Submitted By: Micki Kaplan
Who needs swiftwater rescue training? Answer: Everyone!
RMCC club members attended an excellent 2 day Swift Water Rescue Class, Sunday-Monday, July 9 & 10, 2023 taught by Alan Cammack of Canyon River Instruction (CRI) located by the Arkansas River, just outside Salida, CO. CRI offered RMCC club members a significant discount, in addition, the club gave everyone a bonus payment as further incentive to complete the training.
CRI offered this RMCC-coordinated course at a discount to our Club members. As this helps spread safety knowledge and practice among our membership, participants with greater than 1 year of RMCC membership received a small reimbursement upon completion of the class.
The objective of the class was to brush up and learn river safety skills. If you haven’t yet taken a swift water class, it’s never too late and I hope you will consider taking a class next year. The skills you will learn (whether you are new to boating or a very seasoned boater with decades under your belt) will help you and your group stay safe in the event of various river incidents. The class was valuable, lots of fun and we all learned A LOT. Our class was comprised of all ages and stages: some beginning boaters, several in our group had been boating many decades, and some had taken swift water rescue before.
Our class of 9 included: Bob Stallard, Micki Kaplan, Debbie Hinde, Erin Danaher, Randy Fowler, Brookie Gallagher, Andreas Groggor, Britt Bergstedt, and Sam Gervais.
Class objectives were:
* To promote proactive prevention of river accidents and injuries;
* Develop and practice key self rescue skills;
* Identify and avoid river hazards;
* Focus on fast, low-risk strategies for early management of river accidents;
* Develop and practice methods for recovering swimmers, loose boats, and equipment;
* Develop and practice more advance rope-based and in water skills;
* Gain experience understanding and using a rescue PFD;
* Utilize rescue scene management principles needed for paddling with a group.
Over the 2-day class, there was typically morning class room sessions followed by on the river training on the Arkansas River in the afternoons. The training on the river was not boating based, it was shore based, or in the river. There was a lot of emphasis on group dynamics on river trips, practicing strategies for in the river rescue using ropes, paddles and techniques we learned in class. We also practiced live swimming rescues in moving water. We learned the science and art of vector pulls. If you’re like me, setting up a Z drag can feel overwhelming. One of the big take aways I had was learning new techniques that are much simpler for dealing with pinned boats, such as the Progressive Vector pull.
If you think you have all the skills you need for river rescue, please rethink this. Rescue techniques change, new training techniques get developed, new gear comes on the market, and the science of river rescue strategies and techniques change over time. I hope club members will consider taking this class next year. Definitely worth your time and money. Thank you to Alan Cammack at CRI for the excellent class, to Debbie Hinde for helping organize and to the RMCC for providing a subsidy.
