over an afternoon. Delegates were free to join other commission sessions out with these times. As the Dog Commission is a sub group of the Avalanche Commission I attended talks and meetings of that group when not engaged on Dog Commission business. 4.1 Dog Commission Country Reports Sweden There are very few Swedish victims of avalanche within Sweden. Most Swedish citizen fatalities occur when they are in other areas of Europe such as the Alps. A presentation showing the work of the Swedish search dogs after an aircraft crash was shown. This search was carried out in unbelievably steep conditions and with the added distraction of tons of aircraft fuel contaminating the slopes. The aircraft was a Hercules C130 and hit the mountain just below the ridge line triggering a large avalanche which swept both aircraft wreckage and remains down over 1km length. To recover the remains required the search dogs and their handlers to be roped and work in very difficult conditions. Although there were no survivors the work done allowed remains to be recovered. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 12 of 29

13 Figure 4-1. Swedish Hercules C130 Crash Site Norway The Norwegian delegate reported on the activities of their search dogs. They had over 400 call outs in 2012 with 270 active dog teams. He also reported a large rise in suicide attempts in remote areas but also that over 90% of such cases were found within 50 metres of a road. The dogs have GPS and their tracks downloaded after a search Switzerland The Swiss delegate reported that they had a good number of dog teams available and that the majority of their work was on avalanche where the dogs had made many finds. It was also noted that most of the fatalities were not wearing either a transceiver or RECCO patches and by the time the rescue teams and dogs arrived the casualties had been buried at least 30 minutes. The equipment to locate using RECCO or transceivers was usually available quicker Croatia The Croatian hosts gave a short presentation as most of their work had been covered in the practical workshop. They showed a film of their first ever avalanche search which was for a fellow mountain rescue team member and occurred just over the border in Bosnia. The fast party that was flown in had to land before the border waiting clearance to enter Bosnia which resulted in a delay in getting search teams onto the site. They had over 270 Croatian and Bosnian rescuers involved and it took a long time to establish order. The casualty was eventually located by one of the dogs but had unfortunately perished. His companions had not been buried and although injured had survived Lake District The delegate from Lake District gave a presentation on the operational area and also on a few individual call outs to show the type of conditions their dogs worked in Scotland I presented a short power point on how dogs are worked in Scotland showing the terrain and type of dogs used. It included how we deploy from a helicopter with the dogs as this is not usual throughout Europe although Sweden do use Sea Kings and winch the dog and handler. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 13 of 29

14 4.1.7 Croatia We were shown a video of how Croatia used their dogs to search river banks. They are not trained to search for casualties under water but use boats to work on rivers and search the banks as they pass. They will also drop the dog on the downwind bank and it will work along the bank in line with the handler in a boat. The upwind bank is searched with the dog in the boat Wales David Jones from the International Rescue Training Centre gave a presentation on his companies training of dogs to detect casualties in and under water. 700 people drown in the UK every year and this company train search dogs for various organisations such as the fire service. They also train other types of search dogs such as cadaver dogs. 4.2 Dog Commission Workshop Figure 4-2. Dog Commission Workshop. Photo: Ken Weatherstone, Oct 2013 On the Wednesday pre conference workshop the Croatian search dog teams demonstrated how they start to train their dogs for search. Their philosophy is very different to the methods used in the UK and other parts of Europe in that the reward is from the casualty before the handler reaches the location which to us seems a bit strange. They spend a lot of time on distractions and getting the dog to remain focussed on the casualty which is worth our own dogs considering as not all conscious casualties will co-operate when found by a dog and may either run off or try and harm the dog. They then went on to demonstrate their cadaver search dogs which are rather surprisingly trained using decomposed human flesh obtained with government approval from hospitals. In the UK decomposed pig flesh is used as it is almost identical to human flesh. 4.3 Summary From the dog handlers point of view the conference was of great benefit. The conclusion I have about where we are regarding the standards of Scottish search dogs is we are very similar to how the Scandinavian countries operate and I am happy our dog teams are at least as good as the major alpine countries. This does not mean we can be complacent and I have been invited to a non IKAR dog workshop in Austria in spring 2014 which will be all the European countries with their dogs working on Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 14 of 29

15 avalanche search. A requirement of attendance will be you must bring your dog so I will investigate the quarantine rules to see if a couple of Scottish handlers can attend. It is also noted that IKAR 2014 in Lake Tahoe will now have a dog commission workshop as this is a chance to see how the Americans train and work their dogs. It is possible that around 50 dog teams from America will attend. 5 Terrestrial Rescue Commission Jim Sutherland 5.1 Workshop I have nothing to add to Ken s description of the workshops other than reinforcing that in Scottish mountain rescue the objective in almost all high-angle cliff cases is to locate, stabilise, extract, package & evacuate by helicopter from a suitable location. (Ken, Ian and I discussed that we may, on some occasions tie off a stretcher with an Italian hitch prior to it being uplifted. Perhaps at the snow apron I think?) 5.2 Introductory Session Led By Gebhard Barbisch A minute s silence for fallen and injured comrades. Last minutes were approved. 5.3 Petzl Hoist Interface Device, Le Lizard by Adrian of Petzl & J-B Estachy GSM This device was demonstrated in one of the workshops. The device is designed for high-angle pick offs. Figure 5-1. Le Lizard in use. Photo: Jim Sutherland, Oct 2013 Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 15 of 29

16 Presentation by Adrian of Petzl Figure 5-2. Le Lizard. Photo s: Jim Sutherland, Oct 2013 Release Mech of Le Lizard The hoist is connected to the top of the device. At the bottom of the device two short lanyards with karabiners provide a connection point for a rescuer and a stretcher or the victim to be picked off. Towards the end of the helicopter lower the rescuer connects to an anchor with the tail and is lowered down until the tail is weighted. At this point the hoist can be removed. The rescuer then prepares the victim/stretcher prior to re-connecting to the hoist upon return of helicopter. As soon as 20kg of load comes onto the tail it releases from the device and the rescuer/victim package continues to be hoisted. I was told by Adrian that Le Lizard will cost somewhere in the region of 900 euros. 5.4 Recommendation For Joining Conventional Kernmantle Static Ropes For Rescue. In line with EN 1891 the recommended method remains a figure of eight follow-through knot or double fisherman knot, this was presented by Kirk Mauthner, vice-president of the Terrestrial Commission. No objections. 5.5 Airplane Crash in Sweden. Kebnekaise, Sweden retrieval of victims and casualties from a C-130 air crash. This operation had to take place during a 6-week period spread over spring and autumn due to danger of rock and ice fall during summer. The aircraft had crashed into the ridge between the north and south summit of the mountain, the crew all perished and approximately 8 tonnes of fuel was distributed across the crash zone. The crash zone, approximately 1km long and ridgeline above it were taped off for a search with dogs, which typically lasted 8 hours a day. The steep terrain was challenging for them and they were unable to signal a find in their usual seated position. Swedish Police Disaster Victim Identification team were on site to work. Aircraft wreckage was transferred to a hanger in Kiruna where re-assembly took place as part of the investigation. 5.6 Cave Rescues in Kita Gacesina Different operating systems used by Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (CMRS) were described as a cave system is negotiated. Time lines were also shown, there is no golden hour, rescues can take up to and beyond 30, or 40 hours in some cases. 12mm bolts are routinely used for anchors and belays. SMS is being tested to provide communications through cave networks. Training of team members, setting up a database and testing of systems have been provided from a 500,000-euro budget. 5.7 Swift Water and Flood Rescue CMRS is responsible wherever non-urban incidents occur which requires specialist techniques and personnel. Tourism is on the increase and in particular rafting. In 2001 there was a tragedy, which was the catalyst for developing techniques and training. Rescue3 International was used to provide training in England and Wales. Twelve years on CMRS was voted Best Independent Provider for swift water and flood rescue. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 16 of 29

17 5.8 Test von Seilen (Austrian Research into Dyneema Versus Polymid Slings.) This was very relevant and interesting but the presentation suffered from unclear translation and there was not always being direct comparison between the different materials tested. Dyneema has a 140 degree C melting point compared to 280 degree C melting point of polymid. Polymid was also found to have 10% more elasticity. An 80kg. load was tested which of course is not appropriate as we are concerned with a 200kg. rescue load as described in EN Mountain Rescuer Training in Sweden. Some 400 rescuers in 27 units with search dogs and 2 alpine units in Are & Kiruna. Volunteers are paid and equipped by Swedish Police. A record of individual personal competence has to be maintained by Ground Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams. This covers competencies in navigation; avalanche transceiver use; snow craft, radio and emergency first aid. Distances to rescues, darkness and cold were described as being the main issues that rescuers have to deal with. Interestingly transceivers were worn all the time to assist in locating lost companions in poor conditions. There are plans to create a national HQ in Ostersund. (I was also made aware that Norwegian alpine rescue teams also have to keep a record of all training and team members can be stood down if not deemed to be current.) 5.10 Night Vision Goggles Pascal Strapazzon & Stephane Marcellin of GSM, France gave a presentation on the use of NVG by mountain rescuers in Annecy & Chamonix. Powered by an alkaline battery the system weighs 845g and has a battery life of hours, or 5-10 hours in cold conditions; a pair cost 15,000 euros. They are vulnerable to damage, or entanglement by a hoist cable if worn on helmet using a special harness. This also means that conventional head torch is not available on helmet. Most rescuers prefer to deploy them by hand, which does of course only leave one hand free to use when NVGs are being used. A very useful tool, which on average is used times a year. Difficulties are that shapes are flattened, there is not the same peripheral vision and there is only 40 degrees field of vision. Lights on ground can of course blind pilots if they are using NVG. If rescuers switch between conventional lighting and NVG there can be trouble adjusting each time. Vital to train with NVGs to minimise these problems but in summary it was stated that NVGs should remain an exception especially when long lining or on night flights Alpify Outdoor Security Tracking System Developed by a team from Andorra in association with inspirit, Barcelona. This is an Android and ios (Apple) based app for smartphones. The history was a skier lost for 13 hours and a hiker lost, then found 8 months later might have been saved if an app like this had been available? The app is downloaded to the user smartphone and is activated once an activity, e.g. skiing begins. Users can be monitored on a management panel by for example a ski area manager. Location and identity are always known so if a user has to raise an alarm all that is required from them is What is wrong. Emergency services can also inform Alpify users with any important information such as ski area closing update weather forecast or increased avalanche risk. Messages can be pre-loaded in different languages depending upon the user registration details. When a user moves from one Alpify area to another, or indeed another country the new emergency phone numbers are displayed. The app updates every 2 minutes to reduce battery draining, the app uses 7% of battery power when in use. A variety of location methods are used, e.g. GPS or Wi-Fi, or any other available sources Workshop on Smartphone Interference with Avalanche Transceivers Michi Rust of Pieps delivered a practical workshop to demonstrate that if an avalanche transceiver is near to a smartphone the signal detection range can be reduced by as much as 30%. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 17 of 29

18 5.13 Summary From the terrestrial point of view the conference was extremely useful. In summary I believe that Scottish Mountain Rescue is well-placed using personnel, techniques and strategies that are appropriate to the incidents that we are called to. Scottish Mountain Rescue should continue to have an open mind to what our colleagues from around the world and in particular, Scandinavia does. Emerging technologies such as smart phone apps can only become more and more common with recreational users in the UK. Therefore it is important that Scottish Mountain Rescue is aware of them and their limitations. Finally, it should also be noted that in addition to the lectures and workshops at IKAR 2013 a lot could also be learned and shared during shorter, informal discussions with other delegates throughout the four days. 6 Air Rescue Commission Iain Cornfoot With the main theme of the IKAR conference being the interface between helicopters and the rescuer there was huge amount of information on the subject during the proceedings of the Air Commission most of which has been covered in other commission reports. The Air Commission was held in English and minutes were taken by the American delegates. The first day of the Air Commission covered incidents and accidents in the member nations, most of these incidents and accidents were due to poor communication or human factors. There was a great environment within the commission for member countries to be able to discus and learn from each other. Air Zermatt Bell 429 hoisting Croatian MI8 Human External Cargo demonstration Figure 6-1. Pre Conference Workshop. Photo s: Iain Cornfoot, Oct 2013 A short clip of the Bell 429 Hoisting at the pre-conference workshop Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 18 of 29

19 6.1 Manufacture Presentations There were two presentations from helicopter manufactures Bell and Eurocopter. Eurocopter gave a presentation on the 135 T3/P3 which is the newest variant on the 135. The 135 has amassed over 2,500,000 flying hours since 1996 and is used predominately in EMS and public service roles. The T3/P3 will be on the on the market in late 2014 and will benefit from extra lift due to a new main rotor. Bell presented their state of the art 429 aircraft which has multi role capability, this is currently being used by Air Zermatt amongst others as a search and rescue and EMS platform. Both manufactures brought these aircraft to the conference and were available for the pilots to trial. This shows a huge commitment on their part to Mountain Rescue and shows that the IKAR Air Commission is a renowned organisation in mountain aviation. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 19 of 29

20 6.1.1 Switzerland A number of incidents were highlighted involving clutches within hoist/winch gearboxes, this is an extract from a Eurocopter safety bulletin. During a maintenance check flight on a MBB-BK117 C-2 a dummy load of 250 kg was picked up in hover in order to conduct a maximum load cycle on the rescue hoist. After a slight climb, the rescue hoist cable was reeled out and briefly stopped by the winch operator. Until this step the test proceeded as expected. In the following, the cable continued to reel-out without further command of the winch operator and the dummy load impacted the ground. First investigation of the rescue hoist at the operator facility indicates a mechanical malfunction of the overload clutch within the hoist gearbox. This first assessment needs to be confirmed and further investigated at the hoist manufacturer to determine the root cause. This overload clutch design is used on all Goodrich US hoists (P/N 44301xx, P/N 42325xx, P/N 44318xx). Up to now no such behaviour or malfunction of this assembly was reported from the fleet ever since introduction into service in Taking this fleet experience into account, the event is unique to Goodrich and EUROCOPTER, but is closely monitored and followed in cooperation with EASA and FAA Air Commission President Patrick Fauchere- Entanglement There continues to be a number of accidents related to entanglements during hoisting operations, although we do not use a number of these techniques in Scotland there are still learning points from this presentation: Incidents: 16 HEC / HHO incidents or accidents (1992-) 8 fatalities / 5 rescuers injured 11 cases during missions and 5 during exercices Good practice: Communication is paramount If possible take care not to have too many persons at the belay If possible separate belay for rescuer and patient If possible use another strop colour for the belay of the rescuer and the patient Always have a cutting device ready There was also an incident involving abseiling from a helicopter using a Petzl ID device. Whilst descending a rope from a helicopter during a training exercise a rescuer and doctor fell to the ground after the device failed to stop their decent. No mechanical issues could be found with the device and it was suggested that a knot such as a Italian Hitch maybe used to provide extra friction in this situation Norway A Norwegian delegate showed damage to a Sea-King and AW139 hoist wires due to the hoist not being parked correctly during flight, the hoist spring was not compress which allowed the hook and hoist wire to rotate and damage the wire. A Sea-King had a hard landing due to a high rate of decent and poor visual reference in snow. The Norwegians also discussed a study being undertaken into helicopter downwash as part of a procurement process. This study has been commissioned at large expense and at this time cannot be made public. There does sound like there are some very interesting findings from this study and these may aid Scottish MR in the future if information can be made available. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 20 of 29

21 Figure 6-2. Photos from Norway s IKAR presentation of Sea-King and AW139 damaged hoist cables USA There were a number of accidents presented by the American delegate. Again some of these were near misses due to human factors and poor communication. There were several videos shown which were filmed in the rear of the aircraft where the rear crew had not attached themselves to retaining straps and were engaged in door open hoist operations. A very tragic incident was presented where a rescuer lost his life during hoisting operations to rescue an injured hiker, there was found to be no abnormalities with the hoist, hook or harness. The incident may have occurred due to karabiner roll over. The American delegate also presented an accident from Australia. During a double strop hoist operation to rescue a casualty with an injured ankle, the casualty became unconscious and slipped out of the strop, this resulted in a 100ft fall. The paramedic was lowered back down but attempts to resuscitate the hiker were unsuccessful France-Securite Civile The French delegation gave a presentation on a new call centre in the Haute Savoie region. This centre uses a new computer system called START to process emergency calls and is the first centre of its kind in France where emergency services have shared platform. The centre is purpose built around putting the victim at the centre of the plan of action. It is run by the equivalent of the fire service but takes medical, mountain rescue and fire emergency calls. The call centre always has at least one mountain rescuer on shift, they will give advice and initiate mountain rescues. Having the MR personnel in the call centre sees that the correct information is asked from the victim/casualty and the most appropriate intervention can be initiated. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 21 of 29

22 Figure 6-3. Photo from Securite Civile IKAR presentation of their call centre, Haute Savoie, France Austria There were several accidents involving emergency helicopters in Austria during the summer resulting in a number of aircraft becoming unserviceable at the same time. An engine failure occurred in a EC135 T1 during a primary mission, the engine was shut down and the aircraft returned to its base on uneventful flight. During investigations it was found that gearing within the fuel pump had become worn out resulting in the engine failure without any notice. A similar HEMS aircraft suffered a blade strike whilst being repositioned on a small track during a rescue. The pilot was being guided by the HEMS crew member who did not see a rock on a bank uphill of the rotors. The aircraft was shut down without any further incident. Investigations are on-going after a bullet hole was found in a main rotor blade after a routine mission, the damaged was noticed during post flight checks. 6.2 Summary An incident at Ben Nevis last winter was on the agenda at the Air Commission this year. Rightly so, due to on-going investigations, this was not discussed and the commission looks forward to having the opportunity to learn from any points which may come from investigations. Although most helicopter operations in IKAR member countries differ from the Scottish Mountain Rescue setting, there is still a large crossover of best practice and learning from incidents and accidents discussed at the commissions. Most countries search and rescue helicopters are provided by private operators on behalf of government organisations, these operators mostly favour small to medium size helicopters due to costs and high altitude performance. There are still unfortunately many incidents and accidents during mountain rescue helicopter operations in member countries, most of these are due to poor communication and human factors. These issues may even be more prevalent in all aspects for Scottish MR especially due to weather conditions and time pressures surrounding the weather and SAR helicopters. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 22 of 29

23 Figure 6-4. Croatian MI8 used for SAR operations. Photo: Iain Cornfoot, Oct Medical Commission Ken Marsden Although no MRCofS delegate attended the Medical Commission, there were two significant presentations of direct relevance to Scottish mountain rescue. These presentations were made during the joint meeting of the whole congress. The author of this section is not a doctor. 7.1 Analgesia in Mountain Rescue This presentation highlighted the issue of managing moderate to severe pain. It recognised that there are many cases where inappropriate on insufficient analgesia is administered. A new recommendation is in progress.. This will recommend training, number and type of drugs including a strong opioid. It also emphasises that confidence and reassurance have a role to play in pain relief Drugs alone are not enough 7.2 Avalanche Triage Form Recommendation REC M 0031 of the Commission for Mountain Emergency Medicine of May 2013 about Resuscitation of avalanche victims can be found here. One development is a triage form which displays the avalanche management algorithm. The treatment and other vital information e.g. burial time, core temperature are recorded on the form by the rescuer. The form remains attached to the casualty. The rescuer has clear guidelines regarding casualty management. The receiving hospital has an accurate written record of the casualties management from the point of extraction. It is hoped that the triage forms will be available to Scottish mountain rescue this winter. 8 Summary This year s ICAR congress was a well-attended international event. Scottish mountain rescue sent a strong delegation of four ordinary mountain rescue team members. Each delegate report contains a Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 23 of 29

24 number of positive points, ideas and recommendations. Each delegate made useful connections with individuals and organisations from around the world. The real value of attending the annual congress is what each delegate takes to the congress and brings back to Scotland. This two way dialogue makes a positive contribution to mountain rescue at home and around the world. References and Bibliography Christie, S. (2011, OCTOBER). Having Problems in Multiple Burial Searches? SIGNAL OVERLAP EXPLAINED. THE AVALANCHE REVIEW, 30(1), Edgerly, B. (2010). The ABCs (and D) OF DIGGING. THE AVALANCHE REVIEW, 29(2), 11. Copyright MRCofS, 2013 UNCONTROLLED COPY ONCE PRINTED Page 24 of 29