Belay device for rescue use


The curent state of our evaluation of the best device for our use -


The conclusions of a recent article published in the UK 'TECHNICAL RESCUE MAGAZINE" indicate that the Petzl GriGri - OR - double prussik loops performed best in a series of tests designed to approximate the loads of a fall in a rescue situation. The following article goes into detail on the configuration of the double prussiks and on the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of devices.

For the use of our group it seems that the Gri gri is a good all-round device which will perform safely when used according to our standard procedures - most importantly -

** the person using the GriGri must ensure that slack rope is kept to a minimum

** the Gri Gri may lock up totally when subject to a heavy load - the cam can get jammed - which means the device may not be able to be used for a lower until the unit is unweighted and the jammed cam released using a wooden mallet.

** a hauling system should be at the ready to lift the load off the belay device if it jams before any lowering can take place.

** the double prussik loops configuration had a weakness on wet ropes. On dry ropes they could be considered a good back up to our preferred method (the GriGri) if a Gri Gri was not available.


click HERE to read the full contents of the article from Technical Rescue Magazine. This article came to us courtesy of a Victorian web site - http://www.techrescue.org/

More information on this subject will follow.