After completing this chapter, you should be able to: Know what abseiling gear will be needed in a rescue situation. How to set up the ropes for yourself and your principal. Be familiar with the correct procedures of using the equipment.
As a CPO, you must be skilled in abseiling. You may need to use your skills at any stage in an operation where your principal and you are trapped in a hotel or office building which exceeds two stories. In this chapter, we'll discuss abseiling under the following headings:
- Necessity for abseiling.
- What the relevant equipment consist of and their function.
- How to use the equipment.
NECESSITY FOR ABSEILING
Why BTM (Bodyguard Training Manual) stress the fact that abseiling should form part of a bodyguard`s
training program is that in general CPO`S lack of this skill, myself who is operational in the industry going for two decades and attended the best part of a dozen CPO courses never once were introduced to abseiling.
Imagine yourself in a 10 story building an explosion occur (It is not a planned attack on your principal, but an defect in the electrical system ) a fire break out ,there is a power failure and the lifts are out of order, the stairs are filled with smoke the fire is approaching and all levels will be reached soon. The principal and the team are stuck on the 4th floor.
Above mentioned should be worked into your threat assessment evaluation under risk and form part of your contingency planning as standard procedure.
ABSEILING EQUIPMENT NEEDED IN AN OPERATION
• Rope - 50 m will be sufficient - these ropes are designed for the purpose descending and ascending. Safely with the correct training and equipment.
• There are 2 types of rope - dynamic rope (stretch) shock load - static rope (do not stretch).
• Harnesses - it should be adjustable ,webbing harnesses - there are 3 models to choose from wais-belt type (most popular ) - chest harness - full body harness (good for principal).
• Carabineers - with clip gates - mostly used to clip equipment to harness, etc. (not safe to descent), screw gates - to lock your descending / ascending device to your harness.
• Slings - mostly used for ascending or stronger slings are fastened to a solid object as a ancker point to clip the rope on the sling with carabineers.
• Hand gloves - with the friction involved with a decent the rope as well as the descending device builds up heat and will burn your hands, if you then leave the rope because it is to hot to hold, you will fall to the ground and injure or kill yourself.
• Descending devices - for our purpose the following would be needed:
• Figure of eight - a cheap piece of equipment - can be used with ropes from 8mm to 13mm. Attachment to the rope is simply over and under, can be used to belay principal (will explain the belay process later in chapter).
• Stop - self-braking descender for single rope - for long descents - multipurpose device, can also be used for ascending - more appropriate for experienced user, there for the CPO would use the stop, as he can assist the principal with out holding onto the rope while both of them are hanging on the ropes, the CPO can also give body cover , if CPO needs to ascend for some reason he will be able do so.
Now that you know the function of each piece of equipment, the steps of using these equipment will be Described after
VIP - CLOSE PROTECTION
explaining the figure of 8 knot.
A figure 8 knot is made at the end of the rope where your carabineer can be attached to the rope on the one end and the sling which will be attached to the ancker point.
ONLY THE BASICS ARE COVERED, AS THERE ARE MANY DIFFIRENTKNOTS, THIS IS THE ONLY ONE YOU SHOULD KNOW FOR NOW.
This knot is specifically used for abseiling, PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY OTHER FANCY KNOTS, it could be DANGERES.
STEP 1
• Always think safety first - Plan your descent - Identify a solid ancker point (a down pipe of a building, a burglar bar, a door handle, taps, light fittings, furniture, etc) , is NOT solid ancker points, use more than one ancker point if necessary.
STEP 2
• Put on your harnesses.
Waist-Belt Full Body Chest
STEP 3
• Place your sling/ rope around ancker point, put 2 carabines through slings.
VIP - CLOSE PROTECTION
STEP 4
• Make a figure of 8 knot at the end of the rope, hook a carabineer onto the fig 8 knot and at the same time onto the sling which is already attached to the ancker point.(use a screw gate).
ROPE SCREW GATE CARABINE A manual lock screw gate should always be finger tight (not to tight).
STEP 5
• Now you clear the way where the rope will be thrown out of the window, be sure that the rope is not to short and not reaching the ground or got tangled on the way down.
• Exactly the same procedure would be followed with the belay rope (repeat steps from ancker point to throw out point) in reality it would be done simultaneously.
STEP 6
• Attach the descending devices to the rope, the petzl stop and the figure 8. Don’t get confused by the figure 8 knot and the figure 8 descender. Once the descenders are attached to the rope you will clip the stop onto the carabineer which hooked onto your harness, finger tight the carabineer then the fig 8 descender.
Of the principal which is already attached to the rope with a over and under will now be clipped on the Harness of the principal by means of the carabineer, finger tight his.
FIG 8 DESCENDER OVER/ UNDER ATTACHMENT PETZL STOP DESCENDER FROM ROPE ONTO FIG 8
STEP 7
• Double check all attachments, carabineers and harnesses.
VIP - CLOSE PROTECTION
STEP 8
• Stand at the point where you start your descent, take up all slack on rope, the rope should be tight, not like in the illustration.
STEP 9
• Put on your gloves as well as your principals.
STEP 10
• Lay back at a 45 degree angle with legs spread open to balance yourself, and with the right hand assist the principal in the belay process, although the would be a person beneath to belay the principal.
NOTE: THE POSITION OF THE RIGHT HAND HOLDING THE ROPE WICH ACT AS A BREAK.
VIP - CLOSE PROTECTION
STEP 11
• Slowly take down your principal to safety. Advise him to close his eyes and assure him you will get him down safe.
These are the basics of abseiling but you are obligated to do the practical as there are many detail to be adhered to.
DO NOT TRY THIS WITHOUT PROPER TRAINNG AND SUPERVISION.
Summary
In this chapter we've discussed the basics of radio communication, a topic you must familiarize yourself with. Now test your knowledge of the chapter with the self-assessment questions that follow. Answer the questions in your own words.
Write your answers in a file, than compare them with our suggested answers, below. Revise if necessary.