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Topic Date User

Leading rappeller falls unconscious. What to do? 15-Aug-2014 At 9:42:44 AM kieranl

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As ajfclark says hauling your partner by yourself is going to suck. It would be hard enough with pulleys but with the inefficiencies of using krabs in lieu of pulleys it will be desperate. Maybe if you only had to get them up a couple of metres to a ledge...

But this isn't just a technical exercise, it's primarily a medical emergency. Why is your partner unconscious? Did they get hit by a rock or is it a medical condition? What's your best course of action to make them safe and get medical attention as fast as possible? If you have mobile reception or an epirb make the call before doing anything else. Don't wait to get down to your partner before calling it in - they're unconscious, it's an emergency.

Whatever you propose to do, you are still going to have to get down to them first to try to make sure they don't die or exacerbate spinal injuries during the rescue process (but make sure you aren't going to die doing this). If they've been hit on the head by a rock you should improvise a cervical collar.

Once you've done what you can, then see about trying to move them to the first safe place. Whether that's all the way to the ground or to the nearest ledge they can be secured to is a judgement call. The rule is to move the patient only as much as is required to make them safe until medical help arrives and that is totally dependent on circumstances.