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Reeves Sleeve
At a recent rope rescue training, a Reeves Sleeve was brought out to use. Nobody had any experience with it at this point. Fairly straightforward piece of equipment. No load rating to be found anywhere. We use a stainless steel basket and SKEDs regulary. Before we did any lifting with the Sleeve, I contacted the manufacturer. They told me that the horizontal straps were tested to 1000 lbs and then the test was stopped. The vertical lift strap to 2200lbs and that FDNY had started to fail them vertically at 3000lbs. We decided at this point not to use it at all. The dafety factors are way too low based on the data that is available. They also told me that they are changing how they stitch them for strength, this did not increase my confidence at all. Any other teams using this or have experience with it. I am tempted to take it to our local guru and have it drop tested with a load in it to see what happens. The tests that Reeves did were all static loads.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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I don't know much about them, but I don't believe they are designed to be lifted by themselves. If I'm having to do a vertical lift, of bring someone out of a ravine, I might consider using on for immobilization and place them in a stokes for removal.
http://www.reevesems.com/Products/StretchersImobilization.aspx?Prod...
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Permalink Reply by Trainer on
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If you got a Sked, why even consider? Looks to me like the Sked would be tighter anyways.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
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This was from the Technical Rescue Team. We know rigging, safety factors and patient packaging. The Reeves stretcher is for EMS use. The Sleeve is for rescue, according to them. I have no idea where the Sleeve came from, I had never seen it on the truck before. But, if it was rated the same as a SKED, it is a better tool. Easier to use and just as narrow. I just don't trust any of the data that we have gotten.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Price on
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This is a very useful piece of equipment.I have used it several times for quickly moving patients,mainly cpr cases,to the streatcher or stright to the ambulance,and have used it for vertical rescue situations.It works great in confined space's and anytime the persons arms and legs need to be secured.Never had a problem with it.
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Permalink Reply by Avery Dale on
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The one we have is a sleeve that a backboard slides into then fastens secure. Not sure about lifting with hoist and ropes but as far as manually carrying a patient out of rugged areas it is great. Patient is strapped in tight and secure. When not in use it rolls up into a bag.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Unless there is a new version that I haven't seen, Reeves Sleeves are not rated to any edition of the NFPA 1983 standard for Rope and Rope Rescue Equipment. The old General Use and Light Use ratings were in pounds.
Those were 5,000 pounds for Light Use and 9,000 pounds for General Use. The new ratings are in kilonewtons, which don't translate easily.
Reeves sleeves don't fit into spaces where a rescue SKED will easily go, they don't slide on rough terrain nearly as well as a plastic low-angle Stokes basket or a rescue SKED, and they aren't rated for high angle rope work like a metal/wire high angle Stokes basket.
If you have a rescue SKED and a rated metal/wire high angle Stokes basket and are well-trained in their use, you can retire the Reeves Sleeve to museum status.
WARNING: Do not confuse the yellow hazmat SKEDs with the orange (civilian) or olive drab (military) rescue SKEDs.
The rescue SKEDs are rated for rope work. The hazmat SKEDs are rated for horizontal or minimal low-angle carries or drags ONLY.
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I've done this, but the Reeves Sleeves have a larger profile than the typical Stokes basket, so it doesn't fit very well. That tends to interfere with the neutral-alignment immobilization that is the goal of spinal packaging.
A spineboard, spineboard straps, and a good papoose lashing system using webbing on the Stokes provides at least as good immobilization and it fits better in most Stokes baskets.
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Look up the current edition of NFPA 1983, then check the Reeves Sleeve for the required 3rd-party testing and compliance label. If the Reeves Sleeve doesn't have that label, it should not be used for rope rescue.
Also, A Reeves Sleeve has a wider profile than a properly-applied SKED, unless the patient is very large. A SKED will actually fit larger (bariatric) patients than will the Reeves Sleeve.
Another problem with the Reeves Sleeve is that the covering gets worn with use. Once the liquid-resistant outer fabric gets a single cut, nick, or wear spot, the Reeves Sleeve becomes impossible to decontaminate from blood and body fluids. Spineboards, SKEDS, and both the solid and wire Stokes baskets are easy to decontaminate.
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Well said about the different SKEDs, I make sure to point this out regularly. My thoughts were completely inline with what you have said. I think the garbage can will be getting a present soon. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.
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Permalink Reply by TrainingTECH1 on
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First of all I'm not saying whether this is or is not a good piece of equipment. I have only used the lifting version a couple of times and not enough to say it has a place in rope rescue.
I am 99.9% sure that NFPA 1983 does not contain information for stokes baskets. If I am wrong please let me know...I looked through the standard to make sure and I find nothing pertaining to litters. You make a good point...Know your load, your equipment and your safety factor. Beyond that NFPA 1983 requires the MBS be stamped on everything so there is no need to remember all of this. This standard is a manufacturers standard so very little has anything to do with you or I.
Chief Waller gave an estimate to the 5,000 and 9,000 lbs for light and general use. This is only in reference to life safety rope and certain hardware (carabiners); not all components. For instance a General Use Pulley has an MBS of 8,000 lbf. No harm, no foul. I only know that because I have the standard in front of me!!! Sorry Ben had to cheat!!!!
Litters are tested to mil-specs that call for a 2,500 pull on the stretcher. You want a litter that has been 3rd party tested to this standard. Many reputable companies exceed this standard.
I am leary of any piece of equipment where the salesman says the letters, FDNY. I love the FDNY, but these vendors think that if they mention them you will buy it so many times they do. They did test them and I think they did purchase some of them.
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I agree about the FDNY reference, who cares. Yes, they have a R&D department for gear. But, as a FDNY fireman told me, "what works for us, does not mean it will work for you". This is true for any department.
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Permalink Reply by Andy Lancaster on
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Jeff is correct , there currently is no standard for Stokes Baskets, SKEDS, or similar devices. With that said I have used the Reeves Sleeve in both industrial and wilderness applications, it is a good piece of equipment and performs well under certain conditions, just like all pieces of equipment, everything has it's time and place. I prefer the Reeves Sleeve over the SKED, (actually I prefer anything over the SKED). We are now using a new device that has been on the market for a few years called the Res Con Retreiver. It has the qualities of the Reeves Sleeve in that it can be rolled up tightly and will unroll without a memory such as the SKED. It has been 3rd party tested with 10,000 lb lifting straps, and is prerigged for both horizontal and vertical applications. The patient restraint system is all color coded, and it can be used with a back board, or it can be purchased with Carbon Fiber rods that slide into pockets on the back of the device, allowing a much smaller profile than either the SKED (which requires a back board, if you read the instruction book) or the Reeves Sleeve with the back board in it.
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