NFPA 1670 Technician Level Training

Under the NFPA 1670 Standard requirements for water, a water, technician must be both a water and rope rescue technician. Therefore, RQ3's NFPA water technician program is broken down into three courses:

l. Swiftwater Rescue Technician Unit 1 (SRT1)

2. Technical Rope Rescue: Technician Level (TRR:TL)

3. Swiftwater Rescue Technician Advanced (SRTA)

When finished with all three courses, the rescuer will have met the requirements for the technician level in both water and rope.
Rescue 3 will accept rope certification from other recognized training programs in place of the TRR:TL. Contact RQ3's corporate office for more details.

Swiftwater Rescue Technician Unit 1

SRT 1 is an intensive, three-day class (24-30 hours) that includes one day of classroom instruction followed by two days of developing and practicing water rescue skills. The initial emphasis of this course is on self-rescue skills and covers all of the skills taught in Operations, Swiftwater First Responder. In addition, other skills include:

• rescuing and extricating an accident victim from the water.
• safely swimming in swiftwater and maneuvering so as to negotiate river hazards and obstacles at various water levels.
• handling small inflatable boats by paddle, oar and on tether.
  knowing the responsibilities of law-enforcement and on-scene leadership.
• understanding swiftwater rescue team organization and the response of the victim.
• utilizing climbing and technical rescue gear applicable to swiftwater rescue.
• fording shallow and fast-moving water utilizing various techniques.
• crossing deep, slow-moving and fast-moving water utilizing basic climbing gear, small boats, and combinations of the two.
  
  This course provides the fundamentals of swiftwater rescue
  and is recommended for anyone who may be called upon
  to affect in-water rescues.
  
  

Technical Rope Rescue: Technician Level

This course (TRR:TL) integrates the most current technology and research on rope rescue available. Technical Rope Rescue: Technician Level is a 5 day rope course designed to take students from basic over-the-bank rescues to progressively more vertical scenarios. Students will spend one day in the classroom and four days in the field learning and practicing techniques such as:

• preplanning and size-up of rope rescue operations
• scene management and organization
• knots, hitches, and anchor systems
• belaying, lowering and raising systems
• ascending and descending lines
• mechanical advantage systems
• patient packing & litter attending
• special problems and helicopter use
• tethers and highlines
  
  Upon completing this class, students will have met the requirements under NFPA 1670 for Rope Rescue Technicians.
  
  

Swiftwater Rescue Technician Advanced

This course integrates techniques learned in SRT1 and TRR:TL, talking the students beyond the emphasis on self-rescue to concentrate on victim rescue. This three day course includes 4-6 hours of classroom instruction, followed by two and one-half days of hands-on skill development.
Topics include:

• Understanding the role and utilization of various line systems, to search class I to III swiftwater, and in some instances, class IV to VI (hydraulics and waterfalls.)
• Managing the raising and lowering of litters with patients, tending a litter, belaying of rescuers, basic rappelling, and highline systems.
• Managing and conducting a night or low visibility river rescue.
• Assessing and managing class VI swiftwater rescues beyond the capability of boat-based or swimming rescues.
• Organizing for basic flood disaster management.

Students are exposed to more complex water rescue situations including completing of a mock night river rescue scenario.