Swift Water Rescue

Swiftwater Personal Skills

Moving water is a very unforgiving environment and claims many lives in New Zealand every year. Over the last 5 years an average of 127 people a year have drowned in New Zealand. Drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death in New Zealand, of these, 30% occur in rivers.

A basic understanding of rivers and a healthy respect for the power of moving water can help to minimise some of this danger and give you the ability to work with it. This course is not designed to turn you into a swift water rescue expert. The purpose is to learn how to stay safe around moving water and to help you recognise when you need to call in the experts.

Key features:

• Recognise river features and their effects
• Understand river and search terminology
• Move safely in and around a river environment up to grade 2 including safe swimming and river crossing techniques
• Perform non technical searches in a river environment up to grade 2
• Use of equipment for the swiftwater environment
• Basic rescue techniqes including signals, throw bags and zip lines
• Practical exercises testing skill integration

Duration:

• Pre-workshop: Consists of reading, exercises and written activities designed to introduce you to the subject of swift water personal skills. This needs to be completed prior to the practical workshop.
• Workshop: Consists of the practical component of the course usually delivered over one evening and two days. Timing is approximately 8am until 6pm on both days.
• Post-workshop: Consists of reading, exercises and written activities designed to reinforce and extend the subject of swift water personal skills.

Course recommended for: all people who operate around swiftwater environments including Search and Rescue, Civil Defence, Fire Service, Clubs, Outdoor Centres, government departments and Businesses operating in a water environment

Prerequisites: Fitness and swimming ability must be sufficient to undertake the physical water components of this course.

Venue recommendations: grade two river

Equipment requirements: Swimming gear, including towels, Additional equipment requirements are detailed in introductory workbook and Completed introductory material/workbook.

Course Numbers: minimum/maximum 12

Additional costs: This course attracts education funding. As such LandSAR participants who enrol on this course, who complete the necessary enrolment documentation and meet enrolment criteria will not incur any tuition fees. International students, or individuals who prefer to pay for the course, will be invoiced. All invoices must be paid within 14 days of the course.

Seen the website, read the flyer, still have some questions?

Email rescue@sarinz.com and someone will be in touch with you asap.

Download Swiftwater Personal Skills Flyer

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Swiftwater Rescue Skills

This course is designed to build on your existing swift water knowledge and experience. You will learn how to conduct swiftwater rescues focusing on river knowledge, various useful techniques, using rafts and treating patients. Above all else staying calm and collected during an emergency event and having the confidence to get into the water to provide safe and effective rescue.

Key features:

• Understand river features and their effects on search and rescue
• Knowledge of subject behavoiur
• Move safely in and around a river environment up to grade 3
• Radio communication
• Extend the use of the throwbag
• Rope techniques including knots, bends, hitches, anchors and pulley systems
• Techniques to unwrap crafts and rescue trapped swimmers
• Complete shore and raft based rescue
• Treatment of subjects

Duration:The core course material is normally delivered over two days. There is also Introductory work while assessment occurs alongside the training and through a reflective practice component 

Course recommended for: people who have been operating in the swftwater environment and want to build in a rescue component to this experience

Prerequisites: Fitness and swimming ability must be sufficient to undertake the physical water components of this course. Need to have completed the swiftwater personal skills course and a minimum of 50 hours logged experience

Venue recommendations: A suitable classroom and grade 3 rivers

Equipment requirements: Will be discussed on application for a course.

Course Numbers: minimum/maximum 12

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Swiftwater Specialist Response

This course is designed to build on your existing swift water rescue knowledge and experience. You will learn how to conduct specialist swiftwater rescue response focusing on use of the resources of emergency community and more difficult rescue sitations as well as more information on the integration of CIMS in the swiftwater environment.

Key features:

• Use of helicopters
• Use of watercraft
• CIMS in swiftwater rescue
• Response tactics to vehicle rescue in swiftwater
• Response tactics to low head dams/ keeper (re-circulating) hazards
• Case studies and exercises

Duration:The core course material is normally delivered over two days. There is also Introductory work while assessment occurs alongside the training and through a reflective practice component 

Course recommended for: people who are operating as part of a swiftwater rescue team or are invloved in an emergency service that reponds in swiftwater environments including during floods.

Prerequisites: Fitness and swimming ability must be sufficient to undertake the physical water components of this course. Need to have completed the swiftwater rescue skills course.

Venue recommendations: A suitable classroom and suitable river features for exercises

Equipment requirements: Will be discussed on application for a course.

Course Numbers: minimum/maximum 12

Additional costs: This course attracts a surcharge of $150 per person.

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Lead Swiftwater SAR

This course is designed to build on your existing leadership ability in the swift water envirnment. You will learn how to lead swiftwater rescues focusing on liasing with incident management, managing teams and above all else staying calm and collected during an emergency event.

Key features:

• Applying CIMS to the rescue team environment
• Knowledge of agencies involved and their responsibilities
• Preplanning for swiftwater environments
• Technical Sector Officer Role
• Managing swiftwater and land based teams
• Recovery of subjects
• Practical exercises testing leadership skills

Duration:The core course material is normally delivered over two days. There is also Introductory work while assessment occurs alongside the training and through a reflective practice component 

Course recommended for: people who have been operating in the swftwater environment for quite some time and want to build in a leadership component to this experience

Prerequisites: Fitness and swimming ability must be sufficient to undertake the physical water components of this course. Need to have completed the swiftwater rescue skills and SAR leadership  courses.

Venue recommendations: A suitable classroom and grade 2/3 rivers

Equipment requirements: Will be discussed on application for a course.

Course Numbers: minimum/maximum 12

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