SRT Rope Systems and Throw Bags 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a 'live bait' rope rescue technique?
- Anchor the rescuer to shore while they enter the current
- Allow a swimmer to be tethered and ferried across the current (Correct answer)
- Retrieve submerged objects from the river bottom
- Create a rope ferry between two fixed points
Correct answer: Allow a swimmer to be tethered and ferried across the current
The live bait technique tethers a swimming rescuer to a shore-based rope team, allowing the rescuer to enter the current, reach the victim, and be safely pendulum-swung back to shore.
Question 2: In a swiftwater rope system, what is a 'downstream V' used for?
- Marking hazardous underwater features
- Directing rescuers toward the safest current path
- Positioning a rope to intercept and guide floating victims (Correct answer)
- Anchoring a tag line across the river
Correct answer: Positioning a rope to intercept and guide floating victims
A downstream V rope configuration, set across the current at an angle, funnels a victim or swimmer toward a recovery point on shore.
Question 3: When setting a rope across a river as a tag line, the rope should be rigged:
- Perpendicular and taught at water surface level
- Angled downstream and sagging slightly above the water (Correct answer)
- As high as possible above the water surface
- Directly upstream of the hazard, perpendicular to flow
Correct answer: Angled downstream and sagging slightly above the water
A slight downstream angle and sag prevents the rope from catching on obstacles and reduces the risk of rope entrapment for the victim or rescuers.
Question 4: What rope material is most commonly used for swiftwater rescue throw bags due to its buoyancy and low water absorption?
- Nylon
- Polypropylene (Correct answer)
- Polyester
- Kernmantle
Correct answer: Polypropylene
Polypropylene floats on water and absorbs very little moisture, making it ideal for swiftwater applications where the rope must remain on the surface.
Question 5: After a successful throw bag rescue, the rope should be inspected for:
- Color fading only
- Core damage, cuts, abrasion, and knots (Correct answer)
- Proper coil formation only
- Length reduction from stretching
Correct answer: Core damage, cuts, abrasion, and knots
Core damage, cuts, abrasion, and heat-generated knots (heat welding from fast rope friction) can critically reduce the rope's working strength.
Question 6: A rescuer is about to throw a bag to a victim but the victim is unconscious. What technique should be used instead?
- Throw the bag directly at the victim to wake them
- Transition to a contact rescue by a tethered swimmer (Correct answer)
- Set a downstream net and wait for the victim to reach it
- Use a boat hook to extend reach from shore
Correct answer: Transition to a contact rescue by a tethered swimmer
An unconscious victim cannot grab a thrown rope, so a tethered contact rescue where a swimmer physically reaches and secures the victim is required.
Question 7: What is the danger of a rescuer wrapping a throw rope around their hand or wrist during a rescue?
- It reduces throwing accuracy
- The rope can tighten and cause severe injury or pull the rescuer into the water (Correct answer)
- It causes the rope to kink and lose strength
- It prevents proper rope management
Correct answer: The rope can tighten and cause severe injury or pull the rescuer into the water
When a victim's weight loads the rope, a wrap around the hand or wrist can tighten instantly with extreme force, causing fractures, lacerations, or dragging the rescuer into the current.
SRT Rope Systems and Throw Bags 2
What is the primary purpose of a 'live bait' rope rescue technique?