Ever heard of that saying “If you can’t tie knots, tie lots” well if someone is struggling to place the right knot in the right place, then be aware that the individual needs some urgent training. For Boy Scouts and other knot enthusiasts the ability to tie every knot known to man may be desirable and give instant credibility amongst friends and other like-minded individuals. However, for our line rescue technician, the ability to tie three knots properly is all that is required.
A good knot should have certain attributes.
1. Easy to tie and untie
2. Not damage the line
3. Reduce the breaking strain by a minimum
And there are three stages to tying a knot
1. Tie the knot correctly
2. Dress the knot
3. Tension the knot
So what are our three knots?
The Fishermans knot, either tied as a double (three turns?) Pic.1, or a single (two turns?) the line is tied around it self, and is as basic as it gets. It is used on a descending line to indicate that you have come to the end; normally you would have two on the standing part of a line. One placed about 2m from the end and another about 500mm from the end. If descending a line it gives a warning that you are at the end and prevents you from disappearing off the end! It also gives you 2m of line to get yourself out of trouble i.e. attach an additional line or transfer completely to another. Its principle use is as a stopper knot, to prevent unravelling and such is found on the end of the Rollgliss line.
The knot in its single guise is also used as a backup to a Figure of Eight knot
Pic.2. I personally have never known a Figure of Eight knot to come undone,
so in this instance it acts as “belt and braces”.
Finally two double Fishermans are used to connect two lines of equal diameter
together. Pic.3a. & Pic.3b.
The most famous and most commonly used knot is the Figure of Eight.
Correctly tied, dressed and tensioned it is one of the strongest of
knots. There are stronger, the Figure of Nine and believe it or not, the Figure
of Ten. These two knots are rarely used, as the gain is minimal and both knots
can be bulky.
Correctly tied with a longer tail, and finished with a Fishermans knot, it is
called a termination and is the principle means of attaching a line to another
piece of equipment. Ref Pic.2.
I keep my lines un-knotted when stored in their bags. Leaving a knot in a line puts the filaments of the Kern under compression and tension and is not good for the line to be left in this way. However for my rapid deployment kit, I keep my line doubled with three Figure of Eight knots ready tied, the bight of each knot is also protected by a section of tubular tape. Preparation of equipment for deployment will be covered in a future training note.
The final knot we shall look at is the Butterfly knot.
This knot is simple to tie, but in my experience takes the longest of the three to master, once you have it in your head it’s not a problem. Its greatest attribute is, that unlike the Figure of Eight, which only takes a load on its longitudinal axis, the Butterfly knot takes a load two ways, firstly on its longitudinal axis and secondly through the bight of the knot. Originally designed to tie a climber into the middle of a rope it has proven to be a very useful knot for line rescue work. The bight can be easily extended and combined with a termination tied in the running end, will give two means of attaching a single line to two anchors, quick and secure, a favourite amongst police line access teams.
Learning to tie knots from books or diagrams is only half the task. Understanding the practical application and being able to identify and correctly tie a knot under operational conditions is what matters, and that only comes with practice. We shall all rely on knots tied by our team members and likewise they rely on us, remember it’s not the fall that hurts it’s the landing!
Every line rescue technician will take a fall at some time or another, what prevents or reduces serious injury is a combination of three things.
1. The higher up you are, the better; it gives that moment to react.
2. The security of your anchors: that includes your knots.
3. The correct and swift operation of your safety back-up.
Pete Gwilliam
Specialist Training Consultants