1. 93 SWRT GUIDELINES – The intent of the 93-SWRT guideline is to help ensure that all Swiftwater missions are conducted in a manner that will maximize the safety of any and all 93 SWRT Members.

2. SEARCH AND RESCUE GUIDELINES – The intent of this document is to set minimum guidelines for the establishment of the 93 SWRT, the Old Forge Fire department itself and basic guidelines to conduct these programs.

3.  PURPOSE – The purpose of the 93 SWRT is to provide a nucleus of trained special rescue personnel to deal with situations involving water related search, rescue, and recovery without risking the lives of untrained personnel. These situations can range from rescue, recovery of victims, the recovery of property, etc. The purpose of the team is to be able to perform these task, but to do so in a safe manner and organized manner.

4.  GOALS – The primary goal of the 93 SWRT involves the successful organization, direction, support, execution, and safety of surface search, rescue and recovery. Personnel acting in such a capacity may be expected to organize, direct, and personally participate in such operations. They will be responsible for assuring that all available resources are properly utilized to include untrained personnel with particular attention being paid to the safety of the organization. 

5. LIABLILTY – This document is intended solely as a guide to appropriate procedures to be employed when dealing with specific Swiftwater Rescue situations. It is not intended as a statement of the standards of care required in any particular situation since circumstances and conditions can vary widely. It is not intended that this document shall in any way advise emergency personnel concerning legal authority to perform procedures discussed. These determinations should only be made with the aid of counsel. Individuals engaging in swiftwater rescue situations must realize that the activity they are participating in is inherently dangerous. 

6.  93 SWIFTWATER RESCUE PERSONNEL – SWRT personnel are personnel trained specifically to perform rescues as related to swift water missions. Members must be at least Swiftwater Rescue certified and are expected to follow the guidelines as expressed by the 93-SWRT leadership. No SWRT member will perform task that are beyond his/her level of expertise. It is expressly forbidden that any swift water rescue team member enter the water of a swift water mission without at least, one other SWRT member present, a helmet, PFD.
 

7.  SUPPORT PERSONNEL – Ground support personnel is any member of the Fire Department or other emergency services who expresses interest or trains to provide surface, shore, communications, logistical, or other support necessary for the accomplishment of the SAR mission of the team. No Personnel will perform task that are beyond his/her area of expertise and it is expressly forbidden that ground support enter a hazardous water rescue mission without the appropriate gear or training.

8. 93 SWIFT WATER RESCUE TEAM  ORGANIZATION – 
    1. Incident Commander
    2. 93-SWRT Officer (This can be any 93-SWRT Tech. that the IC deems competent)
    3. 93-SWRT Member
    4. Support Personnel
    (The purpose of the technicians assigned to the 93-SWRT is to address any water 
    rescue/recovery missions that the 93-SWRT may be assigned to. The purpose of 
    the Rescue Technicians on the 93 -SWRT is to serve in a swiftwater rescue capacity. 

9. AUTHORITY – The Incident Commander and 93-SWRT Officer-in-Charge have the ultimate authority over all SAR training and missions. The team will follow the locally accepted Incident Command System when performing missions. Appropriate accountability system must be utilized at all times.

10.  TATICAL APPROACHES - 
TALK to the victim into self-rescue. If possible, the victim can be talked into swimming to shore or assisting the rescuers with his/her own rescue. If a victim is stranded in the middle of a flash flood, this will not be prudent. 
REACH 
If possible, the rescuer should extend his/her hand or some other object, such as a pike pole, to remove the victim from the water. 
THROW 
If the victim is too far out in the water to reach, rescuer(s) should attempt to throw the victim a throw bag or some piece of positive flotation (i.e., PFD, rescue ring). Downstream personnel should be in position during the actual rescue operation. If the victim is able to grab the throw bag, the rescuer can pendulum belay or haul the victim to the nearest bank. Care should be taken to assure the victim will be belayed to a safe downstream position. 
 

ROW 
If it is determined that a boat based operation shall be run, Command should assign a company on the opposite bank to assist SWRT Officer in establishing an anchor for a rope system. The company on the opposite bank will be made aware of the action plan. SWRT Officer will be responsible for seeing that the rope system used for the boat based operation is built safe and proper. A minimum of 2 point tether should be built for swift-water operations.  IC or the SWRT Officer should consider personal protective equipment (PPE) for victim(s). 
GO 
If it is not possible to ROW (boat base operation) to the victim, SWRT Officer should consider putting a rescuer in the water to reach the victim. This is a very high risk operation. Only rescuers with the proper training and equipment should be allowed to enter the water. Prior to the rescuer actually proceeding into the water, he/she shall discuss the action plan, including specific tasks and objectives, hazards and alternate plans. The rescuer shall never be attached to a life line without the benefit of a quick-release mechanism. The rescuer should take PPE of at least a PFD to the victim. Members shall not do a breath-hold surface dive in an attempt to locate a victim beneath
 

11. RESCUE/RECOVERY CONSIDERATION– Most bodies of water in our region are considered cold water for at least ¾ of the calendar year. Cold water is defined as temperatures below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The human body reaction to cold water immersion is hypothermia and the Mammalian Dive Reflex, where the bodily essentially restricts the blood flow from the peripheral body functions to the major organs, the brain, lungs, and heart. Because of this reaction, persons who have drowned in water colder than 70 degrees F have been successfully revived after being submerged for 60 minutes. Many conditions determine a person’s survivability after submerging, (clothing, water temperature, physical activity, and fitness level). The Swiftwater Rescue Team (SWRT) should use the 60 minute rule when determining whether a situation is a rescue or recovery. If the time of submersion is 60 minutes or less, the SWRT will treat the situation as a rescue. For times greater than 60 minutes the operation may be treated as a recovery or at the discretion of the IC. (Please keep in mind these practices should be used in a cold water situation).

12. PUBLIC DISCLOSURE – Team members will not discuss specific SWRT missions with anyone outside the team. Any questions that are asked from anyone outside of the team (i.e.; family members, press, etc) that is concerned with the SAR mission must be directed to the Incident Commander.
 
 
 
 
 

13.  PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS – Each member must meet the Swift Water Rescue Technician requirements. The intent of the requirements is designed to protect both the 93 SWRT members, fellow emergency organizations, and the general public.

93 SWRT REQUIREMENTS 

Technician
** Certified Swift Water Rescue Training (PA. Fire Academy, PA Fish & Boat, etc)
**Hazmat R&I
**CPR/First Aid
**Attend 85% of all training sessions.
**Annual training on basic rope / knot skills.

14.  WATER SKILLS EVALUATION – 
The purpose of the evaluation is to provide 93-SWRT members an opportunity to practice, refine, and demonstrate basic water safety, basic water skills, and try new equipment in a controlled environment.

SKILLS EVALUATION for 93 SWT Members

**Swim 50 yards
**Tread water for 10 minutes
**Swim 10 – 15 yards under water
**Don PFD correctly
**Re-Don PFD in Water
**Entanglement drills
**Manual dexterity drills.

15. CERTIFICATION RECORDS – All 93 SWRT certifications must be kept current at all times should a member choose to participate in any 93 SWRT training or missions.
 

16.  MEDICAL ISSUES – Any member who is ill or under any medical care including the use of medications that may alter their performance must report this to the Incident Commander or the 93-SWRT Officer-in-Charge prior to participating in any training or SAR missions. Some patient care and medical definitions that are most frequently followed are as follows:

Drowning – Death from suffocation by submersion in water.

Near Drowning – A survival, at least temporary, after suffocation in water.

Diving Reflex – Slowing of the heart rate caused by submersion in cold water.

Trauma – A wound, injury, or shock, usually caused by external forces.

Hypothermia – A condition in which the body loses more heat that it produces, usually 95 deg or lower.

Shivering – An involuntary response to generate more body heat through muscular activity.

Shock – A condition in which the circulatory system fails to provide sufficient circulation so that every body part can perform its function.