IF YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL RESCUE PERSON PLEASE READ THIS.

Special Operations consist of water rescue, scuba diving, repelling, high-angle rescue, confined-space rescue, structure-collapse rescue, and auto pin-in extractions.

Imagine a homeless person whacked out on a pint of muscatel falling down a deep shaft or silo. Not your kid, or some big shot’s relative or even a senator, but some one we generally define as not contributing anything to the society in which he lives. In short, it doesn’t matter for whom: rich man, poor man, a theoretical physicist, a bum. Here come Special Operations with all their stuff and manpower.

Some of the tools needed are: a rigging system, climbing rope, carabineers, pulleys, hitches, straps, webbing, and harness’, prusik cords, releasing hitches, beam clamps, nylon webbing, swivels, delta carabineers, rigging plates, brake back bars, pick off straps, duct tape, Gibbs ascenders, swivels, access cord, safety lines, air bottles and masks.

Countless dollars are expended, even if the person has died. Few civilians realize the amount of energy expended, all this to say nothing of the thousands of hours of training and above all, the risks for the rescuers.