NFPA Technical Rescuer Certification cheat sheet

NFPA 1006 defines three rescue levels per discipline: Awareness, Operations, and Technician; Technician is the highest and may supervise.

NFPA 1670 requires the authority having jurisdiction to establish operational capability levels for each technical rescue discipline.

Risk-benefit decision rule: commit rescuers only when the expected benefit outweighs the risk; use recovery mode when no viable victim is present.

Span of control is 3 to 7 subordinates per supervisor, with 5 as the optimal span.

Accountability requires every rescuer in a hazard zone to be checked in and tracked by name, assignment, and entry time.

Hot zone = immediate hazard or IDLH; warm zone = controlled access and decontamination; cold zone = safe support area.

Mayday format LUNAR: Location, Unit, Name, Assignment, Resources.

A 360-degree size-up identifies access, egress, hazards, victim location, and resource needs before rescue operations begin.

NFPA 1983 general-use life safety rope: minimum 4,500 lbf (20 kN); technical-use: minimum 3,000 lbf (13.5 kN).

Design rope systems for a 10:1 safety factor; a two-person load is about 600 lbf.

Anchor systems for life safety should hold at least 22 kN (5,000 lbf) and be independent, redundant, and positioned to limit vector forces.

Mechanical advantage: a 3:1 system provides about 3 times the applied effort minus friction; a change of direction does not add MA.

A belay must be independent of the mainline and rigged to arrest a fall without releasing the load.

Use edge protection at every rope contact; sharp edges can cut life safety rope under load.

Tie knots: figure-eight on a bight for end loops, bowline for fixed loops, water knot for webbing; dress and set all knots.

Remove life safety rope from service after a shock load, visible damage, or chemical/heat exposure; never join two ropes to extend a life safety line.

FEMA building marking: single slash on entry, X when search is complete; each quadrant records date/time, team, and hazards.

Collapse patterns: pancake stacks floors with few voids; V, lean-to, and cantilever collapses more often create survivable voids.

Shore before entry: vertical, diagonal, and horizontal shoring transfer loads and protect against secondary collapse.

Lift and crib in small increments, keeping hands and tools out of the load path; cribbing must be stable and stacked flat.

Secondary collapse risk rises with aftershocks, vibration, water flow, and unstable piles; establish exclusion zones and monitoring.

Search priority: primary search of accessible voids, then secondary search with technical equipment and canines or listening devices.

Concrete cutting hazards include silica dust, post-tensioned cables, and concealed utilities; use wet cutting and respiratory protection.

US&R operations use NIMS/ICS, a structural specialist, and task force components for search, rescue, medical, and logistics.

OSHA confined space: limited entry/exit, not designed for continuous occupancy, and large enough for an entrant.

Permit-required space triggers: hazardous atmosphere, engulfment, entrapment, or other serious hazard.

Test atmosphere in order: oxygen, combustible gas, then toxics; enter only if O2 is 19.5-23.5 percent and LEL is below 10 percent.

Continuous atmospheric monitoring is required while entrants occupy a permit space.

Entry team roles: entry supervisor authorizes, attendant monitors outside, entrants perform work and rescue.

Rescue preference: non-entry retrieval first, then entry rescue by trained and equipped personnel.

Lockout/tagout isolates energy sources before entry; ventilation can control but not eliminate atmospheric hazards.

The attendant must not leave the space or abandon the post unless relieved by another qualified attendant.

Stabilize the vehicle on all four sides with cribbing, chocks, and struts before entering or cutting.

Disconnect the 12-volt battery and secure the keys; treat airbags and pretensioners as stored-energy hazards.

Hybrid/EV orange cables carry high voltage; avoid cutting them and follow manufacturer shutdown and wait times.

Airbag inflators may remain energized for several minutes after battery disconnect; wait at least 3 minutes or per manufacturer.

Tempered side glass shatters from a corner strike with a spring punch; laminated windshield glass requires a saw or cutter.

Extrication sequence: stabilize, gain access, manage glass and interior trim, displace or remove doors/roof, then package and move.

Machine entrapment requires lockout/tagout, energy isolation, and load stabilization before disentanglement.

Use cribbing under lift points and never place hands between the tool and the load.

Surface water rescue priority: reach, throw, row, go; choose the lowest-risk method that can reach the victim.

A personal flotation device is required for every rescuer and victim in or near the water.

Throw bags commonly carry 50-75 feet of line; throw upstream or past the victim and let current swing the line.

Cold water immersion 1-10-1: about 1 minute cold shock, 10 minutes meaningful movement, 1 hour to unconsciousness.

If stranded in water, use HELP position alone or huddle with others to conserve heat.

Defensive position in moving water: on the back, feet downstream, head up, and arms steering.

Spinal motion restriction in water is used only when mechanism and patient condition warrant; do not delay airway and extrication.

Boat rescue approaches from downstream and uses a throw line or boat hook to avoid capsizing.

International Scale of River Difficulty: Class I easy to Class VI extreme; swiftwater rescue generally begins at Class II and above.

Strainers, sieves, undercut rocks, hydraulics, and low-head dams are priority hazards; strainers account for many fatalities.

Defensive swimmer: on back, feet downstream, head up; aggressive swimmer: swimming downstream to an eddy.

Tethered swiftwater rescuers require a quick-release harness and a shore anchor with a downstream safety.

Throw upstream of the victim so the current carries the bag; use a tension diagonal to swing the victim to shore.

An eddy is a calm area downstream of an obstruction; eddy lines mark the boundary between opposing currents.

Swiftwater PPE: PFD, helmet, thermal protection, gloves, and whistle; never enter without a backup rescuer.

Assign an upstream spotter with a whistle and throw bag before committing rescuers to the water.

Public safety dive team minimum roles: dive supervisor, diver, tender, and standby diver.

The standby diver is fully dressed and ready to deploy; the tender manages the line and communications.

Tending lines limit search area, maintain direction, and provide retrieval; divers should not dive untethered in low visibility.

Search patterns include circular, jackstay, grid, and sweep; select based on visibility, current, and last-seen point.

Contaminated water requires dry suits, full-face masks, surface-supplied air, and decontamination.

Public safety diving is not commercial diving; dive plans must address depth, air supply, no-decompression limits, and recall.

Dive rescue first considers shore, boat, and surface options before placing a diver in the water.

Ice thickness guideline: 4 inches (10 cm) for one person on foot, 5 inches for a snowmobile, 8-12 inches for a car.

Clear blue ice is strongest; white ice is about half as strong; gray or dark ice is unsafe.

Ice rescue sequence: reach, throw, go; the rescuer should be tethered and in an ice rescue suit.

Ice rescue suit provides flotation and thermal protection; ice awls aid self-rescue.

Victim handling: keep horizontal, avoid rough movement, and treat for hypothermia.

Ice screws or ice anchors provide tether points; test ice before approaching.

Never operate alone on ice; use a two-person minimum with shore backup.

Wilderness rescue: point last seen (PLS), time missing, subject profile, and terrain drive search probability mapping.

Hasty search covers trails and likely locations first; grid search follows for thorough coverage.

Land navigation uses map, compass, GPS, and declination; declination is the angle between true north and magnetic north.

Extended transport requires packaging for long carries, litter wheel, or helicopter; monitor patient for hours.

Emergency signal: three of anything (whistles, fires, blasts) is a distress signal.

Hypothermia, frostbite, heat illness, and dehydration are common wilderness threats; insulate from ground and wind.

Wilderness SAR uses ICS, expanded operations, and medical direction; document times and locations.

Cave, mine, and tunnel rescue combines confined space, vertical rope, and atmospheric monitoring.

Monitor for oxygen deficiency, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and methane before entry.

Methane is explosive at about 5-15 percent in air; ventilation and gas monitoring are required.

Cave communications use wire telephones, through-rock signaling, or relay runners.

Cave rigging may use natural anchors; protect ropes from abrasion and water.

Mine rescue requires maps, ventilation plans, and ground stability assessment.

Tunnel rescue hazards include traffic, ventilation, HAZMAT, and long egress; establish traffic control and air monitoring.

Package patients in a drag sheet or SKED for narrow passages; protect from hypothermia.

Tower rescue requires 100 percent tie-off with two lanyards or a climber rescue system.

Suspension trauma can cause unconsciousness within minutes; rescue a hanging worker within 10-15 minutes.

Helicopter landing zone: at least 100 by 100 feet, clear of obstacles, loose debris, and overhead wires.

Approach a helicopter from the front and within the pilot's view; never approach the tail rotor.

Stay low, secure loose items, and use radio or hand signals; do not touch the helicopter until grounded and signaled.

Tower anchors must be rated and independent; use pre-rigged rescue kits and edge protection.

Helicopter hoist operations require a trained hoist operator, tag lines, and communication with the pilot.