Product Endorsements

Dr. Brian I. Wells

BMCM USCGR/RET.
NASBLA LEAD INSTRUCTOR/ICE RESCUE PROGRAM MANAGER

My Name is Dr. Brian Wells, Retired Boatswain Mate Master Chief of the United States Coast Guard Reserve and a Lead Instructor/Ice Rescue Program Manager for The National Association State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA).

I have used and demonstrated the ARM-LOC device at several venues, NASBLA Boat Operators Search and Rescue Courses(BOSAR) and Air Boat Operators Courses (AOC).

As a tool for First Responders for a possible rescue for someone in the water in a fast water rescue scenario and especially an Ice Rescue scenario the ARM-LOC system could prove to be invaluable. We have done practicable scenario exercises, with both the BOSAR course and Ice Rescue with the AOC course. With direct deployment to the victim and assisted with a Rescuer assisted in an Ice Rescue scenario.

If one life could be saved with the ARM-LOC system, I would consider the application of the apparatus to be a positive approach to help facilitate a rescue.

Craig Hebert, Training Officer

FERGUS FALLS (MN) FIRE DEPARTMENT

On May 13, 2019, we put the ARM-LOC into service. One month later, on June 12, 2019, we deployed it in a swift water rescue.

While floating the Otter Tail River, two victims had become trapped in the narrow gap of an early-1900s collapsed hydroelectric gravity dam. Their raft was punctured and both victims were forced against the dam – one having her leg trapped by a protruding post in the dam opening; the other holding the deflating raft and struggling to keep from being swept through the opening. Rescuers faced many challenges:

• River flow was 40% above the seasonal average
• Water depth was above the victims’ and swimmers’ heads
• Victims were out of reach of throw devices and too fatigued to hold onto one if contact could have been made
• Jagged concrete, protruding steel reinforcing bars and posts, boulders, wooden timbers, and other jetsam were present
• Neither victim was wearing a PFD
• Swimmers unable to safely grab and hold victims for a rope extraction

The ARM-LOC was the perfect solution to the situation. A swimmer entered the river upstream of the dam with the tethered ARM-LOC. Another swimmer who was in the water with the victims quickly explained what was about to occur: the ARM-LOC would be slid onto her arm and inflated, and she would be quickly pulled to safety. This is exactly what happened, and it all took place in seconds after the swimmer with the ARM-LOC made contact.

Removal of the first victim allowed the swimmers space and leverage to transfer the second victim to a Nebulus flotation device that was already in place. If that had not been available, the ARM-LOC would have been quickly recharged and deployed again.

In mid-July of 2020, we were called to assist a kayaker on the Otter Tail River that had become entangled in the branches of a large, partially-submerged oak tree. Recent heavy rains had caused water levels to rise, thus, resulting in increased bank erosion and toppled trees.

Separated from her kayak, the victim was held unable to disentangle herself from the branches. Moreover, she was unable to grasp a throw rope or device. A swimmer with an ARM-LOC entered the water upstream of the victim. The ARM-LOC was applied to the victim whereupon she was quickly pulled free of the tree and onto the riverbank by the shore-based rescuers.

In this case, the ARM-LOC worked extremely well because it did not tangle in the tree branches (which still had leaves on them) like another flotation device may have. Once retrieval began, it also put the victim in a streamlined position so she was able to move past the branches without snagging.

Our experiences with the ARM-LOC have given us even more confidence in the product. Its ease of use, robust construction, and proven capabilities make it an invaluable water and ice rescue tool.