*** SAR Stretcher Selection & Techniques *** Date: 04 Feb 96 23:29:08 EST From: Kim Aufhauser <73517.1456@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: CSAR Digest #123 This note is in response to Mike Myers (China Lake) need for aluminum or titanium stokes litters. While I cannot give you any insight where to find your litters I feel compelled to share what I know on aluminum litters. DO USE THEM for anything vertical. They are unquestionably lighter but I have a retired one in my cache that I received from a local (Santa Cruz area, CA) team. They were rigging it for a near vertical training operaiton with a live rescuer as a 'victim'. From what I can literally piece together, when the system become loaded the litter welds began blowing apart at the attachment points. No injuries but a few saw 'religion'. I was not there but I interview an eye witness who was one of the litter tenders. While not certain, I suspect their attachments between the load/belay ropes and the 'spider' rig may not have been too prudent. Nontheless upon examination of the litter I saw a couple complete and a few near failures of the welds. I have not done any independent testing on this or other aluminum litters. Additionally, what is of concern is the ease at which the litter show wear merely from sliding across the rocks (as from carryouts on rocky areas). As an aside, I keep the litter as a teaching aid for my rescue classes. Bad things can and do happen in rescues (and practices). Kim Aufhauser Park Management Department--West Valley College 73517.1456@compuserve.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 10:39:48 -0500 >From: BBASON@aol.com Subject: Re: CSAR Digest #123 Date: Wed, 31 Jan 1996 17:01:52 PST From: F/A-18 HARDWARE DEVELOPMENT SECTION Subject: RE: CSAR Digest #122 >Rescue Equipment... >Does anyone out there know of anyone that makes either an aluminum or >titanium Stokes stretcher. For our use, we must carry our stretchers >many miles into the backcountry and as with everything else, the lighter >the better. We modify them to break down into two sections which are >mounted on a backpack. Ours are getting old and showing signs of "time >to replace." Would appreciate any info you may have. Respond to CSAR, >but would also like a direct contact to my >EMail address: myers%axp18a.decnet@scfe.chinalake.navy.mil > >Thanks, >Mike Myers >China Lake Mountain Rescue Group Reply... Hi Mike, I guess this will be a double duty message. I will get to your question about stoke litters in a minute but I should tell about myself. I subscribed to CSAR Digest a few months ago but never introduced myself to the group. Currently involved with mostly underground SAR with my local caving club in Williamsport, PA and also an instructor and sub-regional coordinator for the National Cave Rescue Commission - Eastern Region. I am the Public Information Officer and an Instructor for the Wilderness Emergency Medical Services Institute. Active with a local GSAR group where I function as a training coordinator and a Wilderness EMT. Been active with emergency services for about 12 years now. I heard about this list from a friend by the name of Gene Harrison, some of you may know him. Have enjoyed seeing what has been posted and look forward to seeing more changes in the industry. I also am the owner of Bason Rescue Equipment in Danville, PA. I do not want to make this forum a place to be pushing my equipment but I am willing to help people with any question that I may can answer. Now to your question Mike. You want a light stokes type basket made from alum. or titanium. As far as I know, there are no titanium stokes. Aluminum is available. Well, not all aluminum, but a plastic litter with heavy duty alum. rails. This is the Ferno Washington model 71. They also make one that breaks apart for easy backpack style carrying, the model 71-S. The weight of each is: model 71 - 28 lbs; model 71-S - 29 lbs. Another company on the market that makes a break-a-way style litter is Junkin. The model SAF-200B which weighs 32 lbs. The SAF-200B (or SAF-200 non break-a-way model) is made of plastic with stainless steel for the rails and also as a cradle under the litter. The type of plastic that each litter from Junkin or FW is a high density polyethylene. I have worked with both manufactures litters underground and found that they hold up wonderfully. I am not going to say which is better. They both have pros and cons. I hope this answers some questions about stoke style basket litters. Another idea for you is the Skedco version of patient transport. It is called the Sked. If you are not familiar with it, I will explain it. If you are familiar with it, well, maybe this will help someone that is not. It is basically a large piece of plastic that wraps around the patient with a series of straps. Kind of like a cocoon. It incorporates well with a short spineboard that is also available from Skedco called the Oregon Spine Splint II (O.S.S. II) The OSS II gives the spinal support that is needed for your patient and prevents the patient from being pushed in at the shoulders by having a small board that runs perpendicular to the spine at the level of the shoulder blades. Advantages of the Sked are numerous. One is the weight, only 16 lbs with all the accessories. This includes the handles, webbing, tag rope, carabiner and carrying bag. The OSS II can also be placed inside the carrying bag for the Sked for an additional weight of 7 lbs. This is a total of 23 lbs for the entire system that can easily be carried by one person. The Sked can be dragged, carried or used vertically in a horizontal position or vertical postion. It is x-ray lucent and can be stored almost anywhere. If you would like more information please email me at BBASON@AOL.COM. Regards, Bradford Bason, WEMT, NSS 30087 *Public Information Officer, Wilderness EMS Institute *Sub-Regional Coordinator, Eastern Region, National Cave Rescue Commission *Owner of Bason Rescue Equipment Toll Free 800.598.5023 Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 22:42:59 -0700 From: "Peter E. Bremy" To: sar-l@islandnet.com Subject: Re: Litter wheels MDI Search & Rescue wrote: > > Our search and rescue group is considering building our own litter wheel. > Preferably it would have a wheel separable from the frame so as to divide > the weight between two porters (perhaps using an oversized bicycle type > quick release.) Our intended use is on wide mountain trails and carriage > paths and while it may be useful for a major portion of an evac, it will > probably still be necessary to carry the unit part of the time. We also > hope that we can save some of the expense of a commercial unit by > building it ourselves. (CMC current price listed as $540 plus 30 lb. > shipping.) > > We would like to know if anyone has built their own and might have some > specific suggestions on fabrication techniques. (We have access to a > commercial unit so we can analyze their design.) > > Also, one of our members has raised the issue of liability if we build > our own. Several of the group feel that this really isn't a significant > issue with a relatively simple device like a wheel; but, we thought it > might be good policy to at least air the question in public and solicit > comments. > Our SAR group built our own litter carrier with the bogey wheel. We used the front fork of a dirt bike motorcycle. We welded two long irons with supports to the top of the fork and other supports back down to the axle. The fork is not straght up and down, but on an angle. The handle bars were of course removed. The specific design is a bit hard to describe in words, but the litter gets cradled between the irons and secured with straps. We did, however, retain the brake mechanism and secured it to the angle irons. The brake was not to be used as a slowing or stopping mechanism. It is only to be used to help keep the wheel in place while the rescuers rest. This is helpful on even modestly sloping rescue situation. We use two tag lines tied to the rear (or uphill as the case may be) of the litter with one rescuer on each for security and six rescuers to stabilize it. One rescuer with a tag line is always belaying the litter around a tree or rock while the second takes up his/her line and prepares for the next belay. This type of belay is not used on steep terrain, of course, where regular hoisting techniques would be used and a wheel would not be practical or safe. Quite by accident, we discovered that the skinnier motorcycle tire works better than the fatter, softer ATV type tire. In northern New Jersey, while we don't have really high mountains, we do have very rocky terrain full of glacial morraine. We discovered that we could navigate the wheel in between more rocks than we had to actually climb over, thus giving the patient a much more comfortable ride and reducing effort of the rescuers. Our most supreme test was also our first rescue with the wheel. We had to transport a male, 200+lbs, with a broken ankle close to three miles. It was on a July afternoon with temps in the 90's and relative humidity to match. We had twelve rescuers and it took less than three hours to transport the subject out over a very rocky trail, with a number of streams to ford. An interesting note is that during the litter transport, the patient never complained of discomfort. However, when we reached a fire road, we loaded the patient into the back of a pick up truck. The bouncy ride, even at a snail's pace, he received made him moan in pain. We should have kept the litter secured to the wheel and transported him manually. It was more comfortable. We wished we had built the litter wheel a long time ago. Hope this helps. Peter Bremy, Past and founding President, New Jersey Search and Rescue, Inc. District Forest Firewarden Section 2, District 6 New Jersey Forest Fire Service ------------------------------------------