Zermatt crevasse rescue team

[Dee Hubbs]

Do the Swiss have some awesome healthcare system

Yes, along with most of the other modern 1st world countries around the world. There are actually 58 countries with legislation mandating universal health care, along with greater than 90% health insurance coverage, and grater than 90% skilled birth attendance.
America is so fucked up with its heath care system. That's as far as I will go without entering PollyAss.

[m68216]

Fantastic rescue, and fantastic edit. Thanks for sharing.

Agreed 100%. I was surprised they stepped out unroped so close to the opening of a clearly very large crevasse.

I was also surprised they chose not to put the patient on a back board before pulling him out. I'm curious how much extra time that would have taken.

True, but, to be fair, that can be mitigated with a PLB, sat phone, etc.

Line up, line down, second person in the crevasse to get patient on backboard, secondary anchor for second rescuer has to be set up, etc. Someone seems to have done the cost/benefit because they didn't even put them on a backboard until the heli showed up again.

More interesting to me is how fast they were able to rally 3 extra mountain guides and get them to the scene.

[toast2266]

That was a good watch.

While a backboard seems like it would've taken a lot of time, kinda surprised they didn't do anything to stabilize the neck - seems like that would have been pretty quick (although ultimately I suppose it turned out to be unnecessary).

[Rob Stokes]

From memory (a few weeks since I watched it) it would have been a royal pain in the ass to get him on the backboard. Nigh on impossible to get him on there without moving him around a lot. You need room and a couple people to get someone on a board effectively. By effectively I mean without moving the patient around lots and loosing the spinal immobilization. You need to be able to access the head and sides of the patient just to strap him in once he is on there.

Also that could have been a false floor in the crevasse, they need to get the guy on a rope ASAP.

And thirdly recent studies are proving that back boards aren't as vital as we previously thought. I don't think we will be using them much in awkward situations (mtn rescue) in a few years time.

[BCMtnHound]

Also recent studies are proving that back boards aren't as vital as we previously thought. I don't think we will be using them much in awkward situations (mtn rescue) in a few years time.

Been hearing the same in recent training. Also, we've been training almost exclusively with a vacuum bag spineboard now. Haven't tried a vertical application yet, but on the horizontal it is so much easier to get a patient immobilized and comfortable. Much warmer, and so much easier to get a patient into a long ranger too. Just have to be conscious of puncture potentials.

[Rob Stokes]

Been hearing the same in recent training. Also, we've been training almost exclusively with a vacuum bag spineboard now. Haven't tried a vertical application yet, but on the horizontal it is so much easier to get a patient immobilized and comfortable. Much warmer, and so much easier to get a patient into a long ranger too. Just have to be conscious of puncture potentials.

Are you a Patroller, SAR or...?

I patrol on Blackcomb and we just got a vacuum bag, sweet bit of kit.

[BCMtnHound]

Volunteer SAR. We just got our vac bag this spring. A bit pricy at ~$1300, but now we are grant writing a second for back-up. No more pressure points for the poor subject strapped down in some rough manner of conveyance.

[joetron]

I love The Horn.

Its helicopter porn, aesthetic mountain porn and Swiss Alp mtn culture porn all wrapped in one.