This seminar covers the latest effort to establish law enforcement-specific standards for training and qualification in tactical rope operations, similar to those offered by IRATA/SPRAT for commercial rope access. It is useful to any agency with a current rope program or wanting to start one, as it addresses many of the administrative and legal speed bumps in doing so. Establishing a global standard that integrates advanced techniques from the cave rescue and arborist industries with tactical operations will greatly expand the options available to SWAT commanders during critical incidents. "Solutions" for tactical situations are seldom considered as such if they exist in a plane or dimension of ambiguity or a well-defined and legally edified program.

This seminar opens with current vertical challenges facing law enforcement in both urban and rural settings (including recent updates), the hybrid solutions being developed to address them, and then discusses the qualification programs emerging to give the tactical rope industry its own identity and standards. Steps for building a program, certifying trainers, and edifying policy are addressed. Like other specialized law enforcement techniques, the vertical option is for experts only. Tactical rope mobility is a low-frequency / high-consequence contingency skill set, similar to bomb squad, crisis negotiator, K9, etc. If you don't train and maintain a vertical option, it cannot be considered a potential or viable solution in a crisis.

The tactical rope operations industry is relatively orphaned. It has no overall standards, playbook, advanced training curriculum, firearms specialty, or dedicated equipment. Most police academies do not have a specific course for it, with most programs 'borrowing" from fire (NFPA), mountain rescue (MRA), guide services (AMGA), or military basic training. This practice of adopting training and equipment from other industries for law enforcement operators is risky because other disciplines don't consider the relevant tactical context. This program addresses new standards evolving to approach vertical rope mobility from a law-enforcement perspective and includes critical life-saving and liability-fortifying techniques such as: use-of-force considerations unique to this method of deployment, integrating the entry kit with the vertical kit, developing SOPs, training programs, and program longevity.