Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-mwx4w Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-04T20:09:23.385Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A New Strategy for Swiftwater Rescue from Roadways during Urban and Small Stream Flash Flooding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2019

David Jaslow
Affiliation:
Bryn Athyn Fire Company, Bryn Athyn, United States
Derek Zecher
Affiliation:
Bryn Athyn Fire Company, Bryn Athyn, United States
Ryan Synnestvedt
Affiliation:
Bryn Athyn Fire Company, Bryn Athyn, United States
Kevan Melly
Affiliation:
Huntingdon Valley Fire Company, Huntingdon Valley, United States
Ryan Overberger
Affiliation:
Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, United States
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Introduction:

The swiftwater rescue (SWR) concept of operations (CONOPS) is to access as many victims as quickly as possible using strategies and tactics that maximize safety and minimize risk to all involved. “Reach, throw, row, go” has defined the primary water rescue strategy for 50+ years. However, this paradigm, originally designed for rescue from swimming pools, ponds and lakes, slow-moving rivers, and the ocean, is not conducive to SWR incidents involving submerged vehicles, which is the most common scenario during urban and small stream flash flooding.

Aim:

To present a new SWR strategy for urban and small stream flood response.

Methods:

Water rescue strategies and tactics were mapped against the SWR CONOPS to determine which ones are most likely to be successful in the rescue of victims trapped in submerged vehicles.

Results:

Rescue should be attempted via high water vehicles (HWVs) whenever possible, followed by watercraft and “go rescues” using advanced line systems techniques and/or tethered rescuers, dependent on incident characteristics. Positioning HWVs at the incident site permits rescuers to access victims quickly from the rear or sides of the vehicle, thereby reducing rescuer time in floodwaters. Multiple sequential rescues can be made since victims are held and medically monitored in the cargo area rather than transporting them to shore individually.

Discussion:

SWR from submerged vehicles is unique among emergency incidents because neither shelter-in-place nor self-evacuation are tenable options until the water recedes. "Reach" and "throw" rescue attempts are only possible if the victim is close to shore. Watercraft operations, whether motorized or manually pulled, can be technically complex, require numerous rescuers, and typically take 30-60 minutes per vehicle. Use of HWVs meets the CONOPS for SWR on flooded roadways since this strategy facilitates the rescue of multiple victims quickly while reducing the time rescuers spend in the water.

Type
Prehospital Care and Road Safety
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2019