Cave rescue
The Cave Rescue is rescue work and medical care of injured cavers or - tourists from caves and underground cavities.
Organization / structure
Cave rescue is regulated and organized differently in many states or federal states.
In Germany, the individual groups are united in the Cave Rescue Association Germany (HRVD) and work together in major accidents. The association has issued a guideline on cave rescue. Sometimes the rescue is carried out by the fire brigade or mountain rescue service . Baden-Württemberg has its own cave rescues, which are mainly made up of cave researchers. It is called Baden-Württemberg Cave Rescue .
In Switzerland, three organizations have been working together successfully for years: the Spéléo Secours cave rescue commission of the Swiss Society for Speleology , Alpine Rescue Switzerland , and the Swiss Air Rescue Rega .
Origin and history
The regional cave rescue groups usually have their origins in the local cave associations and emerged from the experience that common aid organizations were not up to the requirements of a rescue in caves. The transport of injured people is particularly time-consuming, requires special materials and knowledge of the special features of this environment and can also take a long time: Spéléo Secours mentions that twelve helpers are on duty for more than 24 hours during an average rescue mission.
In most of the German karst areas , the need for a specialized and well-organized cave rescue was recognized and accepted by the rescue organizations over the course of time . In some cases, the existing groups were integrated there, e.g. B. at mountain rescue services ( German Red Cross , Bavarian Red Cross ), fire brigade or Malteser emergency service .
In Bavaria, cave rescue is explicitly anchored in the Rescue Service Act (BayRDG) from January 1, 2009.
Known missions
Operations by cave rescuers have gained international fame:
- Two Finnish cave divers died in the Jordbrugrotta, Norway, in 2014. While a first attempt by British cave rescuers and divers Richard Stanton, John Volanthen and Jason Mallinson failed to retrieve the bodies, Finnish divers later succeeded despite an inspection ban. This was portrayed in the documentary Diving into the Unknown (2016).
- The rescue of the cave explorer Johann Westhauser from the giant thing shaft cave . The accident happened in a cave at a depth of more than 900 meters. The cave is known for the fact that even a normal ascent offers numerous technical difficulties and requires a lot of perseverance and great experience. More than two hundred rescuers from Italy, Croatia, Austria, Switzerland and Germany worked for more than ten days to rescue the casualty.
- The rescue operation in the Tham Luang Cave , during which a soccer junior team was trapped by water masses on an excursion. Rescue has become a major challenge for cave divers ; one of the rescuers was killed.
tasks
In addition to efficient rescue, prevention , training and education for cave explorers are also in the foreground. In various seminars, the participants are taught the technique of rescuing companions and self-rescue. There are detailed instructions on the Internet.
Comrade Rescue
Companion rescue means that an uninjured comrade can provide technical and medical first aid to an accident victim in the cave . When using a rope in a shaft, this also includes the correct release and lowering of an incapacitated patient. The companion rescue is of considerable importance due to the normally long time span (up to several hours) between the accident and the arrival of the cave rescue (see therapy-free interval ) and ultimately decides the further course of a rescue. In particular, maintaining the warmth of the injured person and their carers is of great importance. In addition to a first aid kit (at least one per group) tailored to the cave, it is advisable to also carry rescue blankets (one per person). Different organizations also determine the minimum size of a group that has to travel together and also a minimum number of people who are trained in first aid and medical interventions (e.g. giving infusions ).
Particular dangers in a cave
There are special sources of danger in caves, such as:
- Darkness,
- Cold,
- tight spots,
- slippery surface,
- unpredictable water level,
- inaccurate positions (no GPS reception in caves),
- Little available means of communication (no radio or mobile phone reception in caves), except with special cave radio systems such as the Cave-Link ,
- Rescue difficult to carry out without special technical material and know-how ,
- Danger of a collapse ,
- and last but not least, the psychological stress caused by the unfamiliar environment, which makes decision-making difficult.
Security
The following must be observed when averting danger:
- Clarify emergency numbers and procedures for emergencies in advance,
- tell a third, reliable person the time by when you want to leave the cave and when the cave rescue team should be alerted,
- never go alone
- Sufficient electric light: at least two flashlights / headlamps per person with full spare batteries,
- Sufficient thermal protection: fleece overall, neoprene suit, woolen socks, waterproof packaged replacement clothing,
- avoid tight spots if necessary,
- sturdy shoes and gloves. Carry out every step safely when entering the cave; watch out for and avoid loose boulders,
- Obtain information about the current and expected water level, taking into account the season,
- Only visit caves in the company of someone familiar with the area (especially in winding cave systems with several parallel passages it can easily lead to confusion)
- In an emergency, immediately give comrade help and alert the cave rescue as soon as possible.
Emergency numbers
In Europe, the Euro emergency number 112 can in principle be used. In many countries, it is advisable to alert the cave rescue directly via a defined contact point. Be sure to include the keyword "underground cave accident" ! Confusion with rescue at height can not be ruled out , especially when alerting the fire brigade and integrated control centers , and can considerably delay the arrival of the cave rescuers.
German cave rescues are alerted via rescue control centers . An alarm plan for Germany can be found on the HRVD website.
In Switzerland, Spéléo Secours or Alpine Rescue Switzerland is called out by calling Rega , 1414.
Web links
- Cave Rescue Association Germany
- Federal Association of Austrian Cave Rescue
- Cave rescue in Switzerland
Individual evidence
- ↑ Guideline for the standardization of cave rescue in Germany (Höhlenrettungsverbund Deutschland, 2004).
- ↑ "Spéléo Secours Switzerland" has 200 cave-experienced rescue specialists who are ready for action day and night (radio report)
- ↑ Agreement between Spéléo Secours Switzerland, SAC and REGA ( Memento of the original of July 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (2016)
- ↑ http://www.speleosecours.ch/de/presentation/interventions.html
- ↑ Instructions for rescuing comrades
- ↑ Cave plans on paper are of limited use due to the three-dimensional structure of a cave and require a minimum of experience and local knowledge for correct interpretation.
