We like to believe that our equipment is the best in the world. We work hard to design, engineer, source and produce the very finest controlled descent devices, ropes, accessories and kits for safe, simple and reliable evacuation, self-rescue, assisted rescue, work and play.

But the equipment is only half the story. The value of any equipment, no matter how great it is, and regardless of how simple it may be to operate, depends in great measure on the competency of the person using it. This is especially true in harsh environments and in the stress and heat of an emergency.

In other words, is the user well trained? Safety training is intended to make proper care and use of equipment almost second nature, because adrenaline, nerves, injury and other forces at work during an emergency situation often impact thinking and recall. So the best training is that which makes deploying, rigging and executing techniques with a range of equipment a conditioned response.

Given this, one has to ask: what makes for the most effective safety and rescue training?

At DEUS Rescue, we take a particular approach to training. Our approach seeks to achieve the ultimate goal of maintaining a safe and effective work and rescue situation by developing safety and emergency decision-making skills. It helps ensure that people who use our equipment understand both equipment and techniques. It also ensures that students acquire both skills and muscle memory – that ability to physically do something almost without thinking. Finally, our approach is also designed to provide demonstrated proof that the student has been effectively trained.

So what is this approach? It’s built around six distinctly different but inter-related areas:

1. Decision-making
2. Concepts
3. Skills
4. Repetition
5. Testing
6. Recertification

In this blog series, we will walk through our approach to training, and we will address each of these areas in detail. Check back next week for part two.