ResCon

30/04/2026

Rescue Con 2027 - June 4th - 6th 2027

19/06/2024

19/06/2024

The Larkin Frame display;

Demonstrating more than just the Larkin frame. Starting at the back end we discussed what is so often the great unknown quantity: anchors, and how we can make them less of an unknown. The anchors displayed and discussed were vehicles and ground stakes.
Moving through the system we then looked at the rope control devices. COMRU use reasonably old (but still reliable!) Petzl I’Ds but we also looked at more modern options which are more efficient when hauling. To top this off Jamie from Skylotec brought a range of Actsafe powered ascenders and gave a demonstration of how these could be used for effective hauling by raising and lowering a load through the Larkin Frame.
Then at the front of system we had the Larkin Frame set up just back from the loose and broken edge of a riverbank, which could have just as easily be the head of a shaft. The Larkin Frame was tilted forward to clear the edge allowing for a seamless edge transition with a stretcher.

18/06/2024

The digging and shoring;

This station demonstrated COMRU's techniques for putting a protected tunnel through unstable collapses. The delegates saw the use of spiling (forepoling) to protect diggers whilst spoil was removed and square set timber work installed.

17/06/2024

On the Sunday we ran an ICT session that covered a variety of topics, including electronic T cards and incident logging, MRMap, Zello-VHF gateways, COMRU’s gear logging database and SARCALL.
Thanks Paul Taylor of Gloucestershire Cave Rescue, Dave Binks of Duddon & Furness MRT, Adrian Verity of Kirkby Stephen MRT/AVIT Research Ltd and Samuel Carradice of COMRU for their presentations and also for their willingness to answer all manner of queries and questions about their tools and systems.

As well as trade stands from Lyon, Starless River and Skylotec, we were fortunate to have a visit from the ‘Spot’ robot dogs and a LIDAR capable drone from Sellafield Ltd.

16/06/2024

Rock Splitting;

On Sunday morning there was a demonstration on splitting rock using plug and feathers as well as pyrotechnics.

The first demonstration was using the plug and feathers to show how this simple technique can be used to great effect when breaking down large rocks.

We then went on to a demonstration using pyrotec gas generating cartridges, these split the rock using rapid gas expansion and showed how effortlessly large rock could be split on mass.

15/06/2024

Releasable deviations and horizontal lifts;

The object of the scenario was to explore rigging techniques in situations where a casualty is to be hauled up a pitch or shaft where the top is unstable.

The use of releasable deviations enabled the stretcher to be maneuvered without touching the top of the shaft/pitch to an area of safety without the need for team members to be located at the top of the unstable pitch/shaft.

14/06/2024

The crush scenario;

this was based around the use of different equipment, what to do in the absence of a medical professional and an emphasis of the dangerous surroundings found in a cave such as loose boulders.

The session emphasised the extraction and release of a crushed patient from the cave/mine environment and also discussions surrounding the use of intravenous fluids

13/06/2024

Vacuum mattress and Vertical lift;

The objectives were to discuss the use of a vacuum mattress underground and to carry out a vertical lift using a stretcher.

This created good discussion on the forces involved on the haul system and different approaches and equipment used to deal with these. We used a 3:1 haul system but discussed both 5:1 and 9:1 system.

Delegates had the opportunity of getting hands on experience in session using a variety of equipment.