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In early 2008, a 19-year-old man died in north Phoenix after falling into an open, abandoned mine shaft. The ensuing recovery operation was extremely challenging and dangerous, with a few close calls and some crucial learning opportunities.
A Dangerous Recovery
The open shaft in this particular incident was a deep, abandoned mine shaft in the desert, but construction projects and old wells can be equally dangerous and pose similar problems.
At the scene, the victim’s friends were frantic. Responders quickly sent a rescue technician over the side of the shaft on rappel to check the status of the victim. After a 50′ rappel, the patient was located on a ledge (perched over a much deeper hole) with no vital signs. The rescue became a body recovery.
We all know that there’s no point in taking risks when there’s no life to save, but in low-frequency situations like this, we don’t always understand the hazards. In this case, the lines going over the side of the old shaft could have easily knocked loose rocks, which would have had only one place to go: down. Although the potential for rock fall was great, a rescuer remained in the shaft when the body was winched out.
Entry Issues
Entering a shaft, be it a mine shaft or a construction project, should be done with some type of high-directional pulley. The problem: Our standard tripods don’t often fit over bigger holes because they’re designed for manholes. We’ve used aerial apparatus and cranes for high anchor points, but they often can’t get into position.
Entering a shaft that has dirt or rock walls is probably never entirely safe, but positioning your ropes on the edge of one of these openings is asking to get pummeled by falling rock. Fortunately, there’s an easy rope rescue technique that not only positions the rescuer over the center of the shaft, it also allows you to lower them straight down the middle of the opening without touching the sides or the lip of the shaft.
Using a Highline
Highlines are usually the stuff of epic training exercises that take tons of rope and equipment–but they’re easy to set up and operate when you’re only spanning 20 to 30 feet. The real trick is getting the track line up off the ground to make it easy to work with, and for that we use a tripod, an A-frame, a gin pole or a combination of all three.
Because the distance across a vertical shaft is relatively small, you won’t find the painful logistics involved in a highline that has to cross a river or between buildings. This will allow your team to focus on the other hazards and issues associated with going below grade in what can only be referred to as a confined space.
The Below-Grade Players
A vertical shaft is technically a confined space, so perform your entry with all the same players and equipment that you’d use when entering any other confined space:
- A rescue group supervisor (RGS) to call the shots
- A rigging team to set up the highline and operate the haul systems
- A far-side haul team (two or three people)
- A belayer
- A safety officer
- An entry team (preferably only one goes in) with a back-up plan (usually extraction)
- An air supply team (one to monitor the remote air cart and one to manage air hose)
- An air monitor (this can be the safety officer)
- Communication for the hard-wired intercom (this can be the air cart person)
In all, you need 12—16 rescuers to pull this off (just like a confined-space entry). Remember: Like all confined-space entries, there are known and unknown hazards. We manage the risk moment by moment, and the second there’s more risk than we’re comfortable with, we pull out.
Entry Team Considerations
The entry team member must be well prepared because they will face many challenges, the first of which is respiratory protection. Although an open shaft tends to have good air quality, we can’t really ventilate a deep shaft, so we don’t want to assume that the air quality will remain high. Therefore, the rescuer should wear a supplied air respirator with an air hose/communication line umbilical to the surface.
In addition, the rescuer should bring a standard four-gas CGI meter into the space to continuously monitor air quality and report readings to the surface.
For maintaining communication, a hard-line intercom is best. A vertical shaft will work with a VHF radio signal, but allowing the attendant (air cart person) to have constant communication with the entry team significantly increases the safety of the operation.
Patient Management
Patient packaging and medical treatment are big challenges. If the victim is found alive, they’re likely to have significant traumatic injuries, and doing treatment in the hole isn’t a suitable option. The rescuer must bring a C-collar and an extrication device, such as a Yates Spec Pack, that’s load-bearing and well suited to confined-space extrication. In addition, some basic bandaging and splinting for bleeding control and stabilization should be lowered down to the entry team member; however, removal from the danger area takes priority over ALS treatment.
The biggest concern is packaging and extrication. Transferring a patient to an extrication device with one person in a small, dark space is extremely challenging, so it’s essential that the rescuer be proficient with the device. Training in realistic conditions is essential.
Extrication
If you have a viable patient, rig them next to you with a team-based pick-off set-up, so that they come up out of the shaft with you. This will also minimize rock fall, which is the main reason why we should limit the number of rescuers in the shaft to one.
If the haul team is hauling two people, the RGS should remind the team to haul smoothly, maintaining control and coordination with the team. This is especially important at the lip if both rescuer and patient must be moved from the center line to the landing station.
If performing a body recovery, there are at least two options for extrication: pull out and regroup in the safe zone, or, if it’s dark or conditions are not ideal, it may be best to delay extracting the body until conditions can be more tightly controlled. Alternatively, a law enforcement team may prefer to do the extrication so they can gather evidence in the process (because the situation could be a crime scene).
If you will be extracting the body, the best strategy is to go down, take all precautions, wear proper PPE and carry an additional rope for the patient. Package the patient in the most appropriate device, with the second haul rope secured to the extrication device. Remember: Prior to entering any confined space, particularly a vertical shaft, plan your strategy and rehearse often.
Extract the rescuer first–it’s safer (and easier) to haul only one at a time. Once the rescuer is clear, put the second extraction rope into the high-directional pulley and center it over the shaft. Set the second extraction rope at the main anchor with a ratchet (progress capture). Configure a mechanical advantage, either ganged on or integral, and on command, slowly haul the body out by itself. Important: No live person should ever be positioned below a load that’s being extracted due to the potential for rock fall.
Conclusion
Access into a vertical shaft is a dangerous rescue scenario, as it presents rescuers with myriad challenges. Using a highline can remedy some of these challenges, because the openings to vertical shafts tend to run a shorter distance than some of the highline training exercises rescuers have had to endure.
When using a highline, some type of high directional must be used to lower the rescuer directly down the center of the shaft, which can also be a tricky maneuver. To ensure your team’s safety and success, remember to train on this operation under realistic conditions and with all the appropriate components for a confined-space rescue. Realistic training on this high-risk, low-frequency scenario will pay off when the real thing occurs.
