Ropes and Knots Flashcards
Life Safety Rope
-Used solely for supporting people
Utility Rope
-Used when not necessary to support the weight of a person, such as when hoisting tools or lowering equipment
NFPA 1983
- Standard on Life Safety Rope and Equipment for Emergency Services
- Life safety rope must be virgin fiber and block creel construction
One Person Life Safety Rope (light duty)
- Designed to bear 300 lbs
- Safety Factor 15:1 (NFPA 1983)
Two Person Life Safety Rope (general duty)
-Designed to bear 600 lbs
Personal Escape Rope
- Last resort
- One time use
- 300 lbs one person support
- 10:1 safety factor (NFPA 1983)
Natural Fibers
- Can be weakened by mildew and deteriorate with age
- Can absorb 50% of its weight in water
- Very difficult to dry
Synthetic Fibers
- Nylon invented 1938
- Polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene
- Generally stronger than natural fibers
- Can use smaller diameter rope without sacrificing strength
- Resistant to rotting and mildew
- Do not age or degrade as quickly
Synthetic Fiber Drawbacks
- UV light can damage
- Acid/alkalis can damage
- Highly susceptible to abrasion/cutting
Nylon
- Most common fiber in life safety ropes
- Retains 85% of strength when wet
Polypropylene
- Lightest of synthetic fibers
- Does not absorb water
- Floats, use in water rescue
- Not as strong as nylon, hard to knot, low melting point
Twisted Ropes
- Laid ropes
- Synthetic or natural fibers
- Individual fibers twisted into strands
- Disadvantage: exposes all fibers to outside of rope, stretch and unravel when load is applied
Braided Ropes
- Usually synthetic fibers
- Weaving or intertwining fibers
- Exposes all strands to outside of rope
- Stretches under load, not prone to twisting
- Double braided has inner braided core protected by braided sleeve
Kernmantle
- Kern: Inside, 70% of strength
- Mantle: Outside, 30% of stregth, protective
- Each fiber extends for entire length of the rope
Dynamic Rope
-Elastic, stretches under load
Static
-Does not stretch under load
Dynamic Kern Mantle
-Overlapping or woven fibers in core which stretch when loaded
Static Kern Mantle
-All fibers parallel, does not stretch under load
Class 1 Harness
-Ladder belt harness
Class 2 Harness
-Seat harness, supports firefighter during rescue situations
Class 3 Harness
- Chest harness
- Most secure
- Supports firefighter being raised/lowered on life safety rope
Trench Rescue
-Need shoring, air quality monitoring, confined space operations, and rope rescue
Confined-Space rescue
-Difficult to extricate unconscious or injured person from these locations because of poor ventilation and limited entry/exit area
Water Rescue
- Simplest involves rescuer throwing rope to victim
- More complicated could involve a rope stretched across a stream or river, boat could be tethered to the rope
Four Parts of Rope Maintenance
- Care
- Clean
- Inspect
- Store
Care for The Rope
- Protect from sharp/abrasive surfaces, rubbing against another rope (friction), heat, chemicals, flame
- Never Step on a Rope
- Follow manufacterer’s instructions
Clean
- Mild detergent
- No Bleach
- Don’t pack/store damp rope
- Air drying preferred (no direct sunlight)
Inspect
- Life safety ropes inspected after each use, unused rope inspected on regular schedule
- Look for cuts, frays, depressions
- Maintain a rope record including history of when rope was purchase, used, how it was use, what kind of loads were applied to it
Store
- Away from temperature extremes, out of sunlight, in areas with air circulation
- Away from fumes, oils, hydraulic fluids
- In rope bags
Working End
-Part of rope for forming knot
Running End
-Part of rope used for lifting/hoisting
Standing Part
-Par of rope between working end and running end
Bight
-U bend
Loop
-Circle in rope
Round turn
-Make a loop and bring two ends of rope parallel to each other
8 Fire Service Knots
- Safety Knot
- Half Hitch
- Clove Hitch
- Figure Eight
- Figure Eight on a Bight
- Figure Eight with a Follow Through
- Bowline
- Bend (sheet or Becket bend)
