DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR LIFEBELT
SAFETY
Rope has received a lot of well-deserved attention these days, but rope operations will not necessarily be safer unless all rope-related equipment is just as well maintained, so…
Ever since two fire fighters fell seven stories to their deaths when a life rope broke at a Manhattan fire on June 27,1980, no one in the country has been more relentless in learning about rope than the New York Fire Department whose rope unit is headed by Lieutenant Richard Murray of the Division of Training.
The department has tested the limits of all types of rope. Members have traveled to special conferences where they could learn from other heavy-duty users like the United States Navy and Coast Guard. They have trained others using the information they have gained.
And the department discovered that there was more to fire service rope safety than just selecting the rope itself.
You can get the best rope made, but if you don t maintain it —and the related equipment — you’re asking for trouble.
Take lifebelts, for example. They have an obviously critical role in rope rescue situations. But New York’s research and comments from other observers around the country indicate that these belts are being taken for granted.
Consider this report from the recent I AFC Conference in Philadelphia: A new and lavishly equipped rescue squad vehicle on display there had lifebelts that were old and dangerous, with leather straps that were cracking if not rotting. Leather has not been used on lifebelts for years. So, how old are yours?
Belts came to the attention of New York through a methodical research on rope. They had been testing many types of and sizes of rope, looking for one safe enough to be rated for an 8000-pound static load. The term “static load” is used for laboratory purposes. It means the load is at rest, not moving or jerking the rope as would happen in an emergency situation. The work load of the above rope, according to the manufacturer, is 800 pounds.
The rope chosen by New York was 9/16-inch nylon, left lay. Then they realized that an 8000-pound rope used with a lighter rated belt was not their idea of “safe.”
At the time, every New York fire company had lifebelts, but many were made of cotton webbing and leather straps. They would soon be completely removed from service because experiments showed that the standard Sav-Tee harness broke at around 5000 pounds. The grommets in ordinary lifebelts ripped at around 4000 pounds. (Aged and cracked leather would obviously break much sooner.)
The reason for such an extra safety factor over the weight of two men and equipment (up to 500 pounds) was to cover the extra weight put on a rope because of any freefall and because rope loses some of its strength as it is used or ages. The fire service needs all the safety factor it can get, of course.
In effect, there was the possibility of using a belt beginning to fail at no more than 1600 pounds with the new rope tested for 8000 pounds. The department knew it had more work to do on the belts.
The result of these experiments led the department to ask a cooperative company, Atlas Safety Equipment, to come up with a new belt with a better hook. Currently all the earlier belts, even those made with synthetic materials that replaced the cotton and leather ones, will eventually be replaced with a model that has a vastly improved hook.
One of the sternest safety cautions impressed upon rookie fire fighters everywhere is to wrap the lifebelt hook with the rope in the proper direction. But there was always the possibility of forgetting in the midst of an emergency just which was the correct way. (Do you know, right now?)
The new hook design is stronger — strong enough to be used with the new, stronger rope. And the gate can be locked so that a life rope should never again be able to wind right off the hook during a descent. The department then worked on two more features of the belt for New York use. It replaced the standard 1 ½inch billet loop with a 4-inch one so the billet strap could be held more securely. And it angled off the square-end billet so it would go into the loop faster.
The overall result was that hundreds of extra pounds were added to the loadcarrying ability of the rope/belt system since the fatal accident 2 ½ years ago.
Lieutenant Murray is especially reluctant to say what another fire department “should” do about rope and belt selection and maintenance, however. But it is hard to see how anyone could go very wrong following the advice of his department.
Lifesaving rope, he says, should be inspected once a week, end to end. It should be stored in a protective case and kept in a compartment away from heat. After each inspection, it is a good idea to rebag with the opposite end to the outside, to keep the rope pliable. He doesn’t feel a strong need to twist rope and open up the strands for an internal inspection looking for powdery evidence of deterioration — unless some department still is using manila life rope for some reason or the synthetic rope remains in service for repeated use.
Any rope usage should be noted on records kept for every life rope. If a life rope in New York is used with the weight of two people, it is taken out of lifesaving service. Period. If it is used to rappel with the weight of one person, it is closely inspected.
Other conditions cause different responses. If wet, the rope is allowed to dry. If wet and then frozen, it goes out of service. Exposure to salt water also causes removal. If rust stains can be washed out, the rope is kept. If rust stains are persistent, the rope goes out of service.
“Out of service” means out of life rope service. In New York, a life rope is 150 feet, no less. If a former life rope can still be used for utility service, it is cut — usually to less than 75 feet. If any rope is seen to be less than 150 feet, then the message is clear: Don’t use to lift or lower people.
When making the same weekly inspection of the belt, the manufacturer suggests bending it into an Oshape so any small cuts are more visible due to the tension of the curve. Then slowly roll the belt in your hands so that the bent section rolls the length of the belt. Turn it over and roll down the other side. Frayed edges, broken fibers, pulled stitches and any other damage requires the belt to go out of service.
Particular attention should also be paid to the rivets. They should be in place and tight. Brass grommets on the billet should show no signs of elongation.
Look at the O-ring. Is it elongated? Is the weld cracked, do you see rust? The hook should also be rust-free, and the gate should be in alignment with the upper portion of the hook. Don’ throw or drop the belt; it looks sturdy but you can weaken the hook.
Store the belt in the same dry compartment as the rope, away from the heat of engine or exhaust.
As for cleaning, use nothing stronger than ordinary detergent. Wipe off all surface dirt with a sponge dampened in plain water. Then dip the sponge in a water-detergent solution and rub the webbing vigorously, working up a thick lather. Thoroughly rinse, wipe dry and hang away from heat to air dry. . Do not store wet.
These tips came from a training bulletin of the New York Fire Department. Its closing message is to the point: “Proper care and maintenance of this vital piece of equipment will ensure that it will L>e in good condition, ready for its infrequent but important use when required.”
The word “infrequent” is the problem word because it allows the belt to be forgotten in some fire departments until it is once again called upon to save a life.
What of the future? Murray is working on more refinements for the rope-belt system. One came from another accident when a lieutenant was testing rope and different wraps for the hook The wrap he had tried hung up, leaving him trapped and dangling many feet in the air. Then the belt slowly started to ride up his chest as gravity pulled on his body, putting pressure where it was not intended and interfering with breathing. The lieutenant was rescued. The department started to think more about leg straps for the belt. That is still under development, as is a new design for a personal harness for rope rescue that the fire fighter would wear all during a shift. If a critical need for rescue occurs, the harness will always be there.
Another item New York is looking at is a new eight-strand life rope that has two pairs of left lay strands and two pairs of right lay strands. This is said to result in a balanced rope with less tendency to kink. At first glance the rope looks too loosely constructed to be strong enough for fire service use, but it has the same 8000pound static load rating as the 9/16-inch three-strand nylon.
These items are still under study, but developments by the New York Fire Department and others pioneering new areas of rope research will be covered in future issues.
