The City of Seattle and the Port Cranes which are a favorite playground for these workshops. RTR and Seattle Fire have gained access to these spectacular venues in the past: The Seattle Space Needle, Seahawk and Mariners Stadiums, Columbia Center, Seattle Port Cranes.

Beautiful downtown Seattle on Puget Sound with the Port of Seattle ship cranes in the foreground

RTR Lead Instructor, Greg Sobole, teaching the intricacies of the AZTEK kit to students in Seattle Fire Team Skills Rescue Workshop in 2011. Greg works for Seattle Fire and is stationed at the Technical Rescue Station on "Ladder 7". 

Tandem Seattle Port Crane Gin Pole & A-Frame Arizona Vortex - 1

Tandem gin pole and A-Frame Arizona Vortex set up by the skilled Seattle Fire Ladder 7 (Rescue 1) crew lead by Captain Frank Brennan. RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne, at age 15 is on right in yellow helmet getting ready to be "victim".

NOTE: Most of these AZ Vortex techniques are covered in the Instructor-level, 7 day long Artificial High Directional Workshop (AHDW) which RTR offers at different times of the year and in different US locations and foreign countries. See the latest Open Enrollment Schedule for the AHDW program which suits you.

See previous slide.

Mike Milner of Seattle Fire Ladder 7 (Rescue 1) is the attendant for this evolution where 15 year old RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne was scooped up in litter and transported up through rectangular opening, then across platform to A frame and then skated to the ground. Note tandem frames (gin pole on right and A frame on left) with the Arizona Vortex using only one kit. 

NOTE: Most of these AZ Vortex techniques are covered in the Instructor-level, 7 day long Artificial High Directional Workshop (AHDW) which RTR offers at different times of the year and in different US locations and foreign countries. See the latest Open Enrollment Schedule for the AHDW program which suits you.

See previous 2 slides.

Evolution using the Arizona Vortex in tandem high directionals on the Seattle Port Cranes in 2005. RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne, at age 15 is in the litter as "victim" for this evolution.

NOTE: Most of these AZ Vortex techniques are covered in the Instructor-level, 7 day long Artificial High Directional Workshop (AHDW) which RTR offers at different times of the year and in different US locations and foreign countries. See the latest Open Enrollment Schedule for the AHDW program which suits you.

See previous 3 slides.

Arizona Vortex gin pole being used in evolution on the Seattle Port Cranes in 2005. Notice all the AZTEKs in use to hold the gin pole. The newer RTR-designed Omni AZTEK pulleys with the swivel built in have replaced these older non-swivel pulleys since this photo was taken.

One of our favorite venues in Seattle is the famous Space Needle.

This operation in a contract program for Marysville and Seattle Fire in 2005 used the Seattle Space Needle as a training venue. Here students erected an Arizona Vortex as an easel A frame to do the edge mitigation on the Needle's "Halo" which was very fargile and easily damaged.

NOTE: Most of these AZ Vortex techniques are covered in the Instructor-level, 7 day long Artificial High Directional Workshop (AHDW) which RTR offers at different times of the year and in different US locations and foreign countries. See the latest Open Enrollment Schedule for the AHDW program which suits you.

A rescuer pick off from the 996' high Columbia Center in downtown Seattle in 2002.

Ladder 7 working off of the largest Port Crane with Arizona Vortex in 2007. The Port of Seattle Cranes are a structural playground for these industrial rescues. 

NOTE: Most of these AZ Vortex techniques are covered in the Instructor-level, 7 day long Artificial High Directional Workshop (AHDW) which RTR offers at different times of the year and in different US locations and foreign countries. See the latest Open Enrollment Schedule for the AHDW program which suits you.

The Seattle Fire Department Rescue 1 Ladder 7 crew posing after the RTR course in 2007. Instructor Reed Thorne with Hawaiian shirt in back row.

Seattle Fire Rescue 1 working at the Mariners Baseball Stadium with the Arizona Vortex in 2007 custom rope rescue workshop with RTR.

NOTE: Most of these AZ Vortex techniques are covered in the Instructor-level, 7 day long Artificial High Directional Workshop (AHDW) which RTR offers at different times of the year and in different US locations and foreign countries. See the latest Open Enrollment Schedule for the AHDW program which suits you.

Seattle Light Rail Construction Site 1.

Using the Seattle light rail construction site for rescue work in 2007. This 200' deep air shaft is under construction and being used for a deflection line offset pick off of the victim against the wall on left.

See previous slide.

300' long tracking line offset with Seattle Fire TRT at Fish Ladder on the south fork of the Stilliguamish River outside of the little town of Granite Falls, Washington.

Working at the Mariners Baseball Stadium with the Arizona Vortex in 2007 course with RTR.

Climbing structural steel on "lead" at the Seattle Seahawk Stadium during the RTR 2012 Team Skills Rescue Workshop

Now RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne in 2005 at Seahawk Stadium walking the beams at age 15. Learning the Ways of a Jedi Master at a young age!

One exercise involved the use of the Seattle Fire Dept fire rescue boat below the Seattle Port Cranes. 15 yeqr old, and now RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne, is haning below ready to be scooped up in the litter by an SFD TRT member in 2005. Keith is only 15 at the time this photo and those to follow was taken.

15 year old RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne has just been scooped into the litter as members of SFD look on from waiting rescue boat

RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne, spent much of his childhood in a litter or situation to get rescued.

Once again, 15 year old RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne is descending over the edge of Seahawk Stadium to be another "victim" for a Seattle Fire Fighter in 2005

Seattle Fire Rescue Tracking Line Offset at Seahawk 1.

A tracking line offset was used in 2005 to practice a pick off of then 15 year old and now RTR Assistant Instructor, Keith Thorne, the professional victim for RTR in the early days.

Ropes That Rescue "Adopt-A-Highway" on Hwy 89A

RTR has been 'sponsoring' (Adopt-A-Highway) a two mile section of Arizona scenic highway 89-A in Oak Creek Canyon since 1993. This beautiful scenic section is just above Midgley Bridge and includes a spectacular vista of the red rock Mitten Ridge and famous Teapot Rock (just behind the right sign post). 

This John William Waterhouse painting illustrates Alfred Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott. Draped over the boat is the fabric the lady wove in a tower near Camelot. But she brought a curse on herself by looking directly at Sir Lancelot. With her right hand she lets go of the chain mooring the boat. Her mouth is slightly open, as she sings 'her last song'. She stares at a crucifix lying in front of her. Beside it are three candles, often used to symbolize life. Two have blown out. This suggests her life will end soon, as she floats down the river.

From Reed Thorne: The classic Brittish Pre-Raphaelite style John William Waterhouse painting of The Lady of Shalott from the Tenneyson Poem. The painting is my favorite classical piece found in the Tate Museum in London. I stood in awe of it when I visited the Tate in 1974.