The term ‘Keep it simple’ has always been used when it comes to achieving specific goals, and rope rescue is no exception.

Rope rescue is a technical skill where often the main goal is to remove the patient from danger. For example, a patient may have climbed up the side of a cliff with no equipment and is now stuck half way because they are unable to climb any further and at the same time they cannot climb back down. The goal of the rope rescue team is to access this patient so they can remove them from danger.

A more serious example could be that a patient has had a nasty fall and is seriously injured at the bottom of a cliff. The goal of the rope rescue team is to get that patient back up the cliff and into the back of an Ambulance without causing any further injury to the patient.

To achieve these goals the rope rescue team needs to come up with a plan about how they are going to rig a system to complete the rescue. It is not uncommon for this question to be met with the response – ‘Keep it simple’, or as it is also referred to as the ‘KISS Method’ (Keep It Simple Stupid)

People see many benefits in Keeping it simple, and it does sound like a good idea. Keeping it simple makes it easy to explain to rope rescue team members how the rescue system needs to be rigged, and it also makes it quick and easy to rig the system and to get the patient to safety. Keeping it simple doesn’t waste time (or what can be perceived as wasting time), and it makes it easy to remember your training.

Remembering your training is very important for when it comes time to responding to the real thing, and keeping it simple will be of benefit for teams who must maintain their skills in multiple different types of rescues, or ‘Plate Spinners’ as I have heard Reed Thorne refer to them as. Plate spinners are circus performers who spin plates on the end of pool cues, and the trick is to get as many plates spinning at once. But eventually some of the pates will start to slow down and the plate spinner needs to keep the plates spinning, so they continually jump from one plate to another preventing them from smashing on the ground. This works as a metaphor for rescue operators because they need to keep up their skills in many different rescue (keep all the plates spinning). For example, a firefighter needs to keep the firefighting plate spinning, as well as the HazMat plate, the USAR plate, the vehicle extrication plate, the confined space rescue plate, and the rope rescue plate. Keeping it simple will prevent the plates from falling and their skills fading. But is this maintaining quality skills?

When it comes to rope rescue, it’s called technical rescue, not simple rescue, meaning that it requires a technical understanding to effectively complete the rescue. Keeping it simple may not be enough to complete the rescue and prevent any further harm coming to the patient.

‘It’s called technical rescue, not simple rescue’

Rescue teams have set rules that they must follow because these rules have been introduced to prevent unsafe practices. These rules may have been written with the idea of making it simple, but maintaining safety would have been a higher priority. Protocols might state that a figure eight on a bight is the type of knot that is to be used for attaching the rope to an anchor, but quickly tying a granny knot could be quicker and easier, hence simple. For many reasons this would not be considered safe and is obviously against the rules. Teams will continually train to tie the figure eight on a bight over and over again, so that tying this knot does become simple for them. It is now easier to remember and easier to tie, but making it safe has taken priority over making it simple.

When constructing a raising system to lift a patient up a cliff, quickly wrapping the rope around a couple of carabiners and then dragging the patient up the cliff would be classed as keeping it simple but it would be a lot of hard work, and could cause a lot of damage to your equipment. Taking two minutes to rig could save you two hours of heartache. Adding pulleys instead of just carabiners will reduce the amount of friction involved, and ensuring that the ropes do not rub against anything will ensure that the raising system runs efficiently and the patient is raised up the cliff with minimal effort. This would be done by keeping it simple, but in this case efficiency has taken priority over simplicity.

‘Taking two minutes to rig could save you two hours of heartache’

Keeping it simple will allow team members to construct a rope rescue system anyway they want. Every person is different and so every person would have different views. If you gather together five different people, and each person came from a different type of rescue team from a completely different part of the world, there is a very high probability that these five people would construct a rope rescue system in five different ways. This would be keeping it simple for each individual but not everyone would be ‘on the same page’ which can cause confusion and a major delay in the rescue. Keeping it professional would take priority over keeping it simple. A professional rescue team works together so that every member knows how their team wants each section of a rope rescue system to be rigged, they know how their team wants each specific part of the rescue system to be operated, and they know how to communicate effectively using the same terms. This professional manner will make the rescue run a lot smoother, therefore making it simple.

Keeping it simple is something we should strive towards in rope rescue, but first we need to make sure it is safe before we can even consider making it simple. We also need to ensure that the rope rescue system is built with efficiency in mind, and that we rig and operate the system professionally. All these aspects need to be addressed to keeping it simple. Just keeping it simple without addressing anything else can lead to failure.

Keep it safe, keep it efficient, keep it professional, and only then can you address the need to keep it simple