Evacuation of the climber from a vertical wall, taking injured from the roof of the building and leaving the chopper without additional safety – instructors from the Mountain Training Center of the Academy of Land Forces have undergone demanding rescue training in Montenegro. 2 participants of the training from Poland passed a hard exam and received a Winch Rescue Specialist certificate.
The Winch Rescue Specialist training includes advanced rescue techniques utilizing helicopters. A specialist who obtains specified skills and privileges, in case of the request to evacuate victims from hard accessible places – e.g. mountains, forests, roofs of buildings – is left from the chopper or slides down the line to supply assistance and pull up a individual in request of assistance. These are very advanced and 1 of the most dangerous rescue actions.
Three instructors from Montenegro took part in the exercises of these techniques. Center for Training of the Mountain Academy of Land Forces And a lifeguard from Montenegro. The three-week training took place in the area of the capital of the country – Podgorica, and in the mountains, in the area of Kolašin, where their unit has their troops.
The first week was devoted entirely to safety procedures. This was essential due to the fact that later exercises, including evacuation of injured Bell 412 helicopters, had already taken place without additional security. A possible mistake or failure to follow the procedures may have endangered the crew of the machine, the lifeguards, or those who acted as victims. – The classes, specified as the evacuation of a climber who “locked” on rocks at a tallness of respective tens of meters, took place while maintaining full realism. So, in fact, on respective tens of meters above the ground, a man was hanging, and our task was to drive down to him, aid him and get him on board safely. The mistake could have ended tragically – admits Sławomir Czubak, elder lecturer at the AWL Mountain Training Centre.
He adds that 1 of the basic principles of rescue is to guarantee the safety of the chopper crew. – If there is an emergency situation and, for example, the line is stuck somewhere or the rescued individual cannot be pulled up, then the cut-oil procedure applies. The precedence is to save the chopper crew – explains the AWL lecturer. As he adds, in specified a situation the lifeguard who remained downstairs has a problem. “Of course, the pilot will do everything to guarantee that this does not happen, but we have been told from the beginning that the chopper crew is the most important,” said Czubak.
The participants trained to bring the injured on board, to the tallness of respective twelve meters above the ground, including in a mountain environment, but besides in the city, from the roofs of buildings. specified actions take place, for example, in the event of natural disasters like flooding. Paramedics besides trained to guide the chopper to the landing site – with gestures and radio communication.
The full training ended with an examination, in which participants had to full carry out the rescue action themselves, i.e. to guide the helicopter, to board, to fly to the designated location and after learning about the conditions, to decide whether or not to take the rescue action. Then, if the decision was positive, the injured man had to be evacuated, so to get him on board on a stretcher or an escape triangle from rocks, car, balcony or roof of the building.
Eng. Sławomir Czubak as 1 of the 2 trained passed the exam and obtained a Winch Rescue Specialist certificate. The second to be examined, who obtained credit and entitlement to this kind of rescue action, was Captain Piotr Dąbrowski, besides a lecturer from the AWL Mountain Training Center. It was a very valuable experience. The Montenegrin teacher stressed that working with us was a pleasance and that he was very pleased with our participation – said Czubak. Instructors from AWL have already received an invitation to another advanced rescue course utilizing helicopters in Montenegro – this time from the scope of night activities.
