Portabilitythe Key to Rescue Tripods
Takea few minutes and think about all the possible confined spaces youencounter on a daily basis which could prove hazardous if you weretrapped in one of them. Most of us think of things like manholes,sewers, crawl spaces, and so on. For the confined space rescue crewall of these areas are commonplace. Yet they also work in otherplaces like collapsed mines, collapsed buildings, dried-up wells,etc. Depending on the specific rescue scenario, crews may usedifferent tools in different ways.
Twoof the most common tools for confined space rescue are the rescuedavits and tripods. Both have their pros and cons, yet thecircumstances of an individual rescue determine which piece to use.In relation to the tripod, its most attractive feature is the factthat it is easily portable. Where a rescue davit can be fairly heavyand cumbersome to move, the rescue tripod is just the opposite. Itcan easily be carried by a single team member and stored away in atruck without taking up much space.
Notonly that, its simple construction makes it a snap to set up on siteas well. As long as crews are ready for the tripod upon its arrivalit can be open and in position within a matter of minutes. From thereit's a simple matter of running the rescue line and down through thepulley system and commencing with the extraction.
HeavyDuty Aluminium
Whatmakes rescue tripods so portable are their lightweight construction.Aluminium is the perfect material for this application. It islightweight, easy to construct as a collapsible tripod, and extremelystrong all the same time. The average rescue tripod can withstand upto 3,000 pounds of total pull force. This means that for the averageaccident victim, it is a suitable means of extraction from confinedspace.
Ifa load will exert more than 3,000 pounds of pull force rescue crewswill instead use a rescue davit. A rescue davit, unlike a tripod, isnot so easily portable. It's also not necessarily as easy to set upand get going. Unless crews are using a rescue davit mounted on aportable platform, they will have to install a ground plate and postbefore they can use it. All of this takes time - which may notnecessarily be available in abundance. Therefore, most rescue crewskeep a tripod in their inventory and use it whenever possible.
ProperUse of the Tripod
Likeany piece of rescue equipment, the tripod is only as a safe as itsoperators. In order to use it properly they must have fairly levelground which will only require slight adjustments to keep the tripodlevel. Without level ground the tripod represents too high a risk.The tripod also must be properly balanced so that it does not moveduring the extraction process. Needless to say, a rescue tripod whichis set up and utilized correctly could end up being a lifesaver.