Presentations and Webinars
Here we archive presentations and webinars we have given. When possible we have recorded the event and provide the video for later viewing. In addition, we post any handouts we used and the PowerPoint files as well. Feel free to use any and all of these files for your own teaching!
Webinars:
Webinars:
- A Review of Knot Strength Testing, by Thomas Evans
Presented to the National Speleological Society, November 29, 2015 (Archived through the NSS here)
This webinar is a synopsis of knot strength testing data from 114 sources. It describes what knots have been tested, what strengths they have, and graphically shows the relative strengths of knots in a variety of materials. The presentation is geared for cavers and rescuers, so if you are a sport caver, or rescuer, it is a good overview of what we understand about knot strengths. This webinar is based heavily on a presentation made at the International Technical Rescue Symposium in 2016. Feel free to use the webinar and the PowerPoint file for your own teaching as desired.
Recorded Webinar PowerPoint - Webbing Anchors for Sport and Rescue Rigging, by Thomas Evans
Presented to the National Speleological Society, September 15, 2015 (Archived through the NSS here)
This webinar is a synopsis of the webbing anchor research available for 1 inch tubular nylon webbing connected to only one anchor point (no multipoint anchors are discussed). It was recorded for members of the National Speleological Society (NSS), so the content frequently mentions caving and cave rescue. The intent of the webinar is to show attendees the strength and properties of webbing anchors and ultimately provide them with the information needed to make informed rigging decisions. Feel free to use the webinar, the PowerPoint file, and the handout for your own teaching as desired. Note: The handout will be updated in the research synopsis section of the web page, but not here, so the version of the handout used will stay constant here.
Recorded Webinar PowerPoint Handout
- Being a Prepared Trip Leader in Vertical Environments
Presented at the Western Regional Outdoor Leadership Conferece, January 13-15, 2017
An introduction to Small Party Assisted Rescue for trip leaders, including what SPAR is, when it should be performed, what equipment leaders should bring with them, and provides a few example SPAR skills (raises, lowers, assisted movement).
Talk-PowerPoint Class Handout-PDF - The Art And Science Of Simple Anchors: For Climbers, Canyoneers, and Cavers
Presented at the Western Regional Outdoor Leadership Conference, January 13-15, 2017
A short interactive clinic on anchor construction integrating primary research data sets.
Talk-PowerPoint Class Handout-PDF - Small Party Assisted Rescue (SPAR): Introduction to Rescue Techniques Requiring Minimal Equipment and Personnel
Presented at the Northwest SARCon meeting, September 23-25, 2016
This short class explained the logical and philosophical underpinnings of SPAR and taught attendees a range of rigging tricks that could be used to perform a SPAR rescue.
Talk-PDF Class Handout-PDF - The Art and Science of Efficient Webbing and Rope Anchors: Building Fast, Safe, and Multifunctional Rescue Anchors
Presented at the International Rescue and Emergency Care Association (IRECA) meeting, June 22, 2016
This presentation briefly covers the research on webbing anchors, then walks the viewer through a number of rope only anchors. This presentation is meant to be paired with the Simple Anchors Made From Rope paper.
Talk-PowerPoint Talk-PDF - A Critical Review of Two Tension Systems
Presented at the Mountain Rescue Association Meeting, June 10-12, 2016
This presentation presents a literature review concerning two tension systems and compares system performance predictions to observations made during research. Results for specific device testing are included at the end, including research recently completed by SAR^3.
Talk-PowerPoint Talk-PDF - Using Evidence to Understand Your Rope Rescue Rigging
Presented at the Washington State Search and Rescue Conference, May 20, 2016
This presentation poses a series of hypothetical rigging questions, asks the audience to make predictions, then shows testing data to answer the questions posed. The data sets included are the most recent produced by SAR^3.
Talk-PowerPoint Talk-PDF - Choosing a Webbing Anchor for Sport and Rescue
Presented to the San Joaquin Valley Grotto, Fresno, CA February 18, 2016
This is a short presentation that covers how the author thinks through picking a webbing anchor for use during sport or rescue rigging. It covers the thought process and the data behind strengths. It has much the same content as the ITRS talk on webbing anchors from 2015.
Talk-PowerPoint Talk-PDF - Teaching Evidence Based Decision Making For Sport (Climbing, Canyoneering, Caving, Etc.) and Rescue Rigging, by Thomas Evans
Presented at the 2016 WROLC Meeting, Stanford, CA January 16, 2016
As professional educators we have an opportunity to teach our students about how to think and reason through problems. One way to think through problems is through Evidence Based Decision Making. This presentation focused on three different ways to teach this skill to rigging students; Inquiry Based Learning, Modeling, and Answering Questions. The talk covers the strengths and weaknesses of each method, when each can be used effectively, and during the presentation the attendees experienced each method. While the content was best learned through attending, the files below should enable interested parties to cover most of the material themselves.
Talk-PowerPoint Talk-PDF Multipoint Anchor Handout Prusik Tying Handout Modeling Handout - Evidence-Based Decision-Making for Rope Rescue, by Thomas Evans and Sarah Truebe
Presented at the 2015 SARCon Meeting, Estes Park, CO June 5, 2015
We make rigging decisions based on what we have been taught in trainings or read in training manuals, but how do we know that what manuals contain is correct? Rigging practice is often based on advice from experienced professionals, often applied without analysis. Usually, experience produces sage accurate results. Recent testing, however, challenges many assumptions we make in rigging. In this workshop, participants and leaders provided their opinions on the behavior of rigging systems and had a chance to analyze how systems function in light of recent testing data. We provided handouts of testing data on webbing anchors and presented prusik behavior data, and used these data sets as case examples to illustrate the mismatch between common perceptions among rescuers and observations from lab testing. Ultimately, we made a case for using evidence rather than tradition to make rigging decisions.
Recorded Presentation PowerPoint PDF of PowerPoint Handout
Webbing Anchor Research Synopsis Abstract