Introduction
Cave rescue is a highly specialized dynamic skill filled with wilderness rescue. Caves are an integral part of our Earth. These openings have a lot of knowledge about our Earth millions of years ago. Caves are loaded with minerals, rare metals, fossils, archaeological specimens & a lot more. Caves have played the role of the home for different animals, parasites, and early humans. Even caves have been burial grounds of diverse communities.
The target of the caving team
In the given scenario, the research management committee generally funds research projects based on human behaviours in confined spaces. In general, all caving teams are instructed to have an aim which might be exploration, mountaineering interest, research purpose or cave photography. On the contrary, the team concentrates on funding certain research projects like Scientific research work, biological experimentation, fossil finding, archaeological research, geographical factors, study on Earth’s crust & many more (Freeman et al. 2018). The rescue team had 6 volunteers who were assigned to rescue a team that went caving & badly got trapped under the cave. They are facing major problems. Their entire plan was for four days but an unprecedented situation happened. The sudden falling of rocks along with rising water levels made it impossible for the team to come out of the cave.
Challenges faced by the rescue team
Several challenges arose while rescuing; the rescue team communicated with the caving team by the help of radio link communication. Later on, the rescue team announced that only 1 person could be saved in a single hour due to added complications. This verdict was made after analysis of the geographical conditions which portrayed that the cave was in such a delicate condition that by the flow of time, water will be filling up the cave which will drown some of the team members even before the rescue is initiated (Goh, 2021). After passing such a judgment the intensity of the situation increases tension among the volunteers & the persons trapped under the cave. In such vulnerable situations the rescue team demands a responsive approach with logical reasoning & calculations. There are several times when vertical shafts & climbs, twisted passages, constricted spaces, loose rock & mud, complex tunnels are some of the challenges that are faced by the rescue team quite often. These scenarios require faster decisions & faster applications to revive the trapped.
Geographical challenges
The areas that have active volcanoes, hot spring wells, and previous records of land sliding might be some of the risky areas for exploration. These circumstances demand a more accurate and responsive nature (Petrucci et al. 2018). Movements in tectonic plates, volcanic eruptions also impose challenges on the rescue teams.
Environmental factors
Building artificial entrances to the cave is very dangerous. It allows suddenly increased airflow which might result in collapsing, sudden freezing & thawing in the cave (Popović et al. 2019). Different caves have different temperatures which might not be the same as the outer environment.
Animal attack
Sometimes while caving the team faces certain challenges regarding the wild animal attacks. Oftentimes, creatures like snakes, lizards, fox, poisonous frogs, parasites, and insects can attack the team (van et al. 2021). All this needs proper management prior to caving.
Physiological factors
Due to severe temperature changes, many caving team members get sick. Physical conditions like hypothermia, levels of fatigue, blood pressure fall, breathing difficulty due to lack of oxygen might be faced (Freeman et al. 2018). Life-saving equipment might work in specific cases or it might not work, so the rescue team needs to carry them fast out of the cave.
Contamination of disease
Some diseases like rabies, histoplasmosis, leptospirosis & tick-borne fever might be contaminated by the presence of underground fauna. Keeping this in mind, the team needs to be prepared about first aid or aborting their mission (Goh, 2021). Neglecting the disease could be life-threatening.
Controlled body movement
The rescue teams are often taught in training that sudden running, fast walking, hopping, free walking & roaming without planning could possibly bring drastic failures to the entire team.
Psychological factors
The changes in human behaviour occur due to wild atmospheric situations. This human mind acts differently (Popović et al. 2019). The different behavioural changes include- anger, anxiety, fear, trauma & hopelessness.
In this particular scenario, the major problem is regarding the free flow of water. This might bring a sudden collapse so the rescue team must respond fast with the help of the volunteers. While entering a cave there can be vertical shafts that might impose a challenge on the rescuers. The spaces & heights of the vertical shafts might be as narrow as 2 feet so high flexibility will help in rescuing. Due to the movement of tectonic plates, earthquakes and many twisted passages are formed inside the cave which is extremely difficult in rescue operations. Many times constricted spaces are to be faced, which gets difficult to analyze when the cave gets flooded. The most common challenge that 4 out of 5 teams face while caving is problems with loose rock. While caving there is a high percentage of people facing problems with loose rock & this could be life-threatening as these loose rocks could entirely impact the structure of the cave resulting in people getting trapped under huge rocks (Petrucci et al. 2018). A common challenge is faulty reading of cave maps. Fault reading of cave maps could result in getting lost & digging the wrong part of the cave which might be a vulnerable spot of exploration.
Name of life-saving equipment to rescue
Several life-saving types of equipment such as an LED head strap, emergency lights, respiratory masks, protective boots, helmet with chin strap, waterproof flashlights, and bulbs are required to continue the rescue operation from the cave. On the other hand, first aid kits, caving harnesses, climbing gear, rope and the arrangements of proper clothing are other necessary assistance to continue cave operations (Bbc.com, 2021). Cave responsibility typically includes appropriate planning for listing out all of these essential cave rescue equipment to successfully carry out various activities within the cave. Apart from that, it is important to wear warm clothes during carrying out several activities and operations within the cold atmosphere of the cave.
The materials of the dark masks generally absorb the light that often seeps into the masks and this particular situation distracts the cavers from the actual direction or from the necessary spots. Thus, it is important to bear all the essential cave diving gears to save the lives of individuals inside the cave (Inews.co.uk, 2021). For instance, some of the essential cave diving gear such as stiff fines, lights, wet suits or dry suits, small knives, flashlights, dry masks needs to be carried by the cavers while working underwater inside the cave.
Discussing various ways to rescue individuals from the water
Notifying a lifeguard is one of the most effective steps if an individual remains close to the entrance of the cave. Apart from that, checking the rate of breathing is another way to predict the condition of an individual after saving them from the cave water (Petrucci et al. 2018). In this scenario, checking the pulses of the individual is necessary if the individual is not breathing after bringing them outside from the cave water. Focusing on CPR is an effective step to rescue the individual if the person is still not breathing after rescuing them from the cave water.
Identifying risk
The presence of a number of active streams is observed inside the cave which often increases the risks generating the incident of flash flooding during the time of rainstorms. In this case, this particular condition leads to generating incidents where cavers can be trapped and even drowned inside the water (Panphae and Phoewhawm, 2020). Thus, the cave passages lead to increasing the risks of deaths of individuals at the time of flooding or during the time of rain. In this scenario, the rescue process is extremely challenging and only one individual can be rescued each hour with the help of the available life-saving equipment.
Explanation of the ranking order in caving
| Order of rescue | Name of volunteer | Explanation of the ranking order |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AHMED | Ahmed always tries to help other young individuals to rescue them from any kind of adverse situation. Thus, He is an appropriate choice for selecting as the first person or the first order person to rescue his other team member from the cave during adverse situations. On the other hand, Ahmed is always willing to step forward in the case of rescuing others from danger (Van Veelen et al. 2021). Hence, this is another valid reason that helps in taking decisions regarding selecting Ahmed as the first individual to rescue his other teammate from a dangerous situation inside the cave. |
| 2 | MARY | Mary is currently running a company by selecting a total of 70 individuals. Thus, Mary is leading a team of a significant number of business individuals that generates a requirement for building an effective team management approach within her (Grego, 2020). On the other hand, Mary is also looking for 30 more individuals for an entirely new project to grow her business. This particular fact helps to predict Mary’s strong problem-solving approach that helps her to overcome any type of difficult situation ((Inews.co.uk, 2021). Hence, Mary is required to be selected as the second person to go for the rescue operation inside the cave. |
| 3 | TOZO | Tozo is a 19-year-old teenage girl studying sociology at Keele University. Thus, it can be predicted that full of enthusiasm is a positive side of Tozo’s nature. The excitement and curiosity of Tozo lead to taking the decision regarding selecting her as the third person for continuing the rescue operation (Khaikham, 2020). Besides, it has been reported that Tozo’s family is interested in a TV documentary. Hence, it is essential for Tozo to go through a dangerous and thrilling situation to make the cave operation as a part of the TV documentary and to bring excitement within a large number of individuals. |
| 4 | SERGEI | Sergei has already experienced a lot of misery in his personal life. In this case, he is an appropriate selection for going through the rescue operation to save the life of one of his teammates. |
| 5 | HELEN | Helen is a mother of four children who needs to give full attention to her children who are between seven months to 8 years old. Currently, she is thinking of marrying Paul to include him within her family (Panphae and Phoewhawm, 2020). Hence, it is risky to place Helen in the front series of the rescue order to rescue the team member from the difficult situation. |
| 6 | PAUL | Paul has been accused of selling drugs to young individuals. It is not logical to place Paul in the first place of the series of the rescue order as he is not a completely trustworthy person to rescue someone from danger. |
Table 1: Considering ranking order
(Source: Created by the author)
Ahmed is a 25-year-old student who had a past history of troubled youths and spent his teenage life within a young offender’s institution. In recent times, he turned his life into a positive direction by devoting most of his time to helping other young individuals in care. Based on this fact, it can be said that Ahmed is an appropriate choice for selecting as the first person to rescue his other teammates within the cave as he always moves forward to rescue others without a second thought (Suebvises, 2020). On the other hand, Mary is a 62-year-old woman who successfully runs an organization along with 70 employees to carry out several activities within her company. Currently, Mary is looking for a new effective contract that requires 30 more individuals to continue the new project if signed.
Mary has a situation handling power and she has already developed a strong problem-solving approach as she is already running an organization and leading about 70 employees to carry out all the operations within her company. Apart from that, she is also searching for a significant contract to grow her business efficiently. Thus, this specific fact indicates that she is able to handle any kind of adverse situation with the help of effective management of the condition (Grego, 2020). Hence, it is beneficial to select Mary as the second person to rescue her other team member from the cave. Tozo is a 19 year old student and it has been reported that her family has currently shown interest in a TV documentary.
Based on this scenario, it can be stated that Tozo needs to experience all kinds of adverse circumstances within the cave to make her adventure more thrilling and to cope-up with the situation easily. On the other hand, Tozo needs to shoot the most thrilling parts of their cave operations to make an outstanding documentary and to excite a vast range of audiences (Khaikham, 2020). Thus, Tozo is required to get the privilege to go inside the cave in an adverse situation to rescue her teammate. Sergei is a 42-year-old man who has lost his wife recently and currently he is suffering from a mental disorder.
On the other hand, he has a total of six children. This particular circumstance has revealed that Sergei has already faced a lot of miseries and he has gained enough confidence in confronting adverse situations. Hence, it is appropriate to include Sergei’s name in the third order of the rescue list in a significant way. Helen is a 34-year-old married woman and she has a total of four children aged between seven months to eight years. Apart from that, currently, she has an affair with Paul, another volunteer who has come with other team members for the cave operation (Van Veelen et al. 2021). Thus, she needs to be selected in the fifth order of the rescue orders as she has a family of four children who need the full attention of their mother to care for them.
Further, Helen is now thinking to change the direction of her life by making a decision to marry Paul. Thus, it is risky to select Helen as the first individual to rescue another team member as it can be assumed as a life-threatening step for her. Paul is a 56-year-old man who is a paediatrician. On the other hand, he is also suspected as a drug addict and currently, police are investigating Paul after finding evidence against him. Here, it is important to select Paul as the last individual to rescue other team members as he is not a completely trustworthy person to rescue others (Srimee et al. 2020). Apart from that, it is also necessary to give a chance to Paul to rescue his teammate to justify his humanity and to identify his nature whether it is positive or negative to build trust within other persons.
Conclusion
Finally to conclude, Caving is technically called speleology. Establishing successful caving operations require proper techniques of stoop way, hand & knee crawls, belly crawls, and chimneying. Caving is a dangerous activity so it must never be done alone. A minimum of 4 persons should make a caving team. No children should be participating without adult supervision. In case of accidents, help must be called through radio links for further communication. Proper training should be done to avoid complex challenges. Caving requires physical fitness, mental strength, focus, decision making as well as reasoning skills to overcome complications. Sudden changes in the plan must be well discussed with the leaders for proper management. Caving helps individuals to block out mental traumas, worries & carves an individual to become a strong independent person.
Reference
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Petrucci, E., Pizzi, B., Scimia, P., Conti, G., Di Carlo, S., Santini, A. and Fusco, P., (2018). Wireless and Low-Weight Technologies: Advanced Medical Assistance During a Cave Rescue: A Case Report. Wilderness & environmental medicine, 29(2), pp.248-251.
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Van Veelen, M.J., Voegele, A., Rauch, S., Kaufmann, M., Brugger, H. and Strapazzon, G., (2021). COVID-19 Pandemic in Mountainous Areas: Impact, Mitigation Strategies, and New Technologies in Search and Rescue Operations. High altitude medicine & biology, 22(3), pp.335-341.
