RiveR Safety talk Pip Coe PFDs Footwear Diving Basic River Hazards Foot Entrapment

Transcription

1 River Safety Talk Pip Coe Educational Goals Students need to understand that there are hazards involved in river travel. Managing these hazards takes active participation from everyone. The goal of the pre-launch river safety talk is to inform the students of potential hazards they might encounter and actions they can take to help manage and/or avoid those hazards. Practice and demonstration of basic safety skills is essential for student success. Key Points PFDs While participating in river activities at NOLS all participants wear personal flotation devices (PFDs). They are sometimes referred to as swim vests. When worn they need to be secured properly; all zippers, buckles and ties done up correctly. PFDs are sized and fitted for each individual before leaving for the field. The wearer should secure all the fastening devices correctly, pulling up on side buckles, etc., then have someone pull up on the shoulder area of the PFD. If the PFD fits properly, the shoulders should not come up above the wearer s ears. In order for a PFD to work properly, it must be taken care of well. Using PFDs for seats compresses the closed cell foam and also abrades the fabric more quickly. Encourage students to put their PFDs away clean, dry and in a secure place. Footwear It is important to have footwear that will stay on your feet at all times while on the river. This helps protect your feet if you take a swim or unexpectedly wet exit from your boat. Wearing footwear in the boat speeds up response time should you have to get out of your boat and help another boater. Diving Never dive into a river. Murky water, inconsistent river bottoms and the dynamic nature of rivers that can change from season to season make it difficult to accurately assess the depth of the river. These factors make diving into a river hazardous. Basic River Hazards Being able to distinguish river hazards is important. Strainers, undercuts, large holes and rocks are some basic hazards that students should learn to identify. Strainers are any objects in a river that do not impede the flow of water but catch or strain solid objects such as floating logs or paddlers. The most common strainers are trees, shrubs and tree roots. They can occur anywhere on a river, but are most likely to occur on the outside of bends. Some riverbanks have trees and shrubs. When they are in the water or hanging over the water they can create a hazard. Large trees floating in the river at high water likewise create a hazard. If a strainer is identified downstream try to stay clear by paddling away aggressively. Undercut rocks or ledges occur when water wears away at the rock, leaving the rock above the waterline larger and the rock below the waterline smaller and narrower. The number of undercut rocks you might encounter is a factor of the geological makeup of an area. Sedimentary rock tends to erode more quickly. Therefore, it is quite common to find undercut rocks on rivers that flow through this type of rock. Undercut walls are usually found on the outside of bends. The danger with undercuts is that a swimmer or a boat can be pushed into it and held. The absence of a pillow on the upstream side of a rock can be an indicator of an undercut. Undercuts, like strainers, should be avoided. Paddle away aggressively. Holes (sometimes referred to as hydraulics or reversals) are created when water goes over a submerged object, such as a rock or ledge. The water hits the river bottom on the downstream side of the object and comes back on itself. This creates water that is now going the opposite direction of the main current. Depending on how large the hole is the current can be quite strong and may be able to hold buoyant objects such as boats. The beginner paddler should avoid large holes. If holes are encountered, try to paddle through them head on and with speed, to expose less surface area of your boat to the current of the hole. Large rocks that can be seen above the surface of the water are much easier to recognize than rocks just underneath the surface. To help locate rocks that are just underneath the surface look for some type of disturbance or inconsistency on the surface of the water. When you are paddling look downstream and pick a path on the river that avoids rocks. If you should hit or come up against a rock aggressively lean your boat into the rock. This exposes the hull of the boat, instead of the deck, to the oncoming current. A boat in this position is less likely to wrap around or pin against the rock. Continue to lean your boat into the rock using your body to hug the rock. Try to use your upper body to work your way around the rock while continually leaning your boat into the rock. Foot Entrapment Foot entrapment occurs when your foot becomes caught in an object on the river bottom. The downstream current can easily push you over, leaving your foot in place. It does not take a strong current for this to occur. To help reduce the chances of foot entrapment do not stand up in moving water. Wait to stand up when the water is well below your knees. In shallow rocky rivers keep your feet up when swimming. 29

2 Swift Water Swimming While traveling in a river environment there is always the potential for a paddler to leave their boat unexpectedly while on the river and end up floating in the river. This is defined as taking a swim. If a swim should be encountered there are some basic guidelines that can help the swimmer get to shore or back to their boat. Different methods are used in different situations. If a swim occurs in a shallow, rocky river or in a rapid a general guideline is to stay in a defensive swimming position. Lie on your back with your feet downstream. Keep a horizontal position on the surface of the water by slightly arching your back, keeping your toes out of the water to help reduce foot entrapment. If you encounter a rock, bend your knees and use your feet to push off the rock. If you see yourself going towards a hazard, be assertive. Stay on your back and swim away from the object. Once you are out of the rapid be assertive. Angle your head towards the closest, safest shore. Stay on your back, kick with your legs and backstroke with your arms. Do not stand up until you are in shallow water or a calm eddy and the potential for foot entrapment is minimized. If a swim occurs in deeper water or you are trying to catch a critical eddy, using an offensive swimming position can be beneficial. Roll over on your stomach and use the crawl stroke. Keep your head out of water to stay oriented. Swim aggressively towards your intended target trying to keep your legs straight to help minimize knee and ankle injury. Once again do not stand up until the potential for foot entrapment is minimized. In large waves the danger of foot entrapment is low. For this reason an offensive swimming position might be appropriate. When holes are encountered try to stay relaxed to conserve your energy. Since the water in a hole is re-circulating it is easy to become disoriented. Swimmers sometimes flush straight through holes. At times swimmers are caught by the current below the surface of the hole pushing them towards the river bottom. When this occurs the swimmer will be under the surface of the water and end up being washed out below the hole. If you are not flushed, one strategy for getting out of a hole is to change your shape so a different current might catch your body. A swimmer could ball up or extend their arms and legs. Another strategy is to swim toward the main current that is coming from upstream. This might enable the swimmer to be pushed down by the oncoming current and catch a current near the river bottom to be flushed out. When swimming over ledges it helps to bring your knees up to your chin and drop over in a ball type position. By doing this legs are not as easily pulled down towards the river bottom and the chance of foot entrapment can be reduced. The best tactic with strainers is to avoid them. If you are swimming in the river and see a strainer downstream, swim aggressively away, unless the consequences of doing so are far greater, such as a hundred-foot vertical drop. If you find yourself coming upon a strainer, quickly turn over onto your stomach, with your head downstream, swim aggressively towards the strainer and climb on top. It isn t speed you are looking for; it is getting your legs high on the surface. Act as if you are trying to do a push up and get your hips on top of the strainer. This will help to minimize having your feet pulled underneath the strainer. There are some additional techniques that can help when swimming through large waves, holes or over ledges. If large waves are encountered, try to swim away from them. In large waves swimmers usually go through the waves instead of floating over them. Try to catch a breath in the trough of the wave. Keep yourself oriented by looking around after you have taken a breath. Practice helps tune the timing and finesse it takes to do this maneuver over a log in fast water. Use a small log to practice with, in a controlled situation. Expect some people to get hung on 30

3 the log. You often need a safety person at the log to loosen it if the person swimmer needs help. Be sure to practice the more common expectation of avoiding a log more often than you practice that rare case when you would choose to pass over a log. In an unplanned river swim it is quite common to still have your gear with you or close by. If you flip or swim from a boat that has more than one occupant, such as a tandem canoe, make sure you locate the other occupants. Then get to the upstream side of your boat. In some situations, keeping hold of your gear provides additional flotation. If the swimmer feels that continuing to hold onto their gear, boat or paddle, is compromising their safety they should let go of it and look out for their safety first. One very important factor to remember is taking responsibility for yourself during an unexpected swim in a river. Do not assume that someone else will offer assistance. Stay alert, be aware of your surroundings and look for your closest safe exit point from the river. Throw Bags Throw bags are rescue devices that are frequently used on rivers. They enable a rescuer to extend their reach by the use of a rope. This allows swimmers, in some situations, to grab onto the rope and be pulled into shore. If a rope is thrown to you while you are swimming, grab onto the rope itself and not the bag. If the rope is several feet away from you be assertive and aggressively try to reach it. Once you have a hold of the rope, place it over one of you shoulders holding onto it with both hands. Keep your hands close to your chest with your face up and your feet downstream. Remember not to tie or wrap the rope around any part of your body. Once the rescuer has pulled you to a safe place you can let go of the rope. If you feel that you are being put in greater jeopardy by continuing to hold onto the rope, let go. River Signals It can sometimes be very difficult to hear on the river, especially next to rapids. For this reason a set of non-verbal river signals has been developed using paddles or arms. When a stop signal is given you should stop or pull over to shore in a safe place as quickly as possible. You should also do this when the emergency sign is given. When using river signals it is important to respond to the signal that you have received. This tells the person giving the signal that you have received their signal. In addition to paddle and arm signals whistles are also used. Whistles can be an effective signaling device if visual or verbal contact is not possible. Three long blasts on the whistle indicate Stop: Potential hazard ahead. Wait for all clear signal before proceeding, or scout ahead. Form a horizontal bar with your outstretched arms. Those seeing the signal should pass it back to others in the party. All Clear: Come ahead (in the absence of other directions proceed down the center). Form a vertical bar with your paddle or one arm held high above your head. The paddle blade should be turned flat for maximum visibility. Direction: To signal direction or a preferred course through a rapid or around an obstruction, lower the previously vertical all clear by 45 degrees toward the side of the river with the preferred route. Never point toward the obstacle you wish to avoid. Help / Emergency: Assist the signaler as quickly as possible. Give three long blasts on a police whistle while waving a paddle, helmet or life vest over your head. If a whistle is not available, use the visual signal alone. A whistle is best carried on a lanyard attached to your life vest. O.K.: A signal taken from the SCUBA industry. Place your hand on your head to indicate that you are O.K. If someone gives you this signal and you are O.K. you should respond with the signal. If you are not O.K. respond with a help signal. 31

4 an emergency and that immediate help is needed. A single whistle blast can be used to get people s attention. Whistles should only be used when necessary so they are taken seriously when they are heard. Teaching Considerations Before launching on the river students must be aware of basic hazards and what they can do to mitigate them. It is common for a river safety talk to be given shortly before launching so the information is fresh in students minds. Since many students are anxious to get on the river it can be challenging to hold their attention. Consider splitting this topic up into several different presentations given by different instructors. Do part of the presentation the day before launching, then have students recall key points the day of the launch for a review. Consider introducing hazards when you come upon them, instead of throwing them all out at once. Have students get involved with river signals by doing drills. This will help them learn by doing and keep them involved. Some students are anxious or concerned about swimming through rapids. Help students manage their concern by finding an appropriate rapid to swim through early on. This allows the students to practice correct swimming positions and experience the power of moving water. Remember it is important for students to be exposed to this information before encountering moving water. Review this information after a day or two on the river to ensure students have a thorough understanding of subjective and objective hazards and methods to manage these risks. Instructors should also realize that a safety talk is an industry standard as well as regulated by law in some states/provinces. This is valuable information for students who might continue to paddle after their course in a private or professional setting. Reinforce the safety talk information later in the course by having paddle raft captains act as the guide for the day, giving the safety talk. Most guides give this talk either pre-launch or in calm water before any rapids, depending on the river arrangement and time constraints. The guide can also check the fit of everyone s PFD and take other leadership initiatives to help manage the risks of their clients. Leadership Opportunities River safety is a good topic to help students develop safety and judgment. Leadership traits such as personal responsibility and role modeling can be stressed with this topic. Resources American Whitewater Affliation, Universal River Signals, Bechdel & Ray (1997) River Rescue: A Manual for Whitewater Safety, 3rd ed. p. 5; pic 1.3, p. 61; pic 3.8 & 3.9, p. 95; pic 5.3 Fadiman, Anne Under Water The New Yorker 75, n. 24, (1999): 152. Kuhne, Cecil (1998) Canoeing: An illustrated guide to equipment, technique, navigation and safety. Gookin, John (2006) NOLS Wilderess Educator Notebook Walbridge & Sundmacher Sr., (1995) Whitewater Rescue Manual. p. 33; picture 3.8 What s wrong with this picture? Say your answer(s) aloud before looking at the answer. Use this teaching strategy of having students clearly voice opinions before telling them the responses you are looking for. If we are on the water, we need that PFD buckled. Do we need a helmet here? Answer on p

5 Safety Talk Overview Nate Ostis The card below can be copied and laminated as a checklist resource for presenting the Safety Talk prior to launching on the river. The flow of this Safety Talk is presented as an optional platform to work from. Creativity and variations are encouraged in presentation while still striving to cover all topics. Depending on the particular course type, topics may be added or deleted. River Safety Talk PFDs & Helmets Styles, Models, Type III vs. Type IV. PFD vs. Life Vest. When are they worn and when can they be taken off? Proper fastening, fit, and care requirements. Footwear Appropriate River Wear vs. Appropriate Off-River Wear. Basic River Hazards Strainers, undercuts, large holes, wave trains, sieves, and rocks. Foot Entrapment Getting Pinned: Any sensation of pinning = get out of boat fast. Rapids: Challenge by Choice Students don t have to run any rapid they don t want to. Swimming Never dive into the river. Swim at camp with partners and wear PFDs. Deeper than knee-deep is swimming. Self Rescue: Defensive vs. Aggressive Techniques and when appropriate. Keep face above water to increase spatial awareness and to hear rescuers commands. When in close proximity, try to stay upstream of your craft to avoid getting pinned. Throw Bags Design, use, and care. How to hold on to the rope and when to let go. Rope entrapment concerns. River Signals Stop, All Clear, Left, Right, Emergency, Are you OK?, Eddy out. Paddle, Hand, and Whistle Blasts as signals. Importance of passing signals on to rest of group. Group Travel Trip Awareness: Other groups, jet boats, complacency. Lead & Sweep Boats: Pod formations & Paddle Raft locations. Boat spacing. Location of rescue gear and first aid supplies. Satellite phones & radios. Most river accidents occur on shore. Safety in camp and walking along shore. 33

6 River Group Management Pip Coe Rivers provide both objective and subjective hazards. Objective hazards on the river include rocks, undercuts, sweepers, strainers and hydraulics. Subjective hazards such as communication can provide a unique challenge in a dynamic river environment. The medium of water and the forces of moving water compound the threat to life as a result of mishap. For these reasons group management is a critical component of risk management on a river. When traveling on the river it is important for instructors to be clear with expectations to students and each other. Something as simple as keeping everyone informed of the daily plan on the river or in which order boats will run a specific rapid is important. Educational Goals The goal of this topic is for students to understand fundamental group management on a river. They should realize that different situations call for different types of management. Students should learn the importance of trip awareness and be able to transfer this awareness to their own river experiences in the future. Key Points Trip Awareness Trip awareness is just what it sounds like: the ability to be aware of your group and gear while you are on the river. The trip consists of all the boats and the people with whom you are traveling while on the river. It is important to be aware of where other boats are. The boat in front of you might pull over because they see a potential hazard downstream. Having good trip awareness would enable you to see that action and let you signal the boats behind you. Likewise, looking back up river is important as a boat behind you may be having difficulty. Some people describe trip awareness as being aware of the trip in front of them, the trip behind them and where their boat fits into the trip. By doing this you can be aware of where all the boats are at any given time and be able to take appropriate actions. On rivers that have long calm stretches it is easy for students to become complacent. Students should learn that good trip awareness is important at all times on the river, not just while running rapids. Trip awareness also includes being conscious of what other river trips are doing. Some common river etiquette to keep in mind when running rivers with other user groups includes: If another trip becomes intermingled with the NOLS trip, the lead boat of the NOLS trip should eddy out allowing the entire other trip to pass. In addition, do not pull out into the middle of another trip. Check-in with other groups trip leaders to learn about their camping destinations and the duration they ll be on the water. If there is a conflict, show your students how groups routinely settle conflicts using rock-paper-scissors. Pull over in order to allow a jet boat to pass the group. Lead And Sweep Boats A common format for group management on the river is designating a lead and a sweep boat. The lead boat is at the front and the sweep boat brings up the rear with all of the other boats in between. The lead boat has an experienced paddler who is able to distinguish river hazards and will pull over when it is appropriate to inform beginners of such hazards. If the lead boat is an oar boat, it is important for them to remember that a paddle raft behind them might be affected differently in a read and run rapid and should signal them accordingly. When the lead boat pulls over the boats behind should follow suit unless informed otherwise. It is easy for the lead boat to send a paddle signal upstream. When this occurs, each boat should relay the message to the boat behind it. The sweep boat, just like the lead boat, usually has an experienced paddler who is able to execute rescues. The sweep boat should carry some basic rescue gear and a first aid kit. If the lead and/or sweep boats are carrying any special equipment, informing everyone is part of good trip awareness. At the beginning of a course it is appropriate to have instructors in lead and sweep positions. When a raft or tandem canoe is lead or sweep a student can paddle with an instructor. This enables the student to better understand the role that these boats play. The student can also take on the responsibility of reading the map. As a course progresses and students skills develop they can be allowed to participate more in these roles. Student participation in lead and sweep boats provides leadership opportunities. How a group travels on the river is dictated by several different factors, such as group size, river characteristics, river difficulty, skill level and local regulations. On many of the rivers on which NOLS operates, the managing land agency has regulations that must be followed. A common regulation on rivers with high use levels is to travel as one group within visual sight of each other. Be sure to check the regulations for the river you will be traveling on before launching. Traveling as one group, with a lead and sweep boat, works well at the beginning of a course when students are learning initial boating and group management skills. The type of boats you will be traveling in - canoes, rafts or kayaks - is also a deciding factor on how your group travels on the river. A common scenario on a canoe course with three instructors is to have one in the lead, one in the sweep and the third somewhere in the middle. An instructor with less experience in group management should paddle in the middle position. When traveling with rafts and kayaks, have a raft in lead and sweep with the kayaks in the middle. Splitting the kayaks into two pods with an instructor in each pod helps with the management of student kayaks. If kayakers are traveling in two pods they would still travel between the lead and sweep rafts. Traveling in two separate groups can also work well when regulations, river conditions, and skill levels permit. This can give students more leadership opportunities. Working with two smaller groups can be effective when trying to teach specific river skills such as eddy turns, peel outs and ferries. Traveling in two groups also works well on smaller technical rivers. Remember that if your group splits, the instructors in each group need to have the rescue skills necessary to handle any conceivable emergency and each group needs to have the necessary rescue and first aid equipment. A contingency plan should be made in case the groups do not meet at the pre-arranged time. These factors become even more important when splitting into more than two pods. In this case, the instructors should strongly consider having the pods stay within sight and sound of each other. 34

7 Make students aware that proper boat spacing is important. Boats need to have enough space between them so they have adequate time to maneuver properly. Each individual or team is ultimately responsible for the boat they are paddling and should learn to be aware of where it is in relation to the rest of the group. Teaching Considerations Teaching group management on the river starts with sharing your thought process with students, early and often. Explain to students why you are having the group travel in a certain way. Have instructors discuss in front of the students how they think group travel should be done for a particular day or section. This will help students develop a knowledge base so they can make decisions. As the course progresses have the students decide how the group will travel. Leadership Opportunities This is an excellent opportunity for students to develop safety and judgment. Having students participate in the lead and sweep boat gives them a greater understanding of group management on the river. Allowing students to decide how the group will travel incorporates decision-making skills. Students can communicate how they will travel to the group. Even though some students feel that imparting basic information, such as who will be lead and sweep, to the group can feel trivial, the ability to speak in front of a group is a valuable leadership skill. RESOURCES Walbridge & Sundmacher Sr. (1995) Whitewater Rescue Manual, p

8 Hydrology: Basic & Advanced Nate Ostis Educational Goals By the end of a river course, students should demonstrate proficiency in highly developed water reading skills. Although a river course is generally only about two weeks long, it is a very intense two weeks of paddling typically consisting of over 100 river miles. Many boaters outside of NOLS may not reach 100 river miles until their 2nd or 3rd season of paddling. It is therefore reasonable to expect students to have a firm understanding of hydrology, a river s anatomy, and advanced concepts involved with our relationship to the currents. Teaching Considerations Basic vs. Advanced Deliveries: Some I-teams prefer to break up the content below into progressive lessons and perhaps additional activities scattered throughout the course. Other I- teams enjoy giving one formal lesson on hydrology followed by various informal teachable moments to take the students to a greater level of understanding. Time constraints play a role in how many formal lessons can be delivered in a section. Use the content that follows in whatever progression and form makes sense to your present conditions. Revisit themes and terminology introduced in this lesson in every other water related class possible to integrate the information effectively. During scouting sessions and WORMS presentations, challenge the students to boil down their deliveries to the necessary terminology without extra verbiage. Ask all instructors to be present during this lesson so they will know the level of the students knowledge base. This will prove beneficial in all future lessons that relate to river skills. Assessing River Difficulty: 1) 2) 3) 4) Gradient: Gradient increases the velocity of water but it decreases its depth. It is measured in feet per mile in the States but many other countries measure it in meters per km. Determining the scale is obviously a key component in sizing up the magnitude of the associated number. Volume is measured in CFS or CMS: Increase in velocity and depth have a dramatic effect on the character of the river. A cubic foot is about one basketball of volume, so 1,000 CFS means about 1,000 basketballs of water are passing that point every second. Constrictions: Increase velocity, like a thumb over the end of a hose. Hazards: Strainers, undercuts, sieve, debris, foot entrapment, remoteness, water temperature. Features And Their Anatomy Current: Laminar Flow: Explain laminar flow in a straight channel. Laminar refers to smoothly flowing layers rather than turbulent ones. The fastest water channel in a river is in the center at the top while the slowest layer is on the edges due to friction along the sides. There are microcurrents that swirl between layers, but generally there are distinct jets of water moving down the river with layers over other layers Flow around a bend: Centrifugal force results in deeper, faster currents on the outside of a bend and shoals on the inside of a bend. Strainers will typically establish themselves on the outside of a turn. Squirrelly Whirlpool Water: When fast water meets slow water, you get turbulence and vortices instead of laminar flow. You can see how these vortices (plural of vortex) affect each other as they swirl around after a major constriction in the river channel increases water velocity. 36

9 Eddies: Anatomy of an eddy: Main current, eddy water, eddylines & their rotation, the squeeze, & pillow. Downstream and upstream V s created by rocks, obstructions, and disturbances in the river. Large eddies vs. small eddies, eddies within eddies. Waves: Reactionary vs. constant waves. Diagonal vs.lateral waves. Glassy waves vs. crashing waves. Wave trains. Holes: Anatomy of a hole: Green water, seam, foam pile, boil line, & undercurrents. Smiling holes vs. frowning holes vs. lateral or flat holes vs. diagonal holes. Stopper holes, pourovers, keeper holes, lowhead dams. River Ratings And Classifications 1) Traditional I-VI Scale 2) 3) 4) Class I: Easy Class II: Novice Class III: Intermediate Class IV: Advanced Class V: Expert Class VI: Extreme & Exploratory Grand Canyon uses I-X instead of Class I-VI Judgment and Scouting: No scale is a substitute for judgment as pre-existing ratings are unreliable. No Fear advertising campaigns vs. respecting the river and your abilities discussion. Culminating Activities Sand Hydrology Models: a) Create a terrain model river in the sand including all the features illustrated in this lesson. Use the small whiteboard to draw a longitudinal cross section at each feature. Explain how you might run each river section. b) Eddy-to-Pourover-to-Hole-to-Wave-Model: Place a rock on the sand and create an eddy environment. Next show how increasing water levels change this same rock into a pourover by sliding more and more sand over the rock. Then progress into a hole and finally a wave. Have the students refer to the river next to them to spot a rock and challenge them to visualize that rock going through the same process. Find a large wave in the river and have them visualize the reverse process. Also consider having each student have their own rock in front of them that they take through the progression of water volume changes as the instructor describes each step. Mini-River Model in The Water a) Find a location on the side of the river where a side canal can be dug or dan up an existing off-chute. Have students build a riverbed to create particular features. Ask them to make predictions on what will happen when the water is released. After releasing the water, ask them to experiment with adjustments to see its effect on the miniature rapid. Mapping Rapids Activity a) Ask students to sketch a rapid to include the various rocks, waves, holes and currents. This exercise may prove beneficial in developing water reading skills and can serve as an Environmental Studies observation exercise. b) Discuss the pros and cons of different lines and how certain features may affect the route of a boat. c) Increase awareness about the tendency to foreshorten the terrain of a rapid when sketching or scouting. Often students will think the part of the rapid closer to them is larger and more significant than the part of the rapid farther away. Many river runners tend to do this foreshortening on a routine basis when scouting. Consider occasionally scouting a rapid from both sides of the river to help students (and instructors) get in touch with our tendency to foreshorten the rapids we are looking at. Consider having a team sketch it from each side, then compare notes. d) Mapping rapids isn t an industry standard and should not replace good solid instruction in water reading skills. Encourage people to not use maps found in guide books as resources to be relied upon prior to running rapids. Mapping rapids is an educational activity for students. It is easiest for them if you hand them a clean and simple example and ask them to use the same legend rather than inventing their own. 37

10 Scouting and Running Rapids Pip Coe Educational Goals Students should learn when to stop and scout a rapid. They should be able to distinguish river objects and hazards, pick out different lines through a rapid and decide which one is appropriate for their skill level and the boat they are paddling. By the end of the course or section they should have an understanding of where safety is set and why. Key Points When To Scout Scouting enables you to get a clear picture of the rapid. Some indicators for upcoming rapids are horizon lines, large boulders, constrictions, large noises created by water and water splashing up. If these are encountered consider scouting. Always go by the old adage, if in doubt scout. Scouting The Rapid Scouting usually occurs in two different ways, eddy scouting or land scouting. Eddy scouting occurs when you stay in your boat and look at the rapid from an eddy at the top of the rapid. More experienced paddlers tend to eddy scout. What you do at any given rapid will depend on your skill, the skill of the group and the difficulty of the rapid. Land scouting is an excellent way to get a complete picture of a rapid. Give yourself plenty of space to pull over above the rapid. Secure your boats properly so they do not accidentally run the rapid without you. Sometimes scouting the rapid can be more challenging than running the rapid. Be careful walking on rocks. When scouting look for the path of least resistance to get to the rapid. Keep your PFD and helmet on (if you are wearing one). They provide excellent protection in case of a fall on rocks or an accidental slip into the river. Take several throw bags with you. They can be used in case someone falls in the river or if a throw bag is required for part of the safety system. If you are having difficulty viewing the rapid from one side of the river try the other side. Look to make sure that you can get to the other side of the river safely. When scouting remember to: Identify where the main current is going in the rapid. Identify river hazards and features. Look at the possible routes in the rapid. Decide on a route that is appropriate for your skill level and boat type. Remember that portaging is always an option. Decide where safety will be placed. Decide on a running order for boats. Decide where you will regroup at the bottom of the rapid. Once you have decided on a route other things to consider are: Looking at the rapid from river level. This helps you get a more realistic perspective on what the rapid will look like at boat level. Pick out marker rocks or features to key off to help you stay on line. Have an alternate plan in case things don t go according to the original plan. In case of a swim, decide which side of the river you should swim towards and when. If paddle signals are being used make sure you will be able to see them adequately from all locations in the rapid. Make sure you know where you will be in the running order and where others will be. Running The Rapid Once a rapid has been scouted and decisions made on routes and safety, decide how the group will actually run the rapid. There are several different approaches to running rapids. Which one you use will depend on the rapid itself. Common approaches are one at a time or mother duck style. Running one boat at a time works well when instructors need to be placed in strategic points throughout the rapid for safety. Instructors run the rapid first. Throw bags may be placed at certain points in the rapid so the instructors have safety set up. They may also be used for students. Once instructors are in place, students run the rapid one at a time on paddle signals. Make sure everyone knows who will be running the rapid when. Always designate who will run the rapid last. When using this method to run a rapid it can mean that all the rescue gear in an instructor boat is at the bottom of the rapid. A good question to ask here is can you walk upstream on the riverbank to access the rapid in case the rescue gear is needed somewhere in the middle of the rapid? If the answer is yes, have the boat with the rescue gear run the rapid. If the answer is no, consider having the boat with the rescue gear run last. At some rapids running mother duck style is appropriate. This means there is a designated lead and sweep boat and all other boats are spaced in between. This style works well on less technical rapids or a rapid that is long, thus making it difficult to use paddle signals. An abbreviation of this version works well with rafts and kayaks. The rafts run the rapid first and play safety at the bottom. Then all the kayakers or one kayak pod runs next. Whatever method you decide upon at a rapid, make sure everyone is clear on the route, how safety will work and what style you will use to run the rapid. It is important that this information is imparted at any rapid you scout. 38

11 Teaching Considerations Early on in a course, stopping to land and eddy scout easier rapids that you can see well from your boat is beneficial. This allows students to see where they are going and teaches them to pick out river features and hazards. As students skills progress, eddy scouting and reading and running can be used in addition to land scouting. To start, have students pick out river hazards and lines with their canoe partners, raft crew or kayak pod. Then have instructors facilitate a discussion about the rapid. After everyone has decided on hazards and a line, discuss safety. Start with instructors discussing how they think safety should be set and what type of running order will be used. Allow students to listen to these discussions so they hear different instructors thought processes. As students skills progress and their familiarity with hazards increases have them initiate discussions about lines and where to set safety. One option is to designate several students at a particular rapid or have the student leaders of the day initiate the discussion and make sure information is communicated to the group. Instructors should approve of the plan upon which the students decide. Incorporate students into the safety system at rapids as their skills progress and when appropriate. Some useful teaching models for this topic are bottom up, WORMS and SCOUT. When using bottom up, plan from the bottom of the rapid, where you want to finish, and work your way up the rapid to the starting point. WORMS stands for water, obstacles, route, markers and safety. Water: where is the water going? Obstacles: what are the hazards in the rapid? Route: what is each individual s route through the rapid? Markers: what are the markers or rocks to key off? Safety: what safety will be set up for the rapid? SCOUT stands for stop, current, obstacles, you and team. Stop: what are indicators for stopping above a rapid to scout and where? Current: where is the water going in the rapid? Obstacles: what are the hazards in the rapid? You: have students identify where they want to be in the rapid? Team: where is everyone else going to be in the rapid, where are they running the rapid and where will the safety be set up? Instructors should read the article on Defining and Developing Judgment in the NOLS Leadership Educator Notebook so they keep in mind developmentally-appropriate goals for students with varying levels of expertise. Leadership Opportunities Scouting and running rapids allows students to make choices and take personal responsibility for decisions they have made. The intent is to give students guidelines to use in their future paddling experiences, not hard and fast rules. By doing this, students are given an excellent avenue to develop safety and judgment. Having students initiate discussions at rapids allows for teamwork and communication. Resources Bechdel & Ray (1997) River Rescue: A Manual for Whitewater Safety, 3rd edition, pp. 21 & 22. Kuhne, Cecil (1998) Canoeing: An illustrated guide to equipment, technique, navigation and safety, p. 71. At the start of a course we show students the hazards. By the end, they should be showing us the hazards without being asked. Using WORMS or some other organizational system helps students get started in analyzing and judging complex comparisons of different lines. 39

12 Scouting With W.O.R.M.S. Student handout WORMS is a tool used to organize how to read the river, make good decisions about running rapids, and develop leadership skills, competence and judgment. Boaters can use this acronym at rapids to guide in making safe, informed and eventually efficient decisions about running rapids. Boaters may ultimately use their increasing awareness, experience and knowledge rather than the strict WORMS format to achieve good river judgment and decision-making, but will always have this tool to fall back on. WATER Where is the majority of the water flowing? Where is the V? Does the main flow go to where you want to be at the bottom of the rapid? How strong does the current look? Try throwing a stick in at the top of the rapid and watch where the current takes it. OBSTACLES What obstacles are there in this rapid? Rocks? Holes? Strainers? Undercut rocks/walls? Make sure that you can identify all the obstacles in the rapid, and which ones are the most crucial to miss. ROUTE What are the route options in this rapid? Are there any? And if so, which one looks the most straightforward? Look at the main flow of water. If that takes you through the rapid without going into any of the obstacles that you identified, then that is usually the most straightforward route to take. What are some of the other route options, and do they avoid the significant obstacles? If not, can you make the moves necessary to miss those obstacles? MARKERS & MANEUVERS Identify some obvious markers in the rapid that will help you know where you are in the rapid. Use rocks, or other significant objects in the rapid, to help you identify your route as you enter the rapid. Make sure that you look at those markers from river level (i.e. get down on your knees at different places up and down the rapid and make sure that you can identify those same markers from river level). Always have markers for your entrance, as that sets you up to be in the water that you want to be in. Then, what moves will you have to make to avoid obstacles? How confident are you that you will make those moves? Are you feeling confident in your ferries, eddy turns, sideslips, to make the moves you need to make to nail your route? SAFETY Ask yourself whether you think you can make the line you are looking at? If you are not confident that you will make your line, then you should seriously consider not running the rapid. Consider the consequences of not making your line. Will you swim? End up in a strainer? Make sure that your decision is weighing all the variables. Do you want to run the rapid one at a time? Mother duck style? Where can you put instructors or more experienced boaters strategically in the rapid so that they can assist if someone gets into trouble? Should you have folks on shore with throwbags in case someone swims? If you walk or line the rapid, do you need assistance carrying/lining your boat so that it can be done carefully and safely? Low Risk Probability High Yellow light Stop & think. Green light Let s run it. Red light No way. Yellow light Stop & think. Low Severity of Consequences High STOP GO The risk probability vs. severity graph helps students see these two dimensions of risk management and to use them synergistically. Putting this information to use After considering and discussing each of these components, attempt to make a safe and well-informed decision about the rapid. Use the high probability/low probability and high consequence/ low consequence continuum to help make the decision about whether to run the rapid or not. Example: If the probability of missing your line is low, and the consequences from missing the line are low, one can infer that it is a reasonable decision to run the rapid. Once you have decided to run the rapid, it is important to: 1) know which line you are running, and yet be aware enough of the rest of the rapid to have other options once you enter the rapid; 2) know your markers; and 3) make sure that everyone is on the same page with regards to how you are running the rapid as a group and how the safety set up is happening. Once these items have been discussed as a group, you are ready to run the rapid. 40

13 Teaching the W.O.R.M.S. Progression Allison Bergh Educational Goals 1. Students will use an effective tool to assess rapids. 2. Students will use their increased awareness, experience and judgment to make responsible, efficient decisions on the river. Teaching Considerations 1. Teach WORMS at the first rapid of consequence, or at camp before you encounter the first significant rapid. Make sure that everyone understands the acronym and the questions to ask in each area. Explain that this tool is an excellent guideline for novices, but that eventually they will not be walking through this acronym at each rapid. River reading skills will improve greatly if students take WORMS seriously. The instructors should model talking through each step the first time and presenting decisions to the group and how those decisions were reached. 2. Continue to use WORMS regularly throughout the course while re-highlighting each step. This redundancy will result in retaining this information and increasing confidence. Initially, instructors should be driving the conversation, using tricks of the trade by throwing sticks in the water to show where the water flow is, pointing out river features and identifying them for students, using examples in front of us to show students the difference between a rock and a pour-over and a breaking wave and a hole, etc. The goal here is to use the rapid to teach students how to read water from shore, understand and identify hazards, and start understanding how to pick good lines through rapids. Instructors are driving the safety decisions entirely and students should just be focusing on their own river reading skills and how comfortable they feel picking their lines. 3. Empower the students to drive this conversation as soon as they are able. Set that expectation up and encourage students to talk through WORMS with instructors standing there. Resist giving input until they have completed their analysis. Depending on the accuracy of their assessment, the I-team may consider giving the student group more decision-making responsibility. Have the students start thinking about safety in the rapids or where rescues were likely to occur. Have them decipher between high consequence and low consequence, high risk probability and low risk probability. This can help them assimilate the information they gather and serve as a simple tool for decision-making. 4. Some students may start getting bored with the WORMS process, particularly our doer learners. This is where teaching to individuals learning styles will really come in to play. Some folks will be ready to start making decisions about their lines and safety without talking through WORMS. Allow those doers the opportunity to present their line, the significant hazards, and their plan for safety, without talking through WORMS. If they are consistently on target, great, allow them that success, as long as they see all pieces of the puzzle when you ask them questions. And continue to encourage those learners who like the structure of WORMS the time to do that. I have made the mistake, on a course, of pushing people faster and it has backfired - if you push someone to skip over WORMS, in honor of efficiency, and then they miss their line or get scared in the rapid, they may have a real setback with their confidence. 5. This period can be hard on a course for 2 reasons. One, it can take some students 5 minutes to scout, and others 20, which is a time frustration for folks. The second is that this time usually coincides with student leadership teams starting on the water. Briefing leadership teams on the scouting process can really help. We want to set students up for success with this process, and encouraging them to use WORMS, at least briefly with the entire group, usually ensures that the leadership team honors all group members. It also allows instructors to see the thought process of the leadership team, with regards to how they make their decisions at rapids, and it is REAL leadership on the course. Debriefing scouts is a useful tool for developing river reading skills and decision making, and also to hone students leadership styles, decision-making tools and communication skills. 6. Discuss the plan, regardless of how you all got to your individual lines. This is where revisiting with students that regardless of how they came up with their decisions/lines, that discussing the plan as a group is critical to success in river running. It allows everyone a chance to hear what peoples lines will be, so that safety can be set up accounting for all those differing lines, as well as for folks to share thoughts and ideas about the rapids. Accidents happen when this step is skipped - people haven t discussed boat order, or someone missed seeing the undercut rock, or someone is planning on walking the rapid and needs someone to lend them a hand. All these need to be addressed before anyone heads downriver, so that they can be accounted for. At this time, it isn t necessary to walk through WORMS as a group, although it is vital to discuss what routes are being taken, what the boat order will be and how safety is going to be set. Stepping in as an instructor with a leadership team is COMPLETELY appropriate if they have skipped any of these steps. It helps to acknowledge that this process is time-consuming now, but normally you wouldn t be boating with this many people. Using examples from your own boating experiences about when you have skipped this step and what the consequences were can be helpful as well. 7. Have students identify what THEY need and want from a scout/rapid discussion. Do this in a relaxed setting at camp, so that students can leave their course knowing 1) what they want and need from their boating pals while running rivers, so that they can state their needs on these when they go boat alone, and 2) what we expect of river runners, so that they can make safe, efficient and responsible decisions. We expect that they discuss the lines people are going to run and how they are going to set safety for those lines, at the very least. This way you can make a choice about whether you are comfortable with your boating partner s line and be assured that you both/all know where you might need to be, or get to, in a rapid to help someone out. Summary Thoroughly understanding and using WORMS helps students become proficient decision makers and river runners. Combining the introduction of WORMS early on in a course with the expectation that students will eventually be making decisions with limited instructor input can serve as a solid foundation in their safety and judgment. 41

14 Helmet Use on NOLS River Programs Expectation Helmets will be worn on the river during courses: When practicing to swim rapids. While operating a closed deck kayak or inflatable kayak on the river. When paddling rapids that are Class II+ or greater difficulty in an open canoe. When paddling in paddle rafts on Class III+ or greater difficulty rapids on big water or rapids that are particularly rocky, technical and long in nature. During flip drills in paddle rafts. Background Though head injuries are rare on river courses they do occasionally occur. Helmet use in certain situations is indicated by the nature of the activity and the potential for injury. The intent is not that individuals be required to wear helmets at all times on the river, but during certain activities and when the instructor s judgment indicates use. This does not mean that there should be a helmet for each individual on the course. However, there should be enough that if a situation is encountered that merits helmet use there are sufficient helmets. Helmets should fit properly covering the head, especially the upper temples and the back of the head. Additional situations where a helmet might be considered appropriate are: When there is a high potential for a boat to flip or to have an individual fall/swim out of a boat. When the river is very shallow, rocky and more technical conditions may be encountered. When using thigh straps which might slow down your exit time from a canoe. In water rescue situations, to extricate a broached or pinned boat. When lining canoes over large rocks or uneven ground surface. When scouting rapids. When your judgment about the situation merits their use. Helmet use while operating or riding on oar rigs should be determined at the instructor s discretion but helmets should always be readily available. Situations that might be considered appropriate are: During spring run-off when there is potential for a flipped oar rig and subsequent long swim. During summer flows when the potential for hitting subsurface rocks and getting launched across the oar rig into hard objects is ever present. Experience and judgment will dictate which rapids will warrant helmet use. When establishing safety for the group at the bottom of a major rapid. An instructor or student running up shore with a throw bag must have a helmet in case of slipping on shore or if the rescuer gets pulled into the river after successfully making a throw bag toss. Instructors need to supervise the proper use of helmets on courses and they also need to teach students when helmets are wise to use in typical whitewater situations. 42

15 Of the many dynamic and potential risks associated with river travel, strainers or sweepers can be one of the more challenging to manage. Their transient nature, position in the current, usually on the outside of bends in the fastest moving water, and limited options for rescue make them a serious danger. Most of the rivers that NOLS travels on have potential for strainers in some form. Avoidance is the best strategy when dealing with this risk. Students need to be able to identify strainers. They should understand where they are most likely to encounter strainers on a river and that some rivers have a higher potential for strainers than others. Students should understand what to do, in or out of their boat, if strainers are encountered. Stress to your students that avoidance of this potential risk should be the foremost strategy in their minds. Key Points Strainer Location Strainers are any objects in a river that do not impede the flow of water but catch or strain solid objects such as floating logs or paddlers. The most common strainers encountered on the river are trees, shrubs and tree roots. Strainers are most likely to occur on the outside of river bends. Since water speed increases on the outside of bends, it erodes or undercuts a bank, removing the dirt that supports trees. Once enough erosion has occurred trees lean over or fall into the river. Trees can then pile up on the outside of the bend. In some cases, the trees float free to form a log jam downstream. Tree roots or root balls occur when trees have floated downstream and perch on the river bottom exposing their root system. They are typically parallel to the current with the roots facing upstream and the trunk downstream. Headwaters or upper sections of rivers have great potential for strainers. Often the channel is narrow and winding with blind turns. Trees are easily caught and sometimes create river-wide strainers. Lower sections of large rivers that braid and meander can have logjams and strainers on undercut banks. Avoiding these can be less difficult because the river channel is usually wide and the hazard visible from some distance. Some rivers that NOLS travels are known for having a large number of strainers. This is especially typical in the Yukon and Alaska. Find out as much strainer information as possible prior to travel; however, it is important to remember that strainers and logjams can move about from year to year. Brief your students about these hazards and what to do if they encounter a strainer. Skills Development Developing students boat control skills helps them better negotiate river hazards. Skills that are helpful for negotiating strainers should be practiced prior to experiencing strainers in moving current: Eddying out Back paddling or ferrying, or turning boat into upstream ferry position and aggressively paddling away Swiftwater landing (stopping on the river bank where no eddy exists) Managing River Strainers Bridget Lyons Side slipping Reading and relaying paddle signals Scouting the strainer either from an eddy or from land in order to determine if lining or portaging might be necessary. Group Management Boats should travel with enough space between them so they can maneuver and avoid obstacles. On narrow winding rivers this might mean you would not be able to see all the boats in your group or even the boat directly in front of or behind you. Approach blind turns with care and generally on the inside of the turn. When paddling river sections with known high strainer potential consider organizing paddle teams to set up the strongest combinations possible and have instructors in the lead and sweep boats. If you have an instructor team of three or more place an instructor boat in the middle of the group as well. Practice relaying paddle signals with your students. The lead boat gives a paddle signal and the boat behind should respond. This should continue until the sweep boat has received the signal and responded. If the lead boat gives a stop signal all of the following boats should stop as soon as possible in an appropriate place. If a directional signal is given boats should go in the direction indicated, left or right. As in any river setting, good trip awareness is beneficial. Strainer Encounter If students are in the water swimming they should: Try to backstroke away from the strainer in their defensive whitewater position. This allows them to keep a visual of what is downstream, fend off rocks with their feet, and monitor their progress in relation to the strainer. If the swimmer is not getting away from the strainer fast enough, roll over onto stomach and aggressively swim freestyle away from the strainer. If that is not an option or they are still unable to get away from the strainer, they should swim straight towards the strainer, grab it, and pull themselves up onto it. They should act as if they are trying to do a push up on top of the strainer and get their hips on top of the strainer. This will help minimize having their feet pulled underneath the strainer. If students encounter a strainer while in their boat they should: Aggressively paddle away from the strainer. If that is not an option, aggressively lean the boat into the strainer. Leaning the boat into the object will expose the hull of the boat instead of the deck of the boat to the oncoming current. Continue to lean their boat into the hazard hugging the hazard. In some cases they will be able to work their way off the hazard. If that cannot be accomplished they might consider getting out of their boat and climbing on top of the strainer. 43

16 If a strainer is encountered by a team member: The lead boat signals for the other boats to stop and then should survey the scene and decide if the entire group should scout the strainer, or if they should simply give River Right and River Left directions to safely avoid the strainer. The lead boat might consider eddying out behind the strainer. From this position they can be in a place to assist. They might consider the possibility of climbing on the strainer in case a boat or swimmer pins against it. This decision would be based on exactly where the strainer is located in the river and the stability of the strainer. Since strainers can be unstable, use caution when considering this option. In some cases, having an instructor boat eddy out on shore above the strainer is beneficial. From this position they can prepare a rope to throw to paddlers. Instructors should be prepared to wade out to or climb on top of a strainer to assist if a swimmer pins against one. Quick access saws should be available. In some cases you will have to ferry upstream of the strainer to avoid it. If the group must ferry upstream of the hazard consider: Lining the boats further upstream to a better ferry location. Creating a zip line ferry. Performing a tethered ferry from the far shore with an instructor as rope handler. Penduluming boats to the far shore, having students walk around hazard, and penduluming boats back to the other shore. Teaching Considerations Your students should be well briefed on strainers and their potential hazard. They should have a clear understanding of what to do in case a strainer is encountered. One way to ensure your students have a clear understanding of this information is to have them present the information as a review several days into the course. If a strainer incident occurs students should realize that this type of river setting may dictate very directional leadership from instructors. This can be an opportunity for students to learn more about river rescue, rescue priorities and group management on the river. Leadership Opportunities River travel and negotiating strainers is a way to teach your students safety and judgment skills. Allowing your students to make decisions on how to negotiate river hazards builds on their knowledge. The ability to assess river hazards and make appropriate decisions is the foundation for responsible river runners. This is one of the most important river skills we can teach our students. Resources Doug McKown (1992) Canoeing Safety & Rescue. Walbridge & Sundmacher Sr. (1995) Whitewater Rescue Manual, pp. 34 & 35. Bechdel & Ray (1997) River Rescue: A Manual for Whitewater Safety, 3rd ed. pp. 60 & 61. If a river wide strainer is encountered the lead boat should signal so all other boats can pull over. Look at the strainer and decide upon the best option for passage. Consider portaging: this can occur on land or over the strainer. Look for an existing trail when land portaging. In many cases if an obstacle is routinely portaged there is an existing trail. If you must cross the actual strainer, use extreme caution in pulling loaded boats over floating obstacles. Keep the boat perpendicular to the obstacle. It is highly likely that a boat can flip under the hazard if swung broadside to the current. 44

17 Lightning Awareness on River Courses This article is to be used with: NOLS Backcountry Lightning Safety Guidelines found in the NOLS Wilderness Educator Notebook. This article states some specifics for Utah based courses, but the bulk of the information is applicable to any river where lightning may be a peril. Safety Issues In Canyons There are no reported incidents of lightning accidents on rivers within steep-sided canyons. The steep walls of the canyons we travel attract lightning, making any place within the canyon, either on the river or in camp, low risk. There is no need to get off the water during a thunderstorm or get into lightning position in camp. Outside of Canyons Outside of canyons, this safety net does not apply. There are many recorded lightning accidents involving boaters in open terrain. The tallest trees at the edge of the water are especially prone to being struck. For Vernal courses, this means that places like Island Park on Lodore, Deer Lodge put-in on the Yampa, and the open section between Desolation and Gray Canyons have higher risks for lightning strikes. In these open places, start to get off the river when you hear thunder and follow standard lightning precautions. It is important to avoid being directly under the tallest trees in the area (e.g., the couple of huge cottonwoods at Island Park camp). It does not matter whether the ground is wet or dry. If a storm appears to be brewing in the evening and you are camped under the tallest trees in the area, move your tent so you won t have to get out of it during the storm. If you need to camp directly under a tall tree in an open area, plan a path to safer ground; this way you won t be stumbling around in the dark during a storm. John Gookin In a nutshell: Start seeking safer ground when you first hear thunder. Once the threat is imminent, you should already be in a safer spot: stop walking around and get in the lightning position. Don t reenter high risk areas (like wide open water or a ridgetop) until 30 minutes after hearing the last thunder. Educational Issues Regardless of our relative safety from lightning in the river corridors we travel, we want students to be prepared to deal with lightning in other environments and in other more open river corridors. It is important that we teach lightning awareness and safety to student groups at some point in the course. When should we teach lightning awareness? Ideally, lightning awareness should be taught before it is needed, but when the potential for seeing lightning exists. Try to time your class with some ominous looking weather. How should we teach lightning awareness? There are thorough teaching resources available in the Wilderness Educator Notebook (WEN) and in the article NOLS Backcountry Lightning Safety Guidelines. Practicing the lightning position with students is critical to their absorbing this information. Don t worry about making the lightning position an exact science. Just get them to get low and ball up. Plan to adapt the lightning information to river travel. We want students to understand what to do on other rivers and in other environments, but we also want them to understand why we won t be using any of these precautions on Day 2 on Lodore. If you are explaining how lightning works, you are teaching some natural history; you can frame this activity to be both an environmental studies and a risk management topic. 45

18 Reporting Broaches, Pins, & Swims Bridget Lyons Broaches Or Pins A broach or a pin is when a boat (canoe, kayak, or raft) is held in place against a solid object by the force of the current. The most common broach or pin encountered is a center pin. In a center pin, the obstacle is located near the center of the boat hull, and the current pushes on either end of the boat. An end to end pin occurs when both ends of the boat are broached on obstacles and the boat is held in place by the current. A vertical pin occurs when the bow or stern is held in place by an obstacle at the bottom of a steep drop, pinning the boat more vertically. A pinch pin occurs when one end of the boat is jammed between two obstacles acting as a pivot point while being held by the current. A wrap is when a broached boat deforms and wraps around the object. What Is Reportable? All broaches or pins in kayaks and all wraps in canoes and rafts should be recorded on the Field Safety Report form as a near miss. When the structural integrity of the boat has been compromised it is recommended that an instructor paddle the boat for the duration of the course. When boats get stuck on the river bottom due simply to low-water or slow, shallow areas, reporting is not necessary. Unintentional Swims A swim occurs when an individual or group flips a kayak, canoe, or raft and/or needs to swim out of the craft. Unintentional swims are part of the process of learning to navigate whitewater. The risk of swimming can often be managed by trained professionals. What Is Reportable? All swims through rapids should be recorded in the course log. In the following cases, swims should also be documented as near misses: A student panics and/or reacts incorrectly to being out of his or her boat. A boater swims into or close to a significant hazard (e.g. an undercut or large hydraulic). The swim was not anticipated and/or controlled by an instructor managing risks. First aid is necessary. A boater becomes hypothermic. A swim is unusually long in terms of distance or duration. The instructor team experiences a loss of control in managing this risk. Is this broach on Lucifer in Hell s Half Mile reportable as a near miss? Within seconds of stopping, the rower jumped up and pushed the stern down then the boat spun off. You can report a broach like this if you think we need to learn a lesson from it, but you aren t required to. During the debriefing of any incident is an excellent time to review basic river safety information, because students will have a new and personal context to reconnect the same information to more places in their memory. 46