Tool Tuesday - The ISC D4 Descender and HaulerBiner
You guessed it, it’s Tool Tuesday! And if you’re expecting another post about ANSI Z133, well... you’re right... seeing as it details the safety requirements for all things arborist operations, it’s tough to avoid when you’re talking about the tools Red Mountain Rigging uses to get the job done!
According to ANSI Z133, a second arborist or worker trained in emergency procedures must be within visual or voice communication of the climbing arborist at all times when the climber is above 12 feet. There aren’t many trees in our community shorter than 12 feet, so we frequently find ourselves well above that!
It’s no secret that running chainsaws while up in a tree can be dangerous. Our world is the only ‘at heights’ profession that doesn’t rely upon tested and rated anchors when we climb. Often our ‘anchors’ are degraded and hazardous, hence the removal.
Emergency response, and specifically aerial rescue, is an aspect of our world that our crews take immensely seriously. While our commitment to safety and hazard identification / mitigation helps greatly reduce the dangers of the job, routine training drills and frequent training opportunities help ensure our team are prepared should something go wrong.
Aerial rescue is a paramount skill for any team deploying climbers in to the canopy. If something happens, time can be critical and any delay in rendering aid may have serious consequences. The best solution is to commit to having a trained crew who can preform the rescue and have the patient on the ground ready for arriving emergency services.
As part of our commitment to ensuring our crews are equipped for the unthinkable, Red Mountain Rigging has built up an aerial rescue kit with the sole purpose of rescue evolutions. And while we train with the kit often, it doesn’t come out of the truck unless we’re dealing with an emergency.
This includes a dedicated rope specific to aerial rescue. Our crews chose the Endurance line from Atlantic Braids for a couple reasons - its bright colour pattern make it stand out both in the tree and as a unique line dedicated for rescue (my daughter calls it the ‘Rainbow Rope’) and its characteristics make it well suited for the task. A 32 strand kernmantle rope with a minimum tensile strength of 8,300 pounds (most climb lines average around 5,000 - 6,500 pounds) and a low elongation or stretch, this line is the foundation that our rescue kit is built around.
That foundation is enhanced by two awesome pieces of gear from ISC Wales that are critical to our rescue systems - the D4 Descender and the HaulerBiner.
The D4 Descender is one of the only rescue descenders that are rated for two persons without the addition of an additional friction device. This allows a rescuer to ascend to the victim, connect them to the same descender they will use to extricate from the tree, and descend with the victim in complete control. This is a step up from traditional rescue techniques that rely on the rescuer using one hand to lower themselves on their system and a second to lower the victim on theirs. Having both persons on one defender allows the rescuer to maintain a hold of the brake rope. The D4 also has a panic feature - pull the lever designed to release friction and facilitate lowering too far, the system auto locks.
The HaulerBiner is a rescue lifting device that allows for the easy lifting of a victim to relieve tension on their own climbing system. Providing either a 6:1 or 7:1 mechanical advantage based upon its orientation and rated for a working load limit of 310 pounds, this compact tool is quick to deploy and greatly improves our teams ability to safely transition the weight of a victim off of their own system and on to the D4 Descender prior to bringing them down to Earth.
In combination, these two pieces of gear make up a critical backbone of our rescue kit and help ensure our team continues to exceed industry best practices in our commitment to safety.
Written by Sean Sterna - The Rocky Mountain Arborist & Used with Permission
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Red Mountain Rigging is a local Redwood Meadows based company, owned & operated by members of this incredible community. We founded this company on a desire to help our neighbours and have built ourselves to provide a more economical solution for tree services. Our focus on safety ensures your job gets done quickly and efficiently while maintaining not only our crew’s wellbeing, but the wellbeing of you and your property. Fully insured and registered with WCB, our crews are your local experts for all things tree services! And while we love to focus on education for our community, it’s always recommended to consult with a professional first before undertaking any serious tree work on your own!