Learning the ropes: Swiftwater Rescue Technician Unit 1 (SRT-1) course.

I decided to do the Swiftwater Rescue Technician Unit 1 (SRT-1) course as I felt that this kind of knowledge and its practical application is important. Packrafting is a lot of fun, but when things go awry knowing how to implement a proper rescue could save a life.

I recommend that all people involved in packrafting or other white water activity to do this course. Like a first aid course it could be a life saver, and not only that, it is a fun weekend away !

I did the course on the Mitta Mitta river in Victoria through Jeffe Aronson, whom I learnt later is a bit of a legend in the rafting and white water world. see his web site: http://www.river-god.com/ .

The course is intensive, a lot of information with emphasis on practical scenario work is done over 3 days. It pays to do all the assignments, especially learning knots well prior to the course.

The large raft specific stuff might not be relevant to packrafting, but who can guess where or when this knowledge is required ? We do share rivers with other water craft after all.

Foot entrapment is a real risk on shallow rivers, what does one do in this situation ?

Here is some of the course agenda:

Hazard Identification, Risk Management & Safety Systems
Self rescue and Contact Rescues
Throwbag Rescues
Shallow Water Crossings
>Hydrology
Communications & Team/Incident Controls
Medical Considerations
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Technical Rescue Equipment (Repair and Maintenance)
Knots & Anchors
Swimming (Passive and Aggressive)
Foot Entrapment Extrication
Strainers
other Towing Systems Kayak Pin Extraction
Multiple, Challenging Scenarios

I must admit I was a bit slack on the knot homework, and suffered due to my lack of knowledge. I practised on my last holiday but under pressure it was all forgotten. The site http://www.animatedknots.com is an excellent resource for learning them. As a prerequisite we had to learn:

Figure 8 follow through
Figure 8 on a bight
Directional figure 8
Butterfly
Bowline
Double fisherman's
Water knot
Clove hitch
Munter hitch
3 wrap prusik
Klemheist

Knowing the knots is one thing, the next is their practical application. We put them all to good use.

My timing for this course was exquisite. I learnt about self-rescue if you are caught in a stopper. Later, On a trip on the Donaldson river I was caught in a big stopper. It was a frightening experience, and luckily these lessons were still fresh in my mind.