Assessing arborist climbing and rigging systems
Arborists use a wide variety of climbing systems , incorporating components taken from rock climbing , rescue and industrial access disciplines as well as an increasing number of devices made solely for use in trees .
Across most of the world , arborists are an exception to the usual requirement for a separate independent belay line , although the United Kingdom has recently changed their regulations to require two continuous points of attachment . Arboricultural bodies are watching with interest to see if climbing incident rates are affected by this change . In Australia and New Zealand , there is no strong impetus in the industry for a move to twin rope systems .
A challenge for rescue teams may be that the devices and systems in use are likely to be unfamiliar . Recent years have seen a huge number of new devices developed specifically for use in arborist climbing systems ; most of these devices are designed for a single load and have no anti-panic function . Many allow the device to be fully opened for rapid descent , with almost no residual friction .
This section provides a brief introduction to the main classes of arborist climbing and work systems that may be encountered . The intention is not to instruct rescue teams to adopt and use arborist climbing equipment ; rather to assist rescue teams with analysing and adjusting the ropes , devices and other components that may be encountered during a tree rescue .
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