GB2553347A

GB2553347A - Search Line securing device

Info

Publication number: GB2553347A
Application number: GB1614979.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sim Billy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-09-03
Filing date: 2016-09-03
Publication date: 2018-03-07
Also published as: GB201614979D0

Abstract

A plate 1 may be affixed to a wall 3 of a building via a central fixing member 2. The plate may have a gap between it and the wall to allow a rope or cable to pass between the plate and the wall. The rope or string may be looped around the fixing point to secure it. A series of such plates may be distributed throughout a building. The plates may be used by emergency crews or personnel to allow them to fix lanyards or tether ropes prior to entering a dangerous building. The rope or cord allows them to find their way back to safety. Each plate may be fitted with instructions / signs.

Description

(71) Applicant(s):

Billy Sim

Woodlands Avenue, LANARK, South Lanarkshire, ML11 9FF, United Kingdom (72) Inventor(s):

Billy Sim (56) Documents Cited:

WO 2014/166177 A1 WO 2006/067182 A US 7337504 A US 6056085 A (58) Field of Search:

INT CLA62B, E04G, F16G Other: WPI, EPODOC

WO 2009/044405 A FR 002773856 A US 6298629 A US 20150224350 A (74) Agent and/or Address for Service:

Billy Sim

Woodlands Avenue, LANARK, South Lanarkshire, ML11 9FF, United Kingdom (54) Title of the Invention: Search Line securing device

Abstract Title: Fire service search and rescue guide line securing plate (57) A plate 1 may be affixed to a wall 3 of a building via a central fixing member 2. The plate may have a gap between it and the wall to allow a rope or cable to pass between the plate and the wall. The rope or string may be looped around the fixing point to secure it. A series of such plates may be distributed throughout a building. The plates may be used by emergency crews or personnel to allow them to fix lanyards or tether ropes prior to entering a dangerous building. The rope or cord allows them to find their way back to safety. Each plate may be fitted with instructions / signs.

DRAWING 2

1/2

DRAWING 1

Securing Hole (2)

Search Plate (1)

2/2

DRAWING 2

Search Line Securing Device

Background

Fire Services throughout the world use a piece of equipment called a Breathing Apparatus Guideline to assist fire crews when searching large or complex buildings.

The guideline is constructed of thin rope and is attached at the point of entry, and as fire crews progress through the premises, they will secure the rope at specific points, usually on the wall.

These points may include pipework, racking or any other objects already present in the premises.

In the United Kingdom, the equipment is referred to as a Breathing Apparatus Guideline but in other countries it has a different name such as a Search line, Emergency line or Rapid Intervention Team Line.

The definition of a line is a cable, rope, string, cord, or wire, and some countries will refer to the lines as ropes.

Although this invention mentions a Guideline as used by Fire Services in the United Kingdom, it is intended for use by any emergency service throughout the world who may use any search rope or fine in an emergency situation.

Any reference to guidelines within this description should also he accepted that it can also relate to any search rope or line used for the same purpose.

The guideline or search line allows the crews to search off it, when trying to locate casualties or fire, and also enables the crews to return to their entry point.

It allows for a systematic search to be carried out of large areas, and subsequent fire crews can also use the guideline or search line to search and have physical contact with a piece of equipment that will lead them out of the building.

One of the main problems that fire crews encounter when using guidelines, is the lack of securing points within the building to attach the guideline onto.

Most modern buildings have little or no fixed structures such as pipe work, radiators or similar equipment, especially in corners, and this could mean that the guideline is not deployed properly, as per the nationally recognised procedures.

The lack of securing points in buildings has forced fire crews to look at innovative ways to overcome this problem. These measures include tying knots on the line and fitting the line in between a door jamb, securing the line to something at height or in some countries, human anchors are used within the premises to ensure the line is secured and can be used properly.

Human anchors are fire crew members who will be deployed to certain strategic areas within the building and hold the line in the correct position for the subsequent search teams.

The time taken by fire crews in trying to locate suitable tie- off points, and then the physical act of tying the line off, delays the fire crews when using guidelines, and a more advantageous method of attachment should be sought.

The present invention is designed to be a fitting within buildings to allow Breathing Apparatus Guidelines and similar search lines to be quickly and easily secured within the premises.

Fire crews carry out Operational Risk Assessments of premises, solely for the purpose of identifying the risks to fire crews and they should consider if they would require using guidelines, in a fire situation. If the may require to use them, they should also consider if they can secure them properly.

A number of fire services will assess if they have sufficient securing points when they attend an emergency incident in the premises. This will involve crews entering the building in Breathing Apparatus and try and secure the guideline. If they have no securing points, the crews will withdraw from the premises and adopt another firefighting strategy.

This assessment during a fire situation may be problematic for a number of reasons:

1. It is difficult to assess if you have sufficient securing points in limited or zero visibility.

2. It is difficult to tie off the guideline to any securing point using the current method adopted by fire services.

3. Some of these buildings and premises will have already been visited and assessed by fire crews in a non-emergency situation and fire services will have written records of these assessments.

4. Although a number of fire services state on some risk assessments that guidelines should be considered, there has been no assessment carried out to see if guidelines can be secured properly.

Under the Health and safety at work act 1974, this process could be challenged as not being a safe system of work.

Under the Management of Health and Safety regulations, these written risk assessments carried out by the fire service could be challenged as not being suitable and sufficient.

Most modern buildings have numerous signage fitted throughout the premises to allow people to navigate through the building safely and easily.

These signs vary from simple directional signs on doors and walls to fire safety signage and even asset management signage to denote the location and number of certain doors and door frames.

It is generally accepted that this signage is necessary within premises and the present invention intends to incorporate this, and similar signage into the Search line securing device.

According to the present invention there is a Search line securing device which, when fitted to buildings, will eliminate the afore-mentioned problems associated with the use of guidelines within premises.

The device can also be over laid with directional or safety signage already present in the premises to make it more aesthetically pleasing.

At present, there are no designs capable of meeting this functionality and this design aims to make it easier for emergency crews to use Guidelines and similar equipment in buildings.

The securing device will be fitted in premises, at points where fire crews may require securing guidelines, and will be small and unobtrusive, so that the fitting of the device will not adversely affect the functionality or the look of the premises where they will be fitted. The device will be constructed of a suitably robust material, such as steel, fire retardant treated wood or a suitable plastic with similar properties. The size of the device will vary and will be dependent on the size of any signage to be attached to the device.

The device is designed to be fitted so it allows a gap between the back of the device and the wall that it is to be secured onto. The gap will be slightly smaller than the diameter of the guideline so that when it is pulled in towards the centre of the device, the line will lock in place.

This allows the Guideline to be quickly and easily secured to the device by pulling it around the outside of the device and pulling it tightly.

The device can be coloured to blend in with the background and any relevant message or information can be placed on the front of the device.

The design can also be made luminous if required so that it becomes easier to locate in poor visibility. The device can be similar in layout to the embodiment of the device in the drawing, but more importantly, any variation in the design will still be capable of carrying out the function of a securing point for the guideline.

A more detailed description of the device will now be given with reference made to the appropriate drawings.

Drawing 1 shows a device with a flat plate at the front (1) and a hole (2) which is designed to locate a screw or similar device to enable the plate to be secured onto the wall within the premises.

Although the current embodiment shows one securing hole to locate the plate to the wall, there can be more than one securing hole if required.

The plate can have any message on it as required or can be left the same colour as the wall for aesthetic reasons.

The device will be constructed so that the distance between the device and the wall is slightly smaller than the diameter of the rope.

The Guidelines used in the United Kingdom is currently 6 millimetres in diameter and this means that the gap between the wall and the securing device in the United Kingdom will have to be less than 6 millimetres.

This will ensure that when the rope is pulled towards the spacer/ spacers, it will cause an interference fit between the wall and device and lock the rope in place. This distance can be achieved by either the device being pressed out in the centre to make the gap or a spacer to be fitted between the device and the wall.

The location of these securing devices should ideally be at waist height as the Guideline is intended to be secured at waist height throughout the premises.

The number of securing devices required in a building will be sufficient as to allow crews to safely secure the Guideline and carry out a thorough search of the building. This will vary greatly depending on the complexity and size of the building.

Drawing 2 shows the top view of the plate and the gap (4) between the plate (1) and the wall (3).

The plate is secured to the wall by screws or bolts through securing holes (2)

Method of operation

The device will be located at strategic places throughout the building and when the rope requires securing onto the device, it will be pulled along the top of the device and then downwards so it is locked between the device and the wall.

The rope will then be pulled down the side, of the device, along the bottom and then finally back up the other side.

This will lock it between the device and the wall on all four sides of the device. Even if it is pulled really tight, this will cause the rope to come into contact with the spacers and lock further in place.

To increase the attachment between the search line and the device, a simple half hitch knot can be utilised to secure it to the device. This knot is simple and quick to tie and can be easily done in poor visibility.

The crews will then carry the rope further into the building and secure it to other devices in the same manner. This will allow the line to be quickly and easily fitted by personnel and ensure it is fitted as per the laid down procedures.

As Fire Services carry out site specific risk assessments in buildings and have plans of the layout of these premises for use by fire crews, it would be possible for the location of these search line securing devices to be included on the plans.

Claims

1. A Search line securing device, comprising of: a plate; locating hole or holes; a method of securing the plate to a wall or surface; and a means of creating a gap into which the Search line is secured.

2. A Search line securing device according to claim 1 that allows for signage or instruction to be attached to it.

3. A Search line securing device according to claim 1 where the device can be any colour so that it can blend in with the building area it is fitted to.

4. A Search line securing device according to claim 1 whereby the device can also be utilised as a wayfinding sign.

5. A Search line securing device according to claim 1 that is fitted at strategic points throughout a building.

6. An apparatus specifically designed for securing a Search line within a building or structure as described in the description and accompanying drawings 1-2

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB 1614979.1

6. A method for securing a Search line within a structure, the method comprising: a plate; a means of attaching the plate to the wall or structure; creating a gap between the plate and the wall or structure to attach the search line; attaching a wayfinding or instructional sign to the front face of the plate.

7. An apparatus, specifically designed for securing a search line within a structure as described in the description.

Amendments to the claims have been made as followed:

Claims

1. A Search line securing device consisting of, a fixed rigid plate, a singular or plurality of securing bolts or screws to secure the plate to the building or structure, a means of creating a predetermined gap or space between the plate and the building or structure, specifications of gap being smaller than the diameter of the search line, gap between the plate and building or structure, having the capability of creating an interference fit with the search line, wall and plate, thus allowing the search line to be securely held in place when forced into the gap between the plate and the building or structure, with the aforementioned gap continuing around the full perimeter of the fixed rigid plate and the building or structure

2. A Search line securing device according to claim 1, where additional security between the search line and the search line securing device can be created by wrapping the search line fully around the search line rigid plate, ensuring that the search line is correctly located in the gap between the building or structure and the search line rigid plate.

3. A Search line securing device according to claim 1 and claim 2, where the outside face of the plate can be decorated to fit in with the aesthetic look of the building or structure where it is located.

4. A Search line securing device according to claim 1, 2, and 3 where the gap between the fixed rigid plate and the building or structure may decrease as it gets nearer to the centre of the rigid plate and the securing bolts or screws, allowing for a greater interference fit between the rigid plate, building or structure and the Search line as the Search line is pulled tighter around the perimeter of the rigid plate.

5. A method of securing an emergency search line to a building or structure, consisting of, a rigid plate, a number of securing bolts or screws to attach the rigid plate to the building or structure, a predetermined gap between the rigid plate and the building or structure, the gap being smaller than the diameter of the search line to allow for an interference fit when the search line is correctly fitted between the rigid plate and the building or structure.