SISORSC005 — Rescue others in white water

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• complete three simulated white water rescues, on one or more inland white water rivers with rapids, which collectively involve the following situations:
• swimmers in the water, one at any given time
• entrapped persons, one at any given time
• abandoned craft and paddles to be recovered, one at any given time
• across the three rescues, collectively utilise the following techniques and methods as relevant to the type of craft utilised:
• reach techniques to rescue swimmers
• reach techniques to recover paddles
• throw techniques to rescue swimmers using throw bags and coiled ropes
• two point craft on tether
• single tow with paddler onboard (excluding raft rescues)
• contact rescue, using craft and techniques relevant to the type of craft utilised
• use of a mechanical advantage system to recover wrapped, pinned or breached craft
• for each rescue operation:
• consistently negotiate river hazards safely and effectively
• designate roles and responsibilities to team members and participants to effectively complete rescues
• maintain effective communication with the rescuee
• participate in a debrief and complete an incident report.

Knowledge evidence

• organisational policies and procedures for emergency response
• roles and responsibilities that can be allocated to team members and participants to effectively complete a white water rescue
• communication protocols for rescue operations in white water:
• calls
• hand and paddle signals
• whistles
• typical hydrology conditions and hazards associated with rescues on inland white water rivers with rapids, and techniques used to safely negotiate these:
• currents
• eddies
• waves
• strainers
• holes
• stoppers
• sieves
• rocks, including undercut rocks
• waterfalls
• downstream and upstream Vs
• boils
• pour overs
• built objects – weirs, piers
• steep or slippery banks or shore
• overhanging trees
• fallen trees on waterway
• submerged logs, rocks and vegetation
• sections of dark, deep or cold water
• other boating traffic
• features, functions and operation of equipment used for white water rescues:
• reach equipment, including improvised use of equipment on hand
• throw bags
• rope coils
• two point boat tether system
• mechanical advantage systems to include: z drags, pig-rigs, vector pulls, 3:1 ratio, 4:1 ratio
• factors that affect the selection and rigging of mechanical advantage systems
• manufacturers’ specifications for equipment use
• types of anchors used in rescue systems and factors that affect selection
• types of knots used, and how to tie them, when establishing rescue systems
• techniques used to rescue swimmers in moving water:
• reach techniques
• throw techniques using throw bags and rope coils
• contact techniques
• different types of entrapment encountered by rescuees and suitable methods used to extricate entrapped persons
• as relevant to the particular type of water craft, techniques used when implementing the following rescue and recovery methods:
• T (or X) rescue
• wedge rescue
• deck carry
• providing single and double tows
• retrieving abandoned craft and equipment
• two point tethered tow.

Foundation skills

• Reading skills: interpret detailed familiar organisational policies and procedures for emergency response.
• Writing skills: record detailed and accurate factual information about rescue responses.
• Oral communications skills: use clear and unambiguous verbal and non-verbal communications to make intent known.
• Self-management skills: critically analyse all circumstances and implications to provide a prompt and considered response to rescue requirements.

Unit content sourced from training.gov.au — © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Auditori is not affiliated with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Questions about assessing SISORSC005