Rescue safety of Hog rig?

[BigTuna]

In my rescue class, when I played the unresponsive victim, the rescuers couldn't shrug me out of my Hog rig easily. To avoid drowning me, they would have had to cut me out, assuming they had knives. Even after I helped them get me out, they nearly strangled me removing the long hose and octo bungie.

On the other end of the rescue, when I had to kit up fast to dive with a buddy to locate a victim on the bottom of the pool, I was never fast enough. I started in the shallow end with my rig floating in the water, BP up, top end facing me. I sorted out the straps and hoses, put my arms thru the straps, then flipped the rig over and onto my back as I ducked under it. At this point the waist straps were invariably twisted, particularly the left side, because of the knife. I gave up on finding the crotch strap and just buckled the waist. Then came locating and organizing the hoses.

I'm seriously wondering if the Hog rig might be dangerous to my health or somebody else's in dive emergencies. Anybody else have rescue problems with the rig? Any thoughts about the rig's safety aspects?

 

[El Orans]

I carry my knife on my harness, feel free to cut me out if required.

 

[Brian1968]

I carry my knife on my harness, feel free to cut me out if required.

Ditto.

In fact when I did my rescue course in January last year I did the first day of water stuff in my backplate/wing. My instructor simply asked me how to get me out of it if the need arose. I told him "If it's for real.....just cut it".

The second day I dove my jacket style BC (that was the last time I dove it) and he would rather I have dove my BP/W. His rationale (and I saw his point)...."train in what you'll be diving in".

With a little time and practice it comes on and off in a snap. And in a real-life rescue situation you're not going to worry about being delicate. It's plenty easy to cut thru the few lengths of webbing than to worry about buckles and cummerbunds and such.

My two cents.

(edited for typos)

 

[cmalinowski]

I carry my knife on my harness, feel free to cut me out if required.

Same here. And getting it on shouldn't be that hard once you get used to it. If you don't swim using your hands, you have all that free time getting to the victim to use your hands to strap yourself in.

I've had to doff/don my rig underwater (and on surface) for some test or another and found it pretty easy. Granted, you may want to practice it if you are serious about getting better at it and not just doing it for the class.

Just my thoughts.

Chris

 

[TSandM]

You might want to read THIS thread that I started while I was taking rescue.

Frankly, one of the things I took away from the class was that, if you are completely out of your gear, it is going to take you a long time to get back into it to get out and do something useful for somebody who is any distance from shore. Especially since you do NOT want to be a second victim, so you want to take the time to make sure all of YOUR equipment is arranged properly and in good working order before you get in the water . . . whether you are diving a hog rig or not.

Since I've been trying desperately to master the valve drill, and to do it with my dry suit requires unlacing the waist belt and pushing the tank up, I've gotten rather good at doing that, and it is quite doable while swimming. (You do have to be a little careful not to fasten it OVER the long hose, she says sheepishly after yesterday )