I'm looking for training material on river operations or any inforemation maybe how other dept.'s have a sog wrote up.this is some thing my dept. is trying this year.
Permalink Reply by FETC on January 29, 2010 at 5:22pm
Howard, a request for training materials and SOG's for river operations is pretty vague.
Are you using motorized boats for river operations? Inflatable Boat Operations? Swift Water Operations? Tension High Lines? Low Head Dam on the river? Access to the opposite side of the river also changes the dynamics, the need to a line guns, etc.
This information from Ventura County Fire Department, California are pretty much the way many Southern California fire departments handle their Swift Water Rescue. These documents should prove to be invaluable if you are putting together your own SOG's. Why reinvent the wheel?
This is the whole enchilada for boilder plate application toward creating your own policies.
1. Water Rescue SOP example.
2. Fire Department Rescue Doctrine example.
3. Swiftwater Rescue Awareness Refresher Training Information
Best of luck toward your endeavor to create swift water rescue guidelines and training for your department.
I'd seriously think about two different boat types for the Ohio.
For inshore work, I'd use a RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) like a Zodiac or Avon.
They are stable, have lots of buoyancy, and operate well in fairly shallow water.
A 15 to 18-foot length with a 50 or 60 HP Jet Pump outboard motor should be about right.
The relatively low profile makes it fairly easy to get victims and rescuers from the water into the boat, particularly if you use a parbuckling technique with webbing or a parbuckling net. This boat should be medium-fast, but should operate with lots of torque at low throttle to maintain control when operating near shore, downed trees, and other obstacles.
For the deeper midchannel water, you need a larger boat with a completely rigid hull that tracks well when the wind and the current are moving in different directions. Boston Whaler makes some excellent rescue boats for this type of water. They are triple V-hulls, so they track well. Get twin outboards with props. This boat should have the hull door to allow water-level entry from the side.