Questions tagged [rescue]

Questions about rescuing someone in the Outdoors. Do note that self-rescues have their own tag

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51 votes
7 answers
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How to safely rescue someone drowning as an untrained bystander?

Motivated by a comment thread in this question here. As far as I know the consensus basically boils down to: It is very hard rescuing someone who is drowning. It can be very dangerous rescuing a ...
fgysin's user avatar
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31 votes
4 answers
6k views

Should one attempt to rescue a stranger from a crevasse or wait for mountain rescue?

Imagine the situation. You are somewhere in the montblanc massif crossing a glacier and you come across a pair of climbers. You/ I are well trained in crevasse rescue, but are not a certified guide. ...
llama's user avatar
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27 votes
2 answers
2k views

Do electronics interfere with avalanche beacons?

I have been told that electronics can possibly interfere with avalanche beacons (cell phones, radios, etc., but even flashlights). Is there any truth to this? A source would be helpful, ideally from a ...
Felix's user avatar
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21 votes
3 answers
681 views

How can I rescue someone lost in an avalanche?

If someone from our group is caught in an avalanche, what can I do to rescue them?
Reverend Gonzo's user avatar
20 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why does suspension trauma happen?

This question once more brought up the topic of suspension trauma. I tried to read up on the topic, but found that the Wikipedia page was not as informative as I would have liked. Especially I'm ...
fgysin's user avatar
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20 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the proper technique for self-arrest when wearing crampons?

What is the proper technique to self-arrest and brake a fall, given steep icy (frozen snow) slope, when wearing crampons and wielding an ice axe? Should the crampons be used for stopping or held high ...
Vorac's user avatar
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19 votes
2 answers
4k views

How do I rescue someone out of a crevasse?

What is the technique involved in crevasse rescues? Presuming a group are all moving together on a glacier and the leader of the party has fallen into a crevasse (collapsed snow bridge, etc.). The ...
user avatar
18 votes
3 answers
3k views

What should a rescue team be equipped with?

The last weekend when I was coming back home from a trek on Sunday noon, I got a news about this accident that took place. The place was on the way, so instead of choosing to rest at home, I chose to ...
WedaPashi's user avatar
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18 votes
2 answers
2k views

Crevasse rescue with knots in the rope

This has been bugging me for a while. A party is traveling on a glacier and adds braking knots evenly to the length of the rope as seen in this answer. The person leading the rope falls into a ...
llama's user avatar
  • 1,962
18 votes
1 answer
496 views

What do I need to be aware of if I'm considering purchasing a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)?

Obviously, I can't just buy it, push the button and expect a helicopter to show up. Are there monthly or registration fees? Do I need to get a permit or register with someone? How does it all work? ...
Hartley Brody's user avatar
17 votes
3 answers
4k views

Double Mariner Mechanical Advantage

Petzl have a diagram on their website for what they call a Double Mariner. It's identified on the site as having a 7:1 mechanical advantage, but I can only see it as having a 5:1. Can somebody ...
Raz Peel's user avatar
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15 votes
4 answers
581 views

Is there a practical risk when wearing an avalanche beacon on your top layer?

There are two "rules" which are commonly stated with how to wear an avalanche beacon which are closely related, but not quite the same: You should wear it over your bottom layer. The avalanche beacon ...
imsodin's user avatar
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14 votes
2 answers
3k views

Seeking advice on getting a wild bird out an open window or door, alone, with no help. (Location, Virginia)

When my husband was alive, we did not have inordinate difficulty in guiding small mammals and birds out of the house. Open the windows, open the doors, employ a coordinated pincer movement wielding ...
ab2's user avatar
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13 votes
3 answers
754 views

How can I know if a rope is certified? I found a hidden tag

We (a uni student club, mostly hiking) own a rope that is practically unknown. We know that it's a year since it was bought (presumably new) and that it has hardly ever been used (no dead hangs, etc). ...
user56833's user avatar
  • 345
12 votes
4 answers
1k views

What are the correct techniques for rescuing someone who has fallen through the ice?

If someone where to fall through the ice on a lake or a pond, what would be some correct ways of rescuing them? This question is inspired mostly by this video, where one person gets too close to the ...
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
9 votes
6 answers
309 views

Fisherman rescue, what gear is required?

Apologies for the word problem. I'm sure there's a simple solution or two, but I'm trying to work out a real world scenario. We used to indoor top rope belay but that was years ago in boy Scouts so ...
Garrett Carson's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
2k views

Is there really no way to rescue a climber from the death zone?

I have watched many documentaries about accidents on Everest and what I learned is, that it is impossible to rescue anybody from the death zone. It is simply too hard for the sherpas, or anybody else ...
user1721135's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

What order of response time can I expect if I hit the "911" button on my SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker?

A friend gave us a satellite communication gadget that has three buttons to send three messages, two of them to a programmed address ((1) location and (2) alert), and the third is a "911" button. We'...
ab2's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to pull someone up in a rescue situation?

This question made me wonder how one should be pulled up in a rescue situation, e.g. when lowering is not an option. This answer explains a Z-pulley when in an alpine/glacier environment. I'm more ...
knitti's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
704 views

What is the mortality rate of Mt St. Elias?

Mt St. Elias is a mountain on the border of Canada and Alaska. I believe it has the fastest relief from sea level of any mountain in the world. I've read somewhere that it has a higher mortality ...
Joe B's user avatar
  • 171
5 votes
1 answer
752 views

How to improvise a rescue 'throw bag' rope?

Dealing with water rescue, it is valuable to have an easily thrown rope nearby. There are specific items made for this, such as this throw bag with 50 ft. of high visibility MFP rope by Scotty. How ...
cr0's user avatar
  • 4,003
4 votes
1 answer
268 views

What should I do with a newborn squirrel found in parking lot?

We found this newborn squirrel in a parking lot and brought it home (obviously would have left it where it was if it was in a more safe location and wouldn't have been run over). It was pretty lively ...
Belgin Fish's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
346 views

How fast does suspension trauma happen?

In this question I asked about suspension trauma and why it's effects come to be. Apparently the main reason is reduced blood flow/ circulation. This is due to blood vessels being constrained/pressed ...
fgysin's user avatar
  • 13k
2 votes
2 answers
131 views

What to look for in a throw bag for swift water

For the more experienced white water paddlers, raft guides and the like, What features do you look for in a throw bag In the swift-water environment. Ie. Favorite/most useful length [for your rivers/...
wanna-beCanadianPilot's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
107 views

Does mountaineering organization membership provide wilderness rescue/evacuation expense insurance? [closed]

Garmin inReach devices and its subscription plans seems to offer (optional?) rescue/evacuation insurance already: Does mountaineering organization membership such as Sierra Club from California, and ...
qazwsx's user avatar
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