The No1 Ethical retailer for Books, CD’s, DVD’s & Games
30 Day Refund Guarantee

White Water Safety and Rescue

White Water Safety and Rescue

by Franco Ferrero (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 1998

    $5.61
Synopsis

The writing of this book started when I tried to put some notes together as course notes for the safety and rescue courses I was running at Plas y Brenin. It soon became clear what a huge topic it is and in sheer frustration I explained to a friend that I would have to write a book to cover it properly. His answer was, Why don't you? This is the result. I hope you find it enjoyable and informative. Learning About Safety and Rescue The point of safety and rescue training is that there is rarely the time to develop a technique during a life threatening emergency. Paddlers must already be in possession of a range of techniques that will allow them to solve the problem quickly. There isn't the time to re-invent the wheel. New techniques are often developed in training and practise situations. There are three parts to becoming a safe and effective paddler and rescuer: 1. Knowledge 2. Training 3. Experience This book can only provide the knowledge. It is important that the reader should consider attending practical safety and rescue courses in order to evaluate a range of techniques under controlled conditions. This will also ensure that the techniques are fully and correctly understood. For those who already have a good deal of training and experience the book will be useful as an 'aide-memoire', and probably cover some areas that are new to the reader. Practise Like all skills, safety and rescue skills need to be practised; initially to become competent and thereafter to maintain competence. Great care should be taken in selecting suitable sites, where the skills can be practised in controlled conditions. Nothing could be worse than to be, or see a friend, injured whilst practising how to stay safe! It is also important to try and practise as a team with the people you normally paddle with. Structure This book is in four parts. The order they are in reflects the importance that I attach to them. Part One deals with safety, which is about staying out of trouble in the first place. Part Two is about rescuing people. This is what we do when our safety has failed. Part Three is about caring for and evacuating people who are physically or emotionally injured. Part Four is primarily about recovering equipment.

$5.61

Save:$13.31 (70%)

Quantity

2 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 288
 Publisher: Pesda Press
Published: 01 Mar 1998
ISBN 10: 0953195600
ISBN 13: 9780953195602

Media Reviews
Until now River Rescue has been the standard book on the subject. I prefer this one, particularly for the narrower, lower volume British rivers although Franco keeps his options open by including rafts and adding American terminology after British nomenclature. The approach is minimalist with simplicity and speed being the essence rather than going out with a sack of equipment while you try to remember engineering drawings on how to use it. Franco calls for moderation, not taking novices on water above grade 2 and encouraging responsible attitudes. There are four distinct sections, avoiding trouble, recovering paddlers when they have got into trouble, taking care of victims and recovering equipment, in that order of priority. Within those sections are many topic headings which make information easy to find and specific safety messages easy to spot. The book is written in better English than is managed by some of our literary coaches. Illustration is with photographs, mainly black and white, and many good quality sketches. Danny Jones adds a few cartoons and written contributions also come from Loel Collins, Bob Timms, Dave Luke and Ray Goodwin, the latter including a tale which is perhaps the most telling in the book. Ray virtually lives on the water with safety on his mind but had to undertake a serious weir (low head dam) rescue while having the exhaust replaced on his car, diving in on the end of a hose-pipe with fitters holding the other end, a lesson in being adaptable and improvising as necessary. There are just two places in the book where I take issue. One of us is shaky on understanding mechanical advantage in pulley systems. On risk gradings, Franco dismisses Terry Storry's A - F system and produces a system where probability of running foul of a hazard and consequences of doing so are each rated from 1-5 and compared with one's personal rating, a system which is far too complicated even if it is only a mathematical equivalent of our thought processes on weighing up a rapid. This is one of a small handful of books which should be seen as standards and should be read by anyone paddling white water. Reviewed by Stuart Fisher - Editor of Canoeist Magazine
Author Bio
Franco Ferrero has paddled throughout Britain and The Alps, and in Norway, Nepal and Peru. He half time for the Canoe and Kayak Department of Plas y Brenin, the UK National Mountain Centre, and half time as the managing director of Pesda Press. As well as playing, coaching and leading groups on white water, he is involved in the development and delivery of British Canoe Union white water safety courses, a trainer for Rescue 3 International, delivering Swift Water Rescue Technician courses, and a first aid trainer for Rescue and Emergency Care.