Operations Management – Lessons Learned in Vertical Surface Case Management
If your area of responsibility includes high-angle rope rescue teams, an annual coordination meeting should be conducted to review the following:
1. Communication Plans
• Establish and practice clear communication protocols between the on-scene commander, helicopter crew, and operations manager.
2. Response Capabilities
• Confirm rope team availability, readiness levels, and estimated response times.
3. Known Rescue Locations
• Review all vertical surface areas with a history of rescue activity.
4. Site-Specific Challenges
• Identify operational challenges for both rope and helicopter teams at each site (e.g., lack of suitable anchors for ground rescue, cliffs too vertical for rope descent, excessive dust for night helicopter operations, limited landing zones, etc.).
5. Equipment and Rope Lengths
• Verify rope lengths and other critical equipment limitations for all high-angle teams.
6. Contingency Planning
Review and document all possible rescue configurations:
• Rope team–only rescue to the top of the cliff.
• Helicopter-only rescue directly to the aircraft.
• Helicopter short-haul extraction.
• Helicopter rescue with transfer (“wing-to-wing”) to helicopter air ambulance or ground ambulance.
• Rope team descends to secure the survivor then continues descent to a suitable area followed by helicopter hoist from lower on the cliff (can reduce response time and overall risk in some cases).
• Rope team secures the survivor then transfers them to the rescue swimmer for hoist—teams must be familiar with each other’s harness systems to ensure continuous attachment and safe handoff before hoisting.