Fence Strainer Rescue Training

摘要

During kentucky's 50-year flood of 2010, among many rescues, we received a call for a minivan stalled on a flooded road with two passengers inside. The fast-moving, knee-deep water was flowing across and perpendicular to the road. On the upstream side of the road was a split-rail fence; on the downstream side, a seven-foot slope that led downhill to a wire grid horse fence. This situation left little room for error and made placing downstream backup difficult because of the fence. Two of us waded on the upstream side of the road along the downstream side of the split-rail fence. When upstream of the van, we tied a throw bag rope to a sturdy fencepost and one of us walked downstream to the van, using the rope for support. After putting personal flotation devices (PFDs) on both occupants, we walked them out one at a time, the child first and then the father. No one was swept into the fence strainer (which allows water to flow through, not solid objects). However, there was a significant potential for this scenario.